Northwestern 5-0 (1-0) comes in ranked 13th in the nation while Michigan 4-1 (1-0) comes in ranked 18th in the nation.
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Let’s predict each Big Ten football game in week six. Read on for the staff predictions. You’re getting exactly what you wanted – the Michigan State game now really, really matters.
Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh. It’s still the first year under Jim Harbaugh, and there’s still a lot of work to do before the team is actually one of the four best teams in college football, but it’s mid-October and the team matters and is relevant. The speedy and powerful sophomore opened with 28 carries for 134 yards rushing against Stanford, his first of four 100-yard games this season and 10 in his career.
“That was one of the statements we wanted to make”, Peppers said.
But, if the lack of success for the Cats on defense was on them, certainly a lack of success on offense was due to the suffocating Wolverines defense, which had played extremely well coming into Saturday’s game and continued to do so against Northwestern. In a remarkable run after regular season play, OSU rolled through Wisconsin, Alabama, and Oregon on their way to a National Championship.
The Utah Utes are rolling right now and have two quality wins to their credit, beating Michigan and Oregon. With the schedule they had, a good team would have won every game… but Northwestern isn’t just a good team, they’re a great team. It was reasonable to expect Michigan’s defense to be good this year, as Brady Hoke did not leave the cupboard bare on that side of the ball. The secondary performs on a regular basis, and the pass rush consistently harries opposing quarterbacks. They’ve given up a total of zero points in their last two games and only 14 total points in the two games before that.
On offense, the Wolverines still have a few questions left unanswered, specifically in quarterback Jake Rudock.
“If they don’t get any yards on offense”, Bolden added, “then they don’t score any points”. In the past couple of weeks, Rudock has been able to make plays with his legs when protection breaks down, but he may not have that ability against the Wildcats potent attack.
Michigan running back De’Veon Smith punished would-be tacklers, running through them and over them. That defense never got the chance.
Saturday’s victory sets the stage for a huge battle against rival (and unbeaten) Michigan State next week at The Big House.
So far this season Chad is 4-1 picking the results of Michigan Football games.
However, in his attempt to help his team back into the contest, the junior threw two quick interceptions and the Terrapins (2-4, 0-2) were punished. The Wolverines hold a 34-6-2 advantage all-time against the Wildcats in Ann Arbor.
After almost a week of the betting line shrinking on today’s Michigan/Northwestern game (3:30 p.m., BTN), it spiked sharply Friday evening back up to a 10-point spread in favor of the Wolverines.
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Georgia tailback Sony Michel (1) fumbles the ball on a kickoff return during the first half of an NCAA college football game, in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, October 10, 2015.
