Tag: game preview

Preview: Michigan vs. Maryland

RUSH OFFENSE vs. MARYLAND RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is #17 in rushing offense (231 yards/game) and tied for #9 in yards per carry at 5.98. They have also scored 15 rushing touchdowns, which is #2 in the nation behind Minnesota. Starting running back Blake Corum leads the squad with 235 yards on 34 carries (6.9 yards/carry), and his 7 rushing touchdowns are tied for #1 in the country with Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim. It’s unclear whether star sophomore Donovan Edwards (15 carries, 90 yards, 2 TD) will be back for this game, so the primary backup may be true freshman C.J. Stokes (22 carries, 114 yards, 1 TD). Maryland is #49 in rushing defense (118.3 yards allowed/game) and #44 in yards allowed per carry (3.29). They have yet to allow a team to average more than 3.6 per rush. Their leading tackler is 6’1″, 200 lb. junior safety Beau Brade with 27 stops, followed by 16 from true freshman Jaishawn Barham (6’3″, 230), who caused a stir during his recruiting cycle by silently committing to Maryland, publicly committing to South Carolina, and then signing with the Terps. Maryland is tied for #100 in tackles for loss with just 13 so far. Maryland’s two starting defensive tackles are JUCO transfers, and there are five transfer starters total; all four starting defensive lineman are seniors or fifth year guys.
Advantage: Michigan

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Preview: Michigan vs. UConn

RUSH OFFENSE vs. UCONN RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is #9 in rush offense (251 yards/game) and #4 in yards per carry (6.88). The team has rushed for 9 touchdowns, which is tied for #5. Keep in mind that those stats have come against a couple cupcakes. Blake Corum (164 yards, 2 TD) is the leading rusher, and the #2 guy is true freshman C.J. Stokes (96 yards, 1 TD). Star sophomore Donovan Edwards has an ankle injury and may not be available. Connecticut is #94 in rush defense (165 yards allowed/game) but is a little more respectable in yards per carry allowed (3.9). Junior inside linebacker Jackson Mitchell (6’3″, 227 lbs.) leads the team with 39 tackles, followed by senior Ian Swenson (6’2″, 215) with 25. The Huskies have decent size up front but the leading tacklers for loss are three guys with 2 TFLs each. I’m not expecting a dominant performance because Michigan hasn’t necessarily blown the first two teams off the ball, but the Wolverines should win this battle.
Advantage: Michigan

Preview: Michigan vs. Hawaii

RUSH OFFENSE vs. HAWAII RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is #32 in rushing after one game of rushing for 234 yards. The wild card this week is quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who is starting in place of Cade McNamara. McCarthy ran 3 times for 50 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown, and he expands the playbook. Blake Corum (13 carries, 76 yards, 1 TD) and Donovan Edwards (12 carries, 64 yards, 1 TD) also ran the ball frequently, but the offensive line was not as dominant as I expected. Part of that may have been the absence of left tackle Ryan Hayes (who is expected to play this week) and backup Karsen Barnhart, which caused some reshuffling up front. Hawaii is #127 in rushing defense, giving up 272.5 yards per game and 7.5 yards per carry. They gave up 404 yards on 9.2 yards/carry to Vanderbilt two weeks ago. Hawaii is experienced up front – all four defensive linemen are in their fourth or fifth year – but they lack size. Both defensive tackles are around 300 lbs., but the ends are hovering around 230. The leading tacklers are 6’0″, 190 lb. safety Leonard Lee and 6’3″, 245 lb. middle linebacker Penei Pevihi with 11 and 10, respectively.
Advantage: Michigan

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Preview: Michigan vs. Colorado State

RUSH OFFENSE vs. COLORADO STATE RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan had a top-15 rushing offense in 2021, and they might not drop off much – if at all – in 2022. The team returns three of five starters, the new center nearly won the Rimington at Virginia last year, and the new right tackle was the sixth lineman last year. All of these players are experienced. The biggest question mark is how well they will replace powerful running back Hassan Haskins. Blake Corum (144 carries, 952 yards, 11 TD) will be the lead back and Donovan Edwards (35 carries, 174 yards, 3 TD) will be the backup, but the #3 guy could be any of three unproven guys in Tavi Dunlap, C.J. Stokes, or Kalel Mullings. Colorado State held a couple top-25 teams to poor rushing efforts in 2021, including Iowa (32 carries for 54 yards) and Utah State (48 carries for 111 yards). The defense is anchored by a couple solid linebackers in Cam’Ron Carter (100 tackles, 7.5 TFLs in 2021) and Dequan Jackson (84 tackles, 8.5 TFLs). Both starting defensive tackles are around 6’1″ and 300 pounds, so there’s not a ton of size up front. Michigan will definitely have the advantage, but the Rams may not be pushovers.
Advantage: Michigan

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2021 Orange Bowl Preview: Final Predictions

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In case you missed it, I have broken the preview down into several parts this week. Feel free to check them out if you want:

• Roster Notes (LINK)
• Last Time They Played (LINK)
• Run O vs. Georgia Run D (LINK)
• Pass O vs. Georgia Pass D (LINK)
• Run D vs. Georgia Run O (LINK)
• Pass D vs. Georgia Pass O (LINK)

The game airs at 7:30 p.m. EST on December 31, 2021. You can watch it on ESPN, listen to it on one of those old radio thingies, or go see the game in Coral Gables, FL.

Hit the jump for the predictions.