Tag: game preview

Preview: Michigan at Minnesota

I hate to say it, but football season is kicking my ass. Sometimes there’s just not enough time in the day, and that goes for every day lately. So by necessity, here’s an abbreviated preview of Saturday’s game against Minnesota (7:00 p.m. on ESPN).

RUSH OFFENSE VS. MINNESOTA RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan: #49 in yardage (181 yards/game), #57 in average (4.44 yards/carry)
Leading rushers: De’Veon Smith (436 yards, 4.5 yards/carry, 4 TD) and Ty Isaac (205 yards, 6.8 yards/carry, 1 TD)
Minnesota: #53 in yardage (151 yards/game), #45 in average (3.9 yards/carry)
Leading tacklers: S Antonio Johnson (48 tackles), LB Cody Poock (45 tackles)

PASS OFFENSE VS. MINNESOTA PASS DEFENSE
Michigan: #98 in yardage (186 yards/game), #96 in passer rating (117.46)
Leading passer:

Jake Rudock (61.7%, 1303 yards, 5 touchdowns, 6 interceptions)
Leading receivers:

WR Amara Darboh (28 catches, 332 yards, 2 TD), TE Jake Butt (23 catches, 278 yards, 1 TD)
Minnesota: #18 in yardage (177 yards/game), #21 in passer rating (107.92)
Leading defenders: DT Steven Richardson (3.5 sacks), CB Jalen Myrick (3 interceptions)

RUSH DEFENSE VS. MINNESOTA RUSH OFFENSE
Michigan: #2 in yardage (65 yards/game), #2 in average (2.14 yards/carry)
Leading tacklers: LB Desmond Morgan (44 tackles), LB Joe Bolden (40 tackles)
Minnesota: #85 in yardage (157 yards/game), #77 in average (4.11 yards/carry)
Leading rushers: Rodney Smith (467 yards, 4.1 yards/carry, 1 TD) and Shannon Brooks (316 yards, 7.0 yards/carry, 3 TD)

PASS DEFENSE VS. MINNESOTA PASS OFFENSE
Michigan: #4 in yardage (146 yards/game), #1 in passer rating (85.42)
Leading defenders: DT Willie Henry (6 sacks), CB Jourdan Lewis (14 pass breakups, 2 interceptions, 1 touchdown)
Minnesota:

#95 in yardage (194 yards/game), #106 in passer rating (113.31)
Leading passer: Mitch Leidner (59.2%, 1310 yards, 7 touchdowns, 6 interceptions)
Leading receivers: WR K.J. Maye (33 catches, 350 yards, 3 TD), WR Drew Wolitarsky (26 catches, 297 yards, 1 TD)

ROSTER NOTES

• Players recruited by Michigan: RB Jeff Jones, OT Jonah Pirsig
• Players from the state of Michigan: WR Ray Buford, RB Berkley Edwards, P Jacob Herbers, S Dior Johnson, TE Bryce Witham
• RB Berkley Edwards (5 carries, 29 yards) is the son of former Michigan RB Stan Edwards and the brother of former Michigan WR Braylon Edwards

LAST TIME THEY PLAYED . . .

• Concussiongate happened, yet somehow Minnesota DE Theiren Cockran didn’t get penalized for targeting
• Inexplicably, Shane Morris started over Devin Gardner and went 7/19 for 49 yards, 0 touchdowns, and a pick-six
• Will Hagerup averaged 50 yards/punt on eight attempts
• De’Veon Smith and Devin Gardner each scored a rushing touchdown
• Jerry Kill was still the head coach for the Gophers

PREDICTIONS

• Jarrod Wilson makes his first interception of the year
• Ian Bunting scores his first career touchdown
• Jake Rudock gets knocked out of the game, Wilton Speight can’t find his helmet, and Shane Morris burns his redshirt to come in and win the game
• Michigan 24, Minnesota 13

Preview: Michigan vs. Michigan State

Rush Offense vs. Michigan State Rush Defense
Michigan is #34 in rushing yardage (201 yards/game), and the 4.77 yards/carry is good enough for #42 nationally. Starting running back De’Veon Smith returned last week after a one-week absence, but he limped off again after gaining 59 yards on 8 carries against Northwestern. Drake Johnson seemed to move into the backup role, but he’s working through an undisclosed injury. That leaves Derrick Green, a recently demoted Ty Isaac, and true freshman Karan Higdon, who just burned his redshirt. At this point it’s anybody’s guess who’s going to get carries from week to week, but you can count on a couple handoffs to the fullbacks (20 carries, 116 yards, 1 touchdown this year) and one or two carries by wide receiver Jehu Chesson. Michigan’s offensive line is #86 in Adjusted Line Yards, so they’re not moving people off the ball with regularity. The Spartans are allowing 130 yards/game on the ground (#34 nationally), and the 3.77 yards allowed/carry is 47th in the country. Middle linebacker Riley Bullough leads the team with 55 tackles, and outside ‘backers Jon Reschke and Darien Harris follow with 38 and 37, respectively. Michigan State is tied for 15th in the nation with 45 tackles for loss, but many of those have come in the form of sacks, not in disrupting the run game. The Spartans lack a consistent disruptive force against the run. I don’t think either team has a decided advantage, but I’ll give a leg up in scheming to Michigan.
Advantage: Michigan

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Preview: Michigan vs. Northwestern

I have yet to see a good looking Northwestern girl, so here’s a picture of Chrissy Teigen in a purple bikini.

