The No. 14 Michigan Wolverines (4-1, 2-0) came back from a 17-0 deficit to beat the Northwestern Wildcats(1-3, 0-2) 20-17 on Saturday night in Evanston, Illinois.
Shea Patterson completed 15 of his 24 passes for 196 yards. Karan Higdon carried the ball 30 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Nico Collins led receivers with six catches for 73 yards. The maize and blue came out flat to start this contest, giving up 10 points in the first quarter and getting a lot of penalties called against them. They would end up being penalized 11 times and losing 110 yards in the game. The Wildcats took a 17-0 lead with 12:56 left in the second quarter after a John Moten IV touchdown run. Michigan would add a touchdown thanks to Karan Higdon before halftime. The Wolverines came out a lot sharper in the third quarter, keeping Northwestern's offense under reps. They even added two field goals to make it 17-13. However, they still couldn't get that crucial touchdown. In the fourth quarter, the maize and blue took over at their own 33-yard line with 10:05 left in the game. They'd drive 67 yards on 11 plays, including a Shea Patterson run to get a first down on a crucial 3rd and 9, to score a touchdown thanks to Karan Higdon, putting them up 20-17 and giving them their first lead of the game. Northwestern would get two opportunities to get the lead back, but they were shut down by Michigan's defense both times and so Michigan completed one of its bigger comebacks in recent memory. The Wolverines will return home next weekend to host the Maryland Terrapins.
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The No. 14 Michigan Wolverines (3-1, 1-0) started conference play on the right foot with a 56-10 win over Nebraska last week. Up next is a road game against the Northwestern Wildcats.
Opponent Overview The Wildcats (1-2, 1-0) started their season with a win at Purdue. However, they've since dropped home games against Duke and Akron in their last two games. They even lost top running back Jeremy Larkin who, after leading the team in carries, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns to start the season, has been forced to retire from football due to cervical stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal chord. Even so, this isn't a team to snuff at. Last year they knocked off Michigan State, ranked No. 16, 39-31 in triple overtime. They also finished 10-3 and ranked No. 17 in the AP Poll. The Wildcats' offense is led by Clayton Thorson who's gone 71/116 for 753 yards and three touchdowns this season. With Jeremy Larkin gone, Northwestern has a lot to figure out when it comes to their running backs. John Moten IV leads active rushers with 12 carries for 21 yards and a touchdown. Kyric McGowan and TJ Green should also see more time. How time will be shared among the running backs remains to be seen. Flynn Nagel leads a deep wide receiver core with 20 catches for 226 yards. Cameron Green is second on the team in both categories and leads the Wildcats with two touchdowns. Bennett Skowronek should also get plenty of looks from Clayton Thorson. Players to Watch Josh Metellus- As a team the maize and blue have improved quite a bit none more so than Metellus. The junior safety from Pembroke Pines, Florida has two interceptions this season to go with 19 total tackles and two passes deflected. He'll need to keep the momentum going against a Northwestern offense that'll be more inclined to throw the ball after losing its top running back. Ben Mason-The sophomore fullback went off for three touchdowns against Nebraska and has four over his last two games. he hasn;t gotten nearly as many touches as Karan Higdon or Chris Evans, but it will be interesting to see how the Wolverines continue to utilize him against Northwestern. Donovan Peoples-Jones- Michigan's leading receiver had a more pedestrian day against Nebraska, making just one catch for 10 yards. He'll need to be utilized more often against a Wildcats team the maize and blue need to be ready for. The running backs alone won;t carry the offense in this contest. Michigan takes on Northwestern Saturday, Sep. 28 at 4:30 eastern on FOX. The No. 19 Michigan Wolverines wrapped up their non-conference slate with a 45-20 win over SMU last Saturday. In Week 4, they'll host the Nebraska Cornhuskers in their first conference game of the season.
Opponent Overview Many Cornhusker fans in and around Lincoln had high expectations for this season after Scott Frost, who led UCF to a 13-0 season in 2017, returned to his alma mater to become the head coach. However, the team, now 0-2, hasn't improved the way people thought they would, or at all for that matter. Not only are the Big Red struggling, but they're also without star quarterback Adrian Martinez, who suffered a knee injury in their first game against Colorado. It's not currently known whether or not he'll start. If he doesn't, expect Andrew Bunch to lead the Cornhuskers offense. The workload in the backfield is split between Greg Bell, Maurice Washington and Devine Ozigbo, each of whom have at least 22 carries in the team's first two games. Bell leads the pack with 168 yards to start the season while Ozigbo has the trio's only touchdown. Stanley Morgan and JD Spielman are the big playmakers on the perimeter. Morgan has made 10 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown while Spielman had nine catches for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Players to Watch Shea Patterson-Patterson has done a good job as the stable quarterback Michigan has needed. However, fans are still waiting for him to really go off and have a monster game to lead the offense. He did throw for a season high 237 yards and three touchdowns against SMU, but fans know he's capable of more. Is this the week the offense lets him fly? Karan Higdon-The feature running back for the maize and blue couldn't play last Saturday because of an undisclosed injury. Fortunately, he's healthy enough to play against Nebraska, according to running backs coach Jay Harbaugh. Higdon will be an integral part of the offense moving forward and the Nebraska game will be a great opportunity for him to continue his production. Josh Metellus-The junior defensive back had five tackles and an interception taken back 73 yards for a touchdown, a great sign for a player known for costly blunders in big games. If he can keep that going against Nebraska, it'll be a sign that he's really making strides as a safety. The maize and blue host Nebraska Saturday, Sep. 22 at Noon eastern on Fox Sports 1. The No. 19 Michigan Wolverines (1-1) showed lots of improvement in a 49-3 blowout of Western Michigan on Saturday. The team looked a lot better offensively, especially Shea Patterson, who threw for three touchdowns and 121 yards. They'll conclude their non-conference slate with a home game against the SMU Mustangs.
