Tag: Minnesota

Michigan 49, Minnesota 24

The elephant in the room. Joe Milton looked good. He completed 15/22 passes for 225 yards and 1 touchdown, while running 8 times for 52 yards and 1 touchdown. I thought he would look shaky, and he didn’t. Yes, there were some mistakes, but he also made some very nice plays. Obviously, the arm strength is impressive, but he didn’t really complete any deep shots. The throws he hit were in the short and intermediate areas. It was a good debut for a starting QB.

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Mini-Preview: Michigan at Minnesota

I have to be honest, and I’ve been so busy with finishing up the season preview and a bunch of other stuff that I haven’t had time to do a good preview. And tonight while I’m finishing this up, I’m deciding to watch the presidential debate instead of trying to watch a bunch of Minnesota stuff.

HOW TO WATCH

Saturday, October 24th, 2020: 7:30 p.m. EST on ABC

ROSTER NOTES

• Minnesota players offered by Michigan: OL Curtis Dunlap Jr., OL Daniel Faalele, DB Benny Sapp III, DB Benjamin St-Juste
• Minnesota players from the State of Michigan include: LB Trenton Guthrie (Northville), DL Ali Saad (Dearborn), TE Bryce Witham (Grand Rapids West Catholic)
• Minnesota DB Benjamin St-Juste signed with Michigan out of high school before transferring to Minnesota
• Minnesota DB Benny Sapp III is the son of former NFL DB Benny Sapp II, who played with the Chiefs, Vikings, and Dolphins

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Highlights: Michigan 33, Minnesota 10

Preview: Michigan vs. Minnesota

RUSH OFFENSE vs. MINNESOTA RUSH DEFENSE

Michigan is up to #38 in rushing offense (193.4 yards/game) and #57 in yards per carry (4.57). Karan Higdon has taken over the leading role with 604 yards and 8 touchdowns on 5.9 yards/carry. Ty Isaac has also run well, but he left last weekend’s game with an injury, and Kareem Walker also left with a sprained ankle. The other top option is Chris Evans (298 yards on 3.9 yards/carry). The offensive line is #19 in Adjusted Line Yards this season. The group has improved noticeably over the past few weeks, particularly in the run game since right tackle Nolan Ulizio was replaced by Juwann Bushell-Beatty. The Gophers are #36 in rushing defense (132.8 yards allowed/game) and #54 in yards allowed per carry (4.12). The leading tackler is middle linebacker Thomas Barber (6’1″, 233 lbs.) with 75 stops, and he’s followed by weakside linebacker Jonathan Celestin (6’1″, 232) with 60 tackles. Barber is #2 on the team in tackles for loss (8.0), topped only by DE/OLB Carter Coughlin (6’4″, 245) and his 8.5 tackles for loss. Minnesota has a solid interior defensive line with nose tackle Steven Richardson (6’0″, 300) and 3-tech Gary Moore (6’4″, 295). The Gophers are solid up front, but Michigan seems to have an upward trend right now that I expect to continue in the running game.
Advantage: Michigan

Hit the jump for more on this Saturday’s game.

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Michigan vs. Minnesota Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Drake Johnson. Much like last year, it seems like Drake Johnson (10 carries, 55 yards) is the only guy who can infuse life into the running game right now. For whatever reason, Ty Isaac and Karan Higdon did not participate in Saturday’s game, and Derrick Green (3 carries, 4 yards) is still just a guy. Meanwhile, starter De’Veon Smith (9 carries, 16 yards) is just limping along at this point. I’m unimpressed with Michigan’s options at the position, but there isn’t anyone new coming through the door just yet.

Hit the jump for the rest of the awards.

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