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.
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The No. 15 Michigan Wolverines (4-1, 2-0) are fresh off a 20-17 win over Northwestern that saw them come back from a 17-point deficit, the third largest comeback in program history. While an impressive feat, the maize and blue will hope for a much easier win in their first Big Ten East game against the Maryland Terrapins.
Opponent Overview The Terps (3-1, 1-0) have been shrouded by an offseason scandal involving the death of a player, Jordan McNair, because of the medical staff's inability to treat him properly following a workout. As a result, the school has received a lot of backlash and they've been forced to fire D.J. Durkin, a former defensive coordinator at Michigan. Even then the team has held its own well. They opened the season with a win over now No. 19 Texas and have only lost one game since then; a 35-14 blowout at the hands of Temple. The offense is spearheaded by Kasim Hill. The freshman from Washington D.C. has thrown for 516 yards and three touchdowns to start his 2018 season. Ty Johnson leads a deep Maryland running back core. His 40 carries for 300 yards are best on the team. Meanwhile Tayon Fleet-Davis leads the team in rushing touchdowns with three and is second on the team with 30 carries. Expect Anthony McFarland, Lorenzo Harrison and Tyrell Pigrome to see the field as well. The receivers are headlined by senior Taivon Jacobs, whose 12 catches for 132 yards and one touchdown are best on the team. He's followed by DJ Turner, Jeshuan Jones and Jahrvis Davenport, who each have a receiving touchdown. On defense, Tre Watson is the biggest force to be reckoned with. The senior linebacker has 25 total tackles and two interceptions. Players to Watch Karan Higdon-The senior running back was arguably the biggest part of Michigan's recent comeback against Northwestern and was used often. Based on that alone one would assume he would be used just as much against Maryland. However, the maize and blue face a tough stretch after Maryland as they'll host No. 16 Wisconsin, travel to face No. 20 Michigan State and then return home to take on No. 11 Penn State in consecutive weeks. Could the coaching staff try and rest Higdon in an effort to have him more ready for that upcoming stretch? It'll be interesting to see the answer. The Secondary-Despite a phenomenal second half by the defense, the first half left much to be desired, especially when it came to the secondary. Cornerbacks and safeties allowed 174 passing yards against Northwestern, the second most they've allowed to an opponent all season. That'll need to change against a Maryland offense that won't go so easy. Shea Patterson-The junior quarterback was another big part of Michigan's historic comeback, not only because of the passes he made, but also the plays he made with his feet. Patterson had a season high seven carries for 31 yards. The stats may have been better had it not been for an objectively egregious holding penalty called against Karan Higdon. Nevertheless, Shea Patterson showcased his mobility like fans have never seen before and he'll need to do it more often in order to take Michigan's offense to the next level. The maize and blue will host the Terrapins Saturday, Oct. 6 at Noon eastern on ABC. 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. 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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