The No. 4 Michigan Wolverines (8-1, 6-0) have faced three ranked opponents in three consecutive games. The team outscored those opponents a combined 101-27 and have cemented themselves as the team to beat in the Big Ten as a result. This week, they'll hit the road to face the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Opponent Overview While the Wolverines have won eight straight games after losing their season opener at No. 3 Notre Dame, things have gone in the exact opposite direction for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights (1-8, 0-6) won their first game of the year against Texas State 35-7. They've since lost eight straight games and are dead last in the Big Ten's East division. The team's offense is led by Artur Sikowski. The freshman quarterback has thrown for 1,100 yards, four touchdowns and 15 interceptions, the most in college football. Running back duties are split between three players. Sophomore Raheem Blackshear leads the team with 100 carries for 437 yards to go with two touchdowns. Senior Jonathan Hillman leads the team with six touchdowns to go with 72 carries for 299 yards. Freshman Isaih Pacheco has 68 carries for 318 yards and two touchdowns. The receiving core is also led by Blackshear whose 35 catches for 316 yards and two touchdowns are all the highest marks on the team. Other names to look out for include Bo Melton, Eddie Lewis, Shameen Jones, Travis Volkolek and Jonathan Hillman. Jerome Washington could also see time, but he's missed the last four games with an injury. Players to Watch Rashan Gary-Seeing the star defensive end back on the field was a welcome sight for Wolverine fans everywhere. In his first game back from a shoulder injury, Gary had two total tackles and a QB hurry. It'll be interesting to see how he progresses in a game to be played in his home state of New Jersey. Tarik Black-The redshirt freshman receiver was also playing in his first game back from an injury on Saturday. Black made what would have been a 45-yard touchdown catch had it not been called back by a holding penalty on Michigan. How the coaching staff utilizes him going forward should be worth watching, especially given his power as a deep threat. Chris Evans-The junior running back saw more action than he had in a while even before the maize and blue entered garbage time against Penn State. His 12 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown was his best stat line since Sep. 15 against SMU. Meanwhile, his three catches for 30 yards were his best receiving marks of the season. It was one of those games that reminded fans just how versatile he can be. Maybe the coaching staff starts to utilize him more as the season goes on. The Wolverines and Scarlet Knights kick off Saturday, Nov. 10 at 3:30 eastern on the Big Ten Network.
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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. |
AuthorBeat writer for Michigan Wolverines football and basketball, Ithaca College '20 Archives
November 2018
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