Preview: Michigan vs. Central Michigan

Tag: game preview


31Aug 2013
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Preview: Michigan vs. Central Michigan

Rush Offense vs. Central Michigan Rush Defense
Michigan is breaking in three new interior linemen, but they return the two tackles, one of whom is an All-American in Taylor Lewan. Former 1,000-yard rusher Fitzgerald Toussaint returns from a broken ankle. The Chippewas have good size at defensive tackle, but their ends are light and the team was 93rd in rushing defense last year. I think Michigan is going to test out Graham Glasgow, Jack Miller, and Kyle Kalis in the middle, but if they need important yards, it will come on the edges behind the mammoth tackles. I would expect to see some outside zone plays that allow Lewan and Schofield to drive block those 250-ish pound ends off the ball.
Advantage: Michigan

Pass Offense vs. Central Michigan Pass Defense
The Chippewas were 100th in the nation in sacks in 2012, and the leading sack artist is gone. It will be interesting to see how the interior offensive line holds up against the pass rush, which is the toughest thing for a young offensive line. Even with the youngsters in the middle, CMU shouldn’t be able to present much of an obstacle. In the defensive backfield of the 4-2-5 defense, every Chippewa is over 6’0″. Cornerback Jason Wilson and safety Avery Cunningham each had two picks last year, but they may struggle to keep up with the 5’8″ and speedy Jeremy Gallon. Furthermore, both starting linebackers 6’0″ and only one safety is 6’1″, so there’s nobody to match height with tight end Devin Funchess. If the linemen keep Devin Gardner clean, he should be able to pick them apart through the air.
Advantage: Michigan

Rush Defense vs. Central Michigan Rush Offense
This is perhaps the most favorable category for CMU, which has one fifth year senior, one true senior, and two redshirt juniors on the line with a redshirt sophomore center. They also have a senior tailback in Zurlon Tipton (6’0″, 221 lbs.) who netted 1,497 yards and 19 touchdowns last season. That included a respectable 27 carries for 134 yards against BCS opponents Michigan State and Iowa. Michigan returns large nose tackle Quinton Washington and some quality inside linebackers, along with some more depth on the defensive line than in recent years. The Wolverines finished 51st in rush defense last season, but playing elite rushing teams like Alabama and Air Force dragged down that ranking. Even if it’s a warm day, Michigan should be able to rotate in some quality linemen to attempt to stop the running game. Tipton will get his fair share of yards, but CMU won’t be able to commit to the running game if they’re playing from behind the entire time.
Advantage: Michigan

Pass Defense vs. Central Michigan Pass Offense
Redshirt junior quarterback Kody Kater (6’3″, 220 lbs.) is 2/4 for 12 yards in his career. Junior wide receiver Titus Davis (6’2″, 190 lbs.) led the team last season with 43 catches for 860 yards and 8 touchdowns and returns this year. Opposite him is junior possession receiver Courtney Williams (6’1″, 212 lbs.), who finished with 24 catches for 260 yards and 2 scores. Michigan’s pass rush is reputed to be better this season, but even if it doesn’t take a significant step forward, the cornerbacks are solid and so is strong safety Thomas Gordon. The Chippewas’ best bet is to stretch the field and try to test sophomore free safety Jarrod Wilson, but that will also require holding up against defensive end Frank Clark and the aggressive blitzing of defensive coordinator Greg Mattison. Mattison probably won’t want to show his hand to future opponents if the defensive line can get there rushing three or four, but he’ll do what it takes to try to win comfortably.

Roster Notes

  • Wide receivers coach Mose Rison is the cousin of former Michigan State and NFL wide receiver Andre Rison.
  • Cornerbacks coach Archie Collins is famous around the Michigan recruiting blogosphere for formerly working at Southeastern High School in Detroit and allegedly steering kids toward Michigan State.
  • If you follow recruiting in the state of Michigan at all, Central Michigan’s roster is chock full of names that should be familiar to you. 
  • The Chippewas have a quality control guy named Jason Assmann.
Predictions

  • Fitzgerald Toussaint returns with a vengeance: 130 yards, 2 touchdowns.
  • Jehu Chesson scores his first career touchdown.
  • Michigan confuses and pressures Kater into throwing 3 interceptions.
  • Michigan 37, Central Michigan 6
7Jan 2013
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Mini Preview: Alabama vs. Notre Dame

This is just a mini-preview of the national championship game, since I don’t really have a dog in the fight.  However, Michigan is in the unique position of having played both national championship contenders during the regular season; the Wolverines lost to Alabama by a score of 41-14 and followed that up three weeks later with a 13-6 loss to Notre Dame.

