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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The No. 6 Michigan Wolverines (6-1, 4-0) kicked it into high gear for a 38-13 win over No. 23 Wisconsin. They not only continued their dominance that they've had over the past six weeks, but they also showed that they can play with some of the better teams in the country. However, they'll need to do it again in a big rivalry game against the No. 24 Michigan State Spartans.
Opponent Overview The Spartans (4-2, 2-1) went into the year as a popular dark horse pick to win the Big Ten. However, their season has been a roller coaster so far. They've lost at Arizona State and at home to Northwestern. However, they went on to upset No. 18 Penn State last week in University Park, a very hard place to play. Their offense is headlined by Brian Lewerke, one of the better quarterbacks in the Big Ten. His 1,587 yards are fifth most in the conference. He's also had a team-high 55 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown. The rushing attack is led by sophomore Connor Heyward whose 50 carries for 191 yards and three touchdowns are the highest marks on the team for any running back. He also has 20 receptions for 125 yards. La'Darius Jefferson and LJ Scott should also get snaps as well. Felton Davis III leads a deep receiving core with 31 catches for 474 yards and four touchdowns. He joins Cody White and Darrell Stewart Jr. to make up the perimeter attack for the Spartans. Players to Watch The Front Seven-Last year, Brian Lewerke made things difficult for the Wolverines defense. He accounted for both touchdowns in the 14-10 MSU win and accumulated 155 total yards. However, he has been pretty susceptible this season. Lewerke has thrown seven interceptions, the second highest mark in the Big Ten. He's also been sacked 14 times, also second in the Big Ten. If the front seven can get to him early and often and force him to make mistakes, they'll make things a lot easier for the rest of the maize and blue. Shea Patterson-The junior starter for the Wolverines made the plays he needed to give his team a big win on Saturday. Most of those plays came on the ground as he took nine carries for 90 yards and a touchdown, a season high stat line for Patterson. However, Patterson threw for just 124 yards and no touchdowns in that same contest. Rushing games like the one against Wisconsin will help, but he needs to be better at putting the ball in the air if he wants to get out of this matchup with a win. Karan Higdon-To say Higdon has been great as of late might be an understatement. The senior bell-cow has run for at least 100 yards in his last six games. However, that streak will surely be tested against a Spartan defense that only allows 62.3 rushing yards per game, the best mark in college football. He and Chris Evans will need to keep doing their part for their offense to keep things going. The Spartans and Wolverines kickoff Saturday, Oct. 20 at Noon eastern on FOX. 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. |
AuthorBeat writer for Michigan Wolverines football and basketball, Ithaca College '20 Archives
November 2018
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