Rush Offense vs. Northwestern Rush Defense
Michigan is #35 nationally with 201 yards/game on the ground, and the 4.86 yards/carry is tied for 40th. Those numbers are bolstered by a few big plays, including two long touchdowns by wide receiver Jehu Chesson on fly sweeps. The standard running game is not quite so productive. Starting running back De’Veon Smith, who missed last week’s game after suffering an ankle injury against BYU, should return for Northwestern. He has 331 yards and 4 touchdowns on 4.8 yards/carry. Redshirt junior Drake Johnson has moved into the backup role, and he has averaged more than 5.1 yards/carry for the past three weeks. Starting fullback Joe Kerridge has missed the past couple games with a leg injury, too, and while he’s the superior blocker at the position, backup Sione Houma is averaging 5.2 yards/carry on 10 attempts. Michigan’s offensive line is largely intact, although left guard Ben Braden was knocked out of last week’s game. Northwestern is #26 against the run while giving up 117 yards/game, and they’re #44 with 3.72 yards against/carry. In their 4-3 defense, middle linebacker Anthony Walker leads the team with 44 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss; he is quick and diagnoses plays well. Strongside defensive end Dean Lowry is 6’6″, 290 lbs. and will be tough to handle for Michigan’s offensive tackles. The entire team tackles well, and the safeties are willing to step up and help in the running game. It will be tough sledding for Michigan’s offense, because the Wolverines lack the speed to stretch the field and make these defenders play in space.
Advantage: Northwestern

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Preview: Michigan at Maryland

Rush Offense vs. Maryland Rush Defense
Michigan is now #46 in rushing with 202 yards/game, and their 4.84 yards/carry also rank 46th. The team’s leading rusher, De’Veon Smith, had a bit of a breakout game last week when he broke off a 60-yard run, finishing with 16 carries for 125 yards. He injured his right ankle in the second half, however, and did not return. Reports this week are saying he has been practicing, but if he does not play, the bulk of the carries will likely go to Ty Isaac (8.5 yards/carry) and Drake Johnson (5.2 yards/carry). Michigan’s offensive line has been pretty good over the past few weeks, with left tackle Mason Cole, center Graham Glasgow, and right guard Kyle Kalis all earning praise publicly. Maryland is #101 in giving up 200 yards/game, although their 4.31 yards allowed/carry is slightly better at #75 nationally. The leading tackler is 6’0″, 240 lb. middle linebacker Jermaine Carter, Jr., but the next three players on the list are all defensive backs. Carter also has 5 tackles for loss in the run game, so he’s a force in the middle. The Terrapins did well in the season opener against FCS team Richmond, but they have given up 201, 240, and 304 yards on the ground over the past three weeks. Michigan should have a solid performance with the way they’ve been playing lately.
Advantage: Michigan

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Preview: Michigan vs. BYU

Rush Offense vs. BYU Rush Defense
Michigan is #55 nationally in average yards per carry at 4.78 and #61 in yards per game with 185. Those numbers come after a poor start against a pretty good Utah defense and then two fairly easy games against overmatched opponents. Starter De’Veon Smith had just 13 carries for 33 yards last week, but he leads the team in rushing yards while averaging just 3.9 yards/carry. Head coach Jim Harbaugh likes him because of his toughness, but he is not the most productive runner. Harbaugh said last week that he won’t discuss position controversies outside of QB, but backup Ty Isaac is making a push for more playing time after an 8-carry, 114-yard performance against UNLV. He leads the team with 8.9 yards/carry and broke a 76-yarder for a touchdown last week. On the offensive line, right guard Kyle Kalis and center Graham Glasgow were noted following last week’s performance for their quality play, and the line does seem to be performing at a higher level than at most points over the past couple seasons. BYU is #74 in the country for giving up 162 yards/game on the ground, and their average per carry allowed is 4.58, good for just #92 nationally. However, their three games have come against some pretty good competition in Boise State, Nebraska, and UCLA. The Cougars run a 3-4 defense where the linemen are going to eat up blockers while the linebackers and safeties hopefully run free. Strong safety Michael Wadsworth (6’2″, 221 lbs.) leads the team with 22 tackles, followed by middle linebacker Harvey Langi (6’3″, 240 lbs.), weak inside linebacker Manoa Pikula (6’1″, 235 lbs.), and SAM linebacker Fred Warner (6’4″, 225 lbs.). Nose tackle Travis Tuiloma (6’2″, 300 lbs.) is a formidable player who might be returning from the injury he suffered in week one, although his career highs of 27 tackles and 6 tackles for loss in 2014 are nothing too frightening. Michigan had a good rushing day against Oregon State, who ran a 3-4 as well, although not with the same size or talent. Part of the reason is that it freed up left guard Ben Braden to pull and release to the second level, where his leverage issues aren’t as apparent as when he has to deal with down linemen.
Advantage: Michigan

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