Tag: game preview

Preview: Michigan vs. Michigan State

RUSH OFFENSE vs. MICHIGAN STATE RUSH DEFENSE

Michigan is #51 in rushing offense (184.5 yards/game) and #65 in yards per carry (4.28). It’s been an up-and-down season so far, with Ty Isaac leading the way in the first three games and then Chris Evans leading the team in rushing for the Purdue game. Meanwhile, Karan Higdon started the Purdue game but has the lowest yards per carry of the three at 4.12. Isaac appeared to suffer a rib injury two games ago, and he looked extra tentative last game. Hopefully the bye week allowed him to heal, because he’s averaging 6.25 yards/carry this year. The offensive line is iffy, even though Michigan has stayed intact since the spring. Redshirt sophomore right tackle Nolan Ulizio is the weak spot, and sophomore right guard Michael Onwenu is that rare offensive lineman who gets rotated out of the game at times (replaced by redshirt sophomore Jon Runyan, Jr.) because he gets gassed. On the other side of the ball, Michigan State is #16 in rushing defense (96 yards allowed/game) and #19 in yards per carry allowed (3.07). They have done that while only being #63 in tackles for loss, which means they’re making a ton of tackles for short gains. Sophomore middle linebacker Joe Bachie (6’2″, 233 lbs.) leads the team with 34 tackles and 4 tackles for loss, while senior strongside linebacker Chris Frey (6’1″, 238) is second in TFLs with 3.0. Junior strong safety Khari Willis (6’0″, 215) is entrenched as the starter there and is second on the team with 24 tackles. The Spartans aren’t very big at the end positions, but defensive tackles Raequan Williams (6’4″, 300) and Mike Panasiuk (6’4″, 294) are powerful and will give Michigan trouble.
Advantage: Michigan State

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Preview: Michigan at Purdue

RUSH OFFENSE vs. PURDUE RUSH DEFENSE

Michigan is #42 with just over 199 yards/game on the ground and #48 in rushing average (4.67). That’s the good news. There’s some bad news, though, and plenty of it. First is that starting running back Ty Isaac (112 yards/game, 7.1 yards/carry) left last week’s game with some sort of rib/abdominal injury, and while Jim Harbaugh says he should be fine and ready to go, a rib injury won’t just disappear in a week. Backups Chris Evans and Karan Higdon have combined for 228 yards on 56 carries, which is just barely over 4.0 yards/carry. The other bad news is that Michigan’s offensive line has struggled, particularly on the right side where sophomore Michael Onwenu and redshirt sophomore Nolan Ulizio reside. Purdue is #54 with just under 130 yards allowed per game and #80 in rushing yards allowed per carry (4.09). The Boilermakers’ leading tackler is middle linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (6’2″, 250 lbs.), followed by strong safety Jacob Jacob Thieneman (6’1″, 210) and weakside linebacker T.J. McCollum (6’3″, 235). Fifth year senior outside linebacker Danny Ezechukwu (6’2″, 242) leads the squad with 3 tackles for loss, and Bentley has 2. Michigan will probably mostly see a 3-4 defense, and the defensive linemen aren’t very good. If they can get a hat on Bentley, the Wolverines should be in decent shape.
Advantage: Michigan if Isaac plays; otherwise, Purdue

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Preview: Michigan vs. Air Force

RUSH OFFENSE vs. AIR FORCE RUSH DEFENSE

Michigan is #47 nationally with 204 yards/game on the ground, and most of that (123.5 yards/game) is coming from fifth year senior running back Ty Isaac. Isaac (8.0 YPC) was expected to be the #3 back coming into the season, but he has overtaken sophomore Chris Evans (3.4 YPC) and junior Karan Higdon (3.7 YPC). The Wolverines usually try to hit a jet sweep or two per game, and those targets so far have been Eddie McDoom (4 yards), Donovan Peoples-Jones (44 yards), and Kekoa Crawford (uhh…a fumble). Michigan is #53 in rushing average (4.74 YPC) and only has 1 touchdown, so there are things to fix, mostly up front. There has been some talk that right guard Michael Onwenu is on thin ice, and redshirt sophomore Jon Runyan, Jr. is a possibility at that spot. Air Force is #10 in rush defense, although their only game so far was against VMI…except AF was also #10 nationally in 2016. They gave up 3.4 YPC, which was tied for #15 in the country. The Falcons run a 3-4 defense with undersized linemen, notably 263 lb. nose tackle Cody Gessler. The leading tackler so far this season is senior inside linebacker Jack Flor (8 tackles), followed by senior cornerback Marquis Griffin (5 tackles). Senior Grant Ross leads the team with 1.5 tackles for loss. Both inside linebackers are 225 lbs., and senior outside linebacker Ja’Mel Sanders is 6’1″, 200 lbs. They’re undersized but get to the ball quickly.
Advantage: Michigan

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Preview: Michigan vs. Cincinnati

RUSH OFFENSE vs. CINCINNATI RUSH DEFENSE

Michigan put up a respectable 215 yards in the season opener, tying them with none other than Michigan State for #49 in the country. The Wolverines are tied for #64 in rushing yards per carry after going against a solid run defense in Florida. Presumed third-stringer Ty Isaac broke out with 11 carries for 114 yards in the season opener, largely as a third down back. Meanwhile, starter Chris Evans had 22 carries for a mediocre 78 yards. Those carry totals are too high for Evans to sustain, and he should get a bit of a break against Cincinnati. Up front Michigan blocked fairly well in the run game, but the left side (LT Mason Cole, LG Ben Bredeson, C Patrick Kugler) is more reliable than the right. Cincinnati gave up 224 yards on the ground (#104) on 3.73 yards/carry (#75) against Austin Peay. Junior free safety Malik Clements leads the team in tackles with 18, and sophomore WILL Perry Young is right behind with 17. Young also leads the team with 3 tackles for loss. The defensive line goes 258, 297, 260, and 245, so they will be severely outsized. Last year Cincinnati was #75 in rushing yards allowed per game, and that probably won’t change much for the better this year.
Advantage: Michigan

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Preview: Michigan vs. Florida

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RUSH OFFENSE vs. FLORIDA RUSH DEFENSE

Michigan finished #33 overall with 213 rushing yards/game in 2016, but leading rusher De’Veon Smith graduated. The depth chart is probably a little thinner this season, with Chris Evans, Karan Higdon, and Ty Isaac likely to share crunch-time carries. They all put up excellent yards per carry last season, with Evans leading the way. Michigan’s offensive line was #64 in Adjusted Line Yards, and they’ll be starting four guys at positions they weren’t starting at last season. Ben Bredeson returns at left guard, Mason Cole moves from center to left tackle, and there are brand new starters at center, right guard, and right tackle. It’s a concerning unit. Florida was #37 in rushing defense, giving up a little over 144 yards/game, and that’s consistent with their #36 Adjusted Line Yards ranking. Florida’s top tackler, safety Marcell Harris, is out due to injury, and the #2 guy (Jarrad Davis) was a 1st round draft pick. The top available, returning tackler is sophomore middle linebacker David Reese II (49 tackles), a one-time Michigan commit. The Gators have some talent on the starting defensive line in tackle Taven Bryan and end CeCe Jefferson, but the #2 guys at both DT spots are freshmen, and the #2 DE is suspended.
Advantage: Michigan

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