Read on for the staff predictions. “The bye allowed us to focus up on that and get us to understand what happened last week, what happened in the beginning of the season, we can change that all by the end of this season”.
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Willie Henry leads Michigan with nine tackles for loss and six sacks.
Earlier this week, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh explained how no one in his locker room is interested in “what if” scenarios, and the team’s only focus at this point is winning every game left on the schedule. The Wolverines have had two weeks to digest that gut punch. They were getting explosive and timely plays from their offense and special teams.
I’m not speaking about everybody, but in terms of Jerry Kill, I know it for a fact. They have been ransacked by injuries this season and they’re off to a dismal 1-2 start in Big Ten play. Not exactly the situation the Huskers want to be as they attempt to avoid loss No. 6. Actually, Michigan is ranked as the 2nd best team (not just defense) in the nation by the S&P+ rankings. The Gophers will be fired up, and I don’t expect many fireworks from Michigan’s offense, but the Wolverines have more than enough fire power to keep the Gophers out of scoring range for most of the night.
Running away: Michigan’s running game has lived at the extremes.
When U-M has the ball: The Wolverines still are searching for an offensive rhythm on the ground.
Minnesota’s offense is dead last in the league in points per game, but I’m not sure how well Michigan can work its way back from behind.
Meanwhile, the Wolverines, who missed a bowl game last season under former coach Brady Hoke, hope to earn their sixth victory of the season and become bowl eligible.
Minnesota will be playing its first game since a tearful Jerry Kill stepped down as coach on Wednesday, citing the effects of his ongoing battle with epilepsy. In its aftermath, Harbaugh said the team has responded well. First up is Michigan, with a defense that might hold the Gophers to negative yards, then consecutive night games at Ohio State and Iowa.
AJ is our resident Wisconsin Badgers guru and is a guest predictor this week. Minnesota coach Jerry Kill abruptly retired because of health reasons on Wednesday, ending his efforts to rebuild the Golden Gopher football program during a tenure that included a series of game-day seizures.
The Michigan Wolverines and Jim Harbaugh will be on the road this Saturday as they travel west to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a Big Ten matchup inside TCF Bank Stadium.
Harbaugh understands the Gophers will have added incentive with the retirement of Kill. The Huskers have one of the better run defenses in the conference, but they also have the worst pass defense.
Minnesota is not Michigan state or Ohio State (or even Penn State).
So far this season Chad is 5-2 picking the results of Michigan Football games.
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What a difference three weeks makes huh?…three weeks ago the Wolverines were heading into a homecoming battle against the highly ranked and unbeaten Northwestern Wildcats.
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Michigan leads the all-time series 73-25-3 but surrendered the Little Brown Jug last season with a 30-14 loss to the Golden Gophers, one of a series of calamitous moments during the 2014 season. “I still think we have a lot of good kids, great kids, who can play the game of football”.