Roster notes

  • Michigan recruited DT Chris Bonds, S Ha’Sean Clinton-Dix, LB Trey DePriest, CB John Fulton, RB Dee Hart, CB Cyrus Jones, OL Ryan Kelly, OL Arie Kouandjio, OL Cyrus Kouandjio, LB Dillon Lee, CB Dee Milliner, LB Tana Patrick, RB Blake Sims, CB Geno Smith, DE Dalvin Tomlinson, and CB Jabriel Washington
  • RB Dee Hart was once committed to Michigan prior to the firing of Rich Rodriguez
  • Head coach Nick Saban and TE/ST coach Bobby Williams both used to be head coaches at Michigan State

Roster Notes

  • Michigan recruited K Kyle Brindza, WR Chris Brown, WR DaVaris Daniels, DT Sheldon Day, LB Dan Fox, QB Everett Golson, OT Mark Harrell, DE Jarron Jones, QB Gunner Kiel, OT Christian Lombard, OT Zack Martin, WR Davonte Neal, DT Louis Nix III, S Elijah Shumate, OG Chris Watt, TE Alex Welch, RB Cierre Wood, and CB Lo Wood.
Predictions

  • Alabama’s front seven has its way with Notre Dame’s offensive line
  • Everett Golson shows his lack of experience and turns over the ball three times
  • Notre Dame’s secondary gets burned by some play action passes
  • Alabama 31, Notre Dame 10
17Nov 2012
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Preview: Michigan vs. Iowa


Rush Offense vs. Iowa Rush Defense

Michigan’s rushing offense has dropped off as Denard Robinson has missed the last 2.5 games due to injury; now the Wolverines are #35 in rushing with 194 yards/game after rushing 32 times for 133 yards against Northwestern last week.  Running back Fitzgerald Toussaint has had two of his most productive games the last couple weeks with 70 and 92 yards, respectively, along with a 28-yard TD reception against the Wildcats.  Iowa, meanwhile, has the #60 rushing defense and gives up 155 yards/game.  Last week the Hawkeyes gave up 211 yards on 44 carries to Purdue.  Defensive end Joe Gaglione (9) and linebacker James Morris (7) lead the team in tackles for loss; linebacker Anthony Hitchens is a tackling machine with 114 total. (By comparison, Michigan’s leading tackler is Desmond Morgan with 69.)  Michigan seems to be improving slightly at running the ball, but Iowa always seems to defend the run well; I also don’t expect Robinson to play on Saturday, so that’s a huge negative for Michigan’s hopes of running the ball.
Advantage: Iowa


Pass Offense vs. Iowa Pass Defense
The Wolverines have improved at passing the ball over the last couple weeks, as backup quarterback Devin Gardner has thrown for 234 and 286 yards, respectively.  Wide receiver Roy Roundtree, in particular, has stepped it up with 7 receptions for 203 yards.  Even so, Michigan is just tied for #98 nationally with 189 yards/game through the air.  Iowa stands at #50 and gives up 226 yards/game and is #59 in pass efficiency defense, so they’re perfectly mediocre.  They have just 11 sacks to rank #111 nationally, with the leading sacker being Gaglione.  The Hawkeyes have 9 interceptions, none of which have come from their supposed best cornerback, Micah Hyde.  Typically, they play a Cover Two defense, so Gardner’s ability to throw corner routes and hit short timing passes will be critical, but Iowa is a scary team to play for an inexperienced quarterback.
Advantage: Iowa


Rush Defense vs. Iowa Rush Offense
The Wolverines are #59 in rush defense, but they hold up fairly well against straight-ahead, power running teams like Iowa.  Teams that give Michigan trouble are option teams like Air Force and Northwestern, but Iowa doesn’t have the athleticism at quarterback or overall speed to give the Wolverines issues on the edge. Leading rusher Mark Weisman has missed the past two games, and Damon Bullock has run 48 times for just 144 yards (3.0 yards/carry) against Indiana and Purdue in those weeks.  Overall, Iowa is #98 in the country with just 124 yards/game rushing.  Iowa typically has a road grader or two on the offensive line, but that position group is weak and injured this season.  Weakside linebacker Desmond Morgan and middle linebacker Kenny Demens have been making more plays since defensive tackles Quinton Washington and Will Campbell have stepped up their games.
Advantage: Michigan


