The No. 4 Michigan Wolverines (10-1, 8-0) continued showcasing their dominance with a gritty win over the Indiana Hoosiers in their last home game of the season. Now to end the regular season, the maize and blue will travel to Columbus, Ohio for their annual rivalry matchup with the No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes.
Opponent Overview The defending Big Ten champions have continued to play like one of the best teams in the country. This came even after the Zach Smith scandal, which was a bad look for the program and led to head coach Urban Meyer being suspended for the season's first three games. The scarlet and gray's offense is led by redshirt sophomore Dwayne Haskins. He's not nearly as mobile as his predecessors who have started at QB under Meyer, but his 3,685 passing yards (3rd in FBS) and 36 touchdowns (Tied for 1st in FBS) make him the best passer that the head coach has had at OSU. The running back core is led by J.K. Dobbins. The sophomore leads the team with 194 carries for 915 yards and eight touchdowns. Dobbins is joined by junior Mike Weber who has 127 carries for 711 yards and four touchdowns. The receivers are headlined by senior Paris Campbell who leads the team with 66 catches for nine touchdowns to go with 711 yards. K.J. Hill leads in receiving yards with 772. Senior Terry McLaurin has 30 catches for 579 yards and nine touchdowns. Johnnie Dixon, Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor should also see snaps. Players to Watch The Front Seven-Over the past two games, Michigan's defense has allowed at least 190 yards rushing, their highest marks this season. This Wolverines unit can't afford to have a game like that against a running back core in Weber and Dobbins that has carved them up in recent years. It'll also be especially important for them to keep the pressure on Dwayne Haskins and force him to make mistakes. The Secondary-The back four have been arguably the best part of Michigan's dominant defense. However, they're about to face what is by far their biggest test of the season. Dwayne Haskins will have a lot of time to throw the ball, especially if Chase Winovich can't play. From Paris Campbell to K.J. Hill to Johnnie Dixon, Ohio State has lots of weapons on the perimeter to get you with and the secondary will need to be ready for it. Shea Patterson-This is the game that Jim Harbaugh got Patterson to come to Michigan for. The Toledo, Ohio native will get his first taste of one of the greatest rivalries in sports which, this year, will determine who gets to play in the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 1. There's no longer an excuse to hold back what he's capable of. It's time for Shea to unleash everything he's got from his mobility to his efficiency as a passer. This Michigan offense will need everything they can get to win for the first time in Ohio Stadium since 2000. Michigan and Ohio State will kick off Saturday, Nov. 24 at Noon eastern on FOX.
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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 For years they battled each other annually as two of the best programs in college football. They've combined for 1,828 wins, 22 national titles and 112 first-round draft picks. The Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry was one of the most exciting in college football. However, it was put on hiatus so that Notre Dame could schedule more games against ACC opponents. The teams last played in 2014, when the Fighting Irish won a resounding 37-0 over Michigan. Much to the delight of college football fans, the rivalry between the two blue bloods will continue when the two teams play at Notre Dame Stadium to open up the 2018 season. It will be part of a home-and-home series between the two teams. Both Michigan and Notre Dame are still among the better teams in the country. However, they're no as close to competing for a national title as they once were. Winning this matchup will have big implications on whether or not they'll be able to do that this year. Opponent Overview The Fighting Irish, ranked No. 12 in the preseason AP Poll, return starting quarterback Brandon Wimbush, who threw for 1,876 yards and 16 touchdowns while running for 803 yards and 14 touchdowns. However, Notre Dame lost a lot outside of him. Their leading running back-Josh Adams-and receiver-Equanimeous St. Brown-from last year have since graduated along with Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlichey, two offensive lineman taken in the first round of last year's draft. Expect Dexter Williams and Tony Jones Jr. to take most of the reps in the backfield. On the perimeter, Chase Claypool, Miles Boykin and Alize Mack will be some of Wimbush's preferred targets. Notre Dame comes off a 10-3 season in 2017. Their only losses were at home against SEC Champion Georgia, and on the road against No. 7 Miami and No. 21 Stanford. Players to Watch Rashan Gary-The projected first round pick is dealing with a minor injury but should be able to play against Notre Dame. He'll have to create pressure against an offensive line that isn;t what it was last year, but still has a lot of talent. Gary will also need to create pressure and force Wimbush to make more mistakes. Shea Patterson-Patterson has long been heralded as the offensive playmaker Jim Harbaugh's been lacking since he took over as head coach in 2014. His skills make him a threat to run and prove him to be a skilled passer. However, he'll need to keep the interceptions to a minimum. The Receivers-Whether it's Grant Perry, Sean McKeon, Zach Gentry or Donovan Peoples-Jones, someone from this unit needs to step up. The core only had nine total touchdowns and 2,226 yards, 106th in all of college football. With Tarik Black also out for this game and perhaps more to follow, this group of players will be hard pressed to make some noise. The two teams square off Saturday, Sep. 1 at 7:30 p.m. on NBC. James Murphy 8/28/18 A Rivalry Renewed: Previewing Michigan Vs. Notre Dame |
AuthorBeat writer for Michigan Wolverines football and basketball, Ithaca College '20 Archives
November 2018
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