Tag: Illinois

Preview: Michigan vs. Illinois

RUSH OFFENSE vs. ILLINOIS RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is #4 in rushing offense (251.4 yards/game) and #7 in rushing average (5.62 yards/carry). Heisman contender Blake Corum has 227 carries for 1,349 yards and 17 touchdowns. Backup Donovan Edwards (70 carries, 471 yards, 4 TD) got banged up last week, so his availability is in question, but freshman C.J. Stokes had a good showing last week with 8 carries for 68 yards in relief of Edwards. Michigan’s offensive line has been beaten up a little bit with Jeffrey Persi, Giovanni El-Hadi, and Karsen Barnhart all logging big minutes last week in the absence of Ryan Hayes, Trevor Keegan, and Trente Jones, respectively. Illinois is #6 in rushing defense (85.9 yards allowed/game) and #5 in yards allowed per carry (3.02). The Fighting Illini are tied for #4 in rushing touchdowns allowed with just 5 so far this year. Senior LB Isaac Darkangelo (6’1″, 230), sophomore DE Jer’zhan Newton (6’2″, 295), and senior hybrid S/LB Jartavius Martin (6’0″, 195) lead the team with 50, 49, and 48 tackles, respectively. The team is #37 in tackles for loss per game (6.4), led by Newton with 12 and sophomore DE Keith Randolph, Jr. (6’5″, 305) with 11.
Advantage: Michigan

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Highlights: Illinois 37, Michigan State 34

One of the joys of being on one side of a rivalry is enjoying your opponent’s misery. Michigan State was up 28-3 on Illinois, and the Fighting Illini came back to win, 37-34. It was the largest comeback in Illinois history at the expense of guys wearing jerseys designed by a blindfolded 3-year-old.

Also, former Michigan QB Brandon Peters threw 3 touchdowns for the Illini.

Michigan vs. Illinois Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . anyone who doesn’t fumble. Zach Charbonnet fumbled. Tru Wilson fumbled. Christian Turner tried to fumble, but his knee was down first. The fumbling at Michigan has been ridiculous this season.

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Highlights: Michigan 42, Illinois 25

Michigan 42, Illinois 25

Boy, Rutgers must be really bad. I mean, Rutgers is bad. We know this. And Illinois is bad, too. But there are different levels of bad. Illinois was missing its starting quarterback (Michigan transfer Brandon Peters), and backups Matt Robinson and Isaiah Williams helped the Illini score 25 points. Meanwhile, Rutgers didn’t look like a viable FBS team in a 52-0 loss to the Wolverines.

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