Opponent Overview The Mustangs are still looking fir that elusive first win of the season after losing their first two games against North Texas and No. 16 TCU. Junior Ben Hicks leads the SMU offense. The third-year starter has completed 48.4 percent of his passes for 363 yards, two touchdowns and an interception to start his season. The running game is led by Braden West. The senior has carried the ball 19 times for 104 yard and two touchdowns. He also has five receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown, second best on the team. Xavier Jones and Ke'Mon Freeman have also taken some snaps and will probably continue to do so. They each had over 125 carries in 2017. Freeman led the team with 11 touchdowns while Jones led the team with 1,075 yards. James Proche leads SMU receivers with eight receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown. Reggie Roberson Jr. and Myron Gailliard will also be involved throughout the contest. Players to Watch Josh Metellus-After being kicked out of the season opener against Notre Dame, Metellus led all Wolverines defensemen with seven total tackles to go along with four solo tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. It's a good sign for a guy who always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time last season. His progress against SMU will be worth keeping an eye on. Donovan Peoples-Jones-The sophomore wide receiver posted one of the better stat lines of his Michigan career against Western Michigan catching four passes for 31 yards and a touchdown. Peoples-Jones currently leads receivers with 10 receptions and his 69 receiving yards are second best on the team behind Nico Collins' 100 yards. Hopefully this is a sign that he's finally reaching his potential. Chris Evans-The junior out of Indianapolis had just two carries for a yard against Notre Dame. However, he took a huge step forward against Western Michigan, taking 10 carries 86 yards for two touchdowns. The more productive he is, both as a running back and a pass catcher, will be huge for an offense still in need of playmakers. The maize and blue take on the Mustangs this Saturday, Sep. 15 at 3:30 eastern on the Big Ten Network. It was more of the same from Michigan in their season opening loss to Notre Dame.
The offense was mediocre, the play calling showed no urgency, they missed out on chances to get momentum back and the defense let up just enough so that the team as a whole couldn't recover. And to top it all of, they still haven't beat a ranked opponent on the road since 2006. However, Michigan still has at least 11 more games to play this season, and their next game, a home matchup against Western Michigan, could be an opportunity to right the ship. Opponent Overview The Broncos find themselves looking for their first win of the year after dropping their home opener to Syracuse 55-42. Junior quarterback Jon Wassink threw for 379 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in that game. LeVante Bellamy had himself a day as Western Michigan's feature back. The junior had 11 carries for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Over the course of 12 games last year, he had 49 carries for 394 yards and three touchdowns. Junior D'Wayne Eskridge and Freshman Jayden Reed appear to be the team's top wide receivers. Eskridge had eight receptions for 240 yards and two touchdowns against Syracuse while Reed had seven receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown. Players to Watch Nico Collins-Even with Shea Patterson making good throws, no one in the wide receiving core seemed to really stand out as a go-to playmaker. However, redshirt freshman Nico Collins made some nice grabs for the maize and blue, including a 52-yard catch on the first drive of the second half. Jon Runyan-The offensive line as a whole was the most concerning group in Saturday's contest. However, it was Runyan who looked the most overwhelmed. He allowed all three sacks on Shea Patterson to go along with eight QB hurries. The senior will have to improve fast or Patterson will have defensive linemen breathing down his neck all season. Josh Metellus-The safety was ejected in the first quarter against Notre Dame for targeting. His replacement, Brad Hawkins, would go on to let up the second touchdown of the game. Not only will Metellus need to keep his act together against Western Michigan, but he'll also need to avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Wolverines take on the Broncos Saturday, Sep. 8 at Noon EST on ESPN. James Murphy Wolverines Take On Western Michigan In First Home Game 9/3/18 The No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-0) stuck it to the No. 14 Michigan Wolverines (0-1) beating them 24-17 in South Bend, Indiana on Saturday night.
Shea Patterson went 20-for-30 for 227 yards in his first start for Michigan. Karan Higdon had 21 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown. The Fighting Irish got started early with a seven-play, 75 yard touchdown drive to start the game. They then marched 95 yards on the next drive to make it a 14-0 ball game. Michigan would add a field goal to start the second quarter. However, Notre Dame answered right back with a touchdown to make it 21-3. On the next kickoff, Ambry Thomas took it 99 yards for a touchdown, their first of the game. In the second half, Shea Patterson got the maize and blue deep into opponent territory before going three and out. When the team lined up for a field goal, the snap went high and the Wolverines turned it over on downs. They would then waste an interception and punt it on their next drive. Patterson would leave the game for a few played due to cramps in his calf. In his place, Dylan McCaffrey led the Wolverines into opponent territory but turned the ball over on downs. Once Patterson came back, he led the team on an 80-yard drive capped off by a Karan Higdon touchdown run to make it a one possession game with 2:18 left in the game. Michigan had a chance to come back and tie the game. However, Patterson fumbled the ball at midfield and Notre Dame recovered, locking up a big win to start their season. Usually a strength, Michigan's defense looked exposed against a Notre Dame offense that got a lot of big plays off. The secondary in particular continued to allow plays that kept the momentum on Notre Dame's side. The front seven also continued to leave running lanes open for Wimbush. The offense did look better with Patterson under center and Higdon was a reliable running back throughout the game. However, the play calling didn't seem to have any urgency. Deep vertical passing plays weren't really called until Michigan was already over 10 yards away from gaining a first down. Thankfully, it's only game one and there's still a lot of football left to be played in 2018. The maize and blue will look for their first win of the year next Saturday, Sep. 8 when they head home to face Western Michigan. |
AuthorBeat writer for Michigan Wolverines football and basketball, Ithaca College '20 Archives
November 2018
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