Pass Defense vs. Iowa Pass Offense
Michigan has the #1 pass defense in the country and the #21 pass efficiency defense in the country, so they do well numbers-wise, though they haven’t played many good passing attacks.  Meanwhile, Iowa throws for 198 yards/game, good enough for #94 in the nation.  Receivers Keenan Davis and Kevonte Martin-Manley have eerily similar numbers (46 receptions, 560 yards for the former; 47 receptions, 545 yards for the latter), but they have combined for just three touchdowns.  Tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz has 31 receptions but only averages about 9.0 yards/catch.  Michigan really struggles to get to the quarterback and ranks #100 in the country with just 1.3 sacks/game.  Leading sacker Craig Roh has 4 total sacks, and linebacker Jake Ryan has 3.5 takedowns.  The Wolverines don’t have any great coverage defensive backs, but they play fairly well together and the linebackers do a solid job in coverage.  Michigan is vulnerable deep, but they’ve been lucky because their opponents haven’t been able to hit those deep passes.
Advantage: Michigan


Roster Notes

  • Michigan recruited DT Darian Cooper, OT Andrew Donnal, DT Faith Ekakitie, RB Greg Garmon, TE Ray Hamilton, OL Jaleel Johnson, OG Jordan Walsh, and QB John Wienke
  • Wienke was at one time committed to play for Michigan
  • Other players from Michigan include Canton (MI) Canton CB Kevin Buford, Utica (MI) Stevenson OG Carl Davis, Troy (MI) Athens TE Jake Duzey, Detroit (MI) Cass Tech S Ruben Lile, Birmingham (MI) Brother Rice WR Kevonte Martin-Manley, Detroit (MI) Cass Tech LB Laron Taylor
  • LB Jim Poggi is the brother of 2013 commit Henry Poggi
  • Wide receivers coach Erik Campbell is a former player and coach at Michigan

Predictions

  • Gardner starts but has his worst game as a passer
  • James Vandenberg hits a couple of those deep passes that those other teams’ quarterbacks have been missing
  • The whole stadium blubbers uncontrollably when Denard walks off the field for the last time
  • Michigan 21, Iowa 14

A Look Back . . . 

2Nov 2012
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Preview: Michigan at Minnesota



Rush Offense vs. Minnesota Rush Defense
The Wolverines have the #27 rush offense with 207 yards/game.  The Gophers have the #84 rush defense giving up 178 yards/game.  Quarterback Denard Robinson is gaining 118 yards/game himself, but starting running back Fitzgerald Toussaint gains only 46 yards/game.  Last week when Robinson left the game, Michigan’s running game bogged down, and replacement quarterback Russell Bellomy has just 16 yards on 12 carries this season.  Defensive ends D.L. Wilhite and Ra’Shede Hageman have 14.5 tackles for loss between them, though 10.5 of those are sacks.  However, Minnesota’s top two tacklers are safeties Troy Stoudermire and Derrick Wells, which doesn’t bode well for their defense.  The top non-DB tackler is middle linebacker Mike Rallis.  Michigan might struggle to run the ball if Robinson is unavailable, but the Gophers have recently given up 182 yards to Northwestern’s Venric Mark; 341 yards to Wisconsin’s duo of Montee Ball and James White; and 177 yards to Iowa’s Mark Weisman.  If Toussaint and/or backup Thomas Rawls can’t gain significant chunks of yards against this run defense, then this team is in serious trouble.
Advantage: Michigan


Pass Offense vs. Minnesota Pass Defense
The Wolverines have the #108 pass offense with 172 yards/game.  Minnesota has the #7 pass defense with 158 yards allowed/game and the #8 pass efficiency defense.  Of course, why pass the ball when you can run it so effectively against them?  Minnesota has picked off eight passes this season, with safety Derrick Wells and cornerback Michael Carter each picking off two.  The Gophers average two sacks/game, with the aforementioned Wilhite and Hageman combining for 10.5 sacks.  They likely won’t give Michigan too much of a problem because the Wolverines are solid in pass protection – #12 in the nation for giving up just .88 sacks/game – but if Bellomy plays because of Robinson’s injury, then all bets are off because Minnesota will likely blitz a ton.  If quarterback/receiver Devin Gardner spends this week practicing at quarterback, that could take away Michigan’s best big-play threat on the outside.  Michigan’s top five receivers have anywhere between 11-18 receptions, so the ball gets spread around fairly evenly.  I will give the nod here to Minnesota because Michigan’s quarterbacks are prone to turning over the ball and probably won’t throw very much.
Advantage: Minnesota

Roster Notes

  • Michigan recruited LB Brendan Beal, LB Keanon Cooper, and OT Jonah Pirsig
  • Offensive linemen Kyle and Luke McAvoy are the younger brothers of former Michigan offensive lineman Tim McAvoy
  • Freshman defensive end Jackson Miller is from Okemos (MI) Okemos, redshirt freshman linebacker Dominic Schultz is from Port Huron (MI) Port Huron, and junior defensive back Kenny Watkins is from Birmingham (MI) Brother Rice
. . . and that’s when I ran out of time this week.  Busy week, and a busy weekend coming up.  Thanks, Hurricane Sandy!
Predictions
  • Michigan wins handily if Denard Robinson starts
  • Michigan wins by a close margin if Russell Bellomy or Devin Gardner starts
  • Michigan wins by 50 if Nick Sheridan starts
A Look Back . . . 
19Oct 2012
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Preview: Michigan vs. Michigan State


Rush Offense vs. MSU Rush Defense

Michigan is #17 in rushing offense with 233 yards/game.  As you probably could have guess, Denard Robinson leads the team in rushing; he gets 134 yards/game himself and is the nation’s fourth-best rusher.  Running back Fitzgerald Toussaint (46 yards/game) is feeling a push from backup Thomas Rawls, who has gained 174 yards and score 2 touchdowns on just 25 carries, albeit mostly in mop-up duty.  Meanwhile, the Spartans are #8 in the country against the run and give up just 91 yards/game.  There’s a bit of turmoil on their defense, though, because starting linebacker and captain Chris Norman was benched last week in favor of Taiwan Jones, and Kurtis Drummond was promoted to the starting role at safety, because of underperformance on their parts.  Linebacker Max Bullough leads the team with 58 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss.  Defensive ends Marcus Rush and William Gholston are both somewhat disruptive forces at defensive end, but the defensive tackles are mediocre.
Advantage: Michigan


Pass Offense vs. MSU Pass Defense
The Spartans have the #12 pass efficiency defense and the #17 pass defense, giving up just over 178 yards/game.  Clearly, this is not because teams are having so much success in the running game that they don’t have to pass.  The Spartans are legitimately good.  In the last couple games, Michigan has really committed to its running game and essentially given up on hoping that Denard Robinson’s passing can win games for them.  The Wolverines will use play action passes and get guys like Jeremy Gallon and Devin Funchess open that way.  The Spartans have a couple solid corners, and their front seven will get some pressure if Michigan is forced into obvious passing situations, so Michigan will have to stay on schedule by running the ball.  No MSU player has more than one interception, but Johnny Adams is considered by some to be the conference’s best corner.
Advantage: Michigan State


Rush Defense vs. MSU Rush Offense
The Wolverines are #55 in rush defense and give up 148 yards/game, but a huge chunk of those yards were piled up by Alabama and Air Force in the first couple weeks.  In the last three games, Michigan has given up 94, 56, and 105 yards on the ground.  The linebackers are rounding into form, and nose tackle Quinton Washington has started to assert himself as a bit of a space eater up the middle.  The Spartans are surprisingly 84th in the nation running the ball as a team; they get 144 yards/game, but workhorse tailback Le’veon Bell gets 130 of those each week.  Michigan State’s offensive line has been battered and wasn’t great to begin with, and that’s beginning to show.  Bell will gain some yards because he breaks tackles, but this likely won’t be one of his better rushing days.
Advantage: Michigan

Pass Defense vs. MSU Pass Offense
The Spartans have thrown for 236 yards/game so far this season, but leading receiver Dion Sims might miss the game due to injury; he averages 4 receptions and 52 yards/game.  Keith Mumphery and Aaron Burbridge have both stepped up in recent weeks, and those are a couple guys who can run after the catch.  Michigan’s performance last week against Illinois jumped them all the way up to #3 nationally in passing yards allowed per game (139), but the Wolverines are #95 in sacks and don’t have great cover guys on the outside; however, they put pressure on quarterbacks by slanting linemen and sending guys from the back seven.  Quarterbacks can get rid of the ball, but they’re often in a hurry to do so.
Advantage: Michigan


Roster Notes

  • Michigan recruited WR De’Anthony Arnett, WR Aaron Burbridge, RB Larry Caper, LB Ed Davis, S Kurtis Drummond, DE William Gholston, DT Tyler Hoover, WR Monty Madaris, LB Chris Norman, DE Marcus Rush, TE Dion Sims, and DE Lawrence Thomas.
  • LS Taybor Pepper was once committed to Michigan as a preferred walk-on, but then signed with MSU after they offered a him a scholarship.
Predictions
  • Michigan plays their most emotional game of the year.
  • Denard Robinson reverses his trend of playing poorly against Michigan State, but still throws a pick.
  • Aaron Burbridge burns Michigan once or twice for big plays.
  • Le’veon Bell has a forgettable game.
  • Michigan 24, Michigan State 17
A Look Back . . .