We’re only a few days away from Michigan football’s biggest game of the season to date against No. 13 Northwestern, so it’s time to start looking at this matchup.
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“Our goal is for them to get no yards on every play, or negative yards”, said Glasgow, whose team is allowing 2.3 yards a carry.
The Michigan Wolverines (4-1) are coming from a 28-0 win over Maryland in Week 5.
“They react, and they’re as athletic and as fast as any team we’ve seen”, said Harbaugh, whose team is second in the nation in scoring defense behind Northwestern and second in the nation in total defense. The 2009 season seemed to weigh particularly hard on Meyer, to the point that his health began to deteriorate and he felt the need to resign. In that scenario, which team would it favor and how would that team get an edge?
“Honestly, right now, it’s all just like one bad memory”, Metz said. They have converted 90% of their field goals from the area as well.
So Michigan, a lot has changed since we met past year.
Ricky: Oh, yeah. I feel that’s a comfortable over/under to bet on.
NOTES: Michigan will be without at least one of its key players Saturday.
Playing standout teams impresses the committee more than being in a top conference does, and the Big Ten has more standouts than expected. He’s slotted at third in the conference in rushing yards per game (127.20 yards). Indiana has given Michigan fits in the past at Crisler, and I don’t expect this game to be any easier. Michigan then goes to the Kohl Center to play Bo Ryan and his backdoor, buzzcutting Wisconsin Badgers.
Northwestern easily could have won three of those four games, two of which needed additional time to be resolved. If the Wildcats want to wear down the No. 5 ranked rush defense, they must utilize Jackson regularly, even if that means him carrying the ball 30+ times again. One week, it was Ty Isaac. I asked myself, “Is Ohio State is really the best team in the country?” If he sees extended action, say, 10 or more carries, I think it’s possible. Clayton Thorson completed 14 of 19 passes for 128 yards and added 24 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. They’ve got players that can play when they get the ball in your half. He completed 50 percent of his passes for 180 yards and a touchdown.
Zach: Last season in his final year at quarterback for Iowa, Rudock threw just five interceptions.
The game is the latest of Notre Dame’s out-of-conference midweek fixtures, which have brought mixed results for the Irish this season.
Where Michigan’s true brilliance lies is on the defensive side of the ball.
Jim Harbaugh won the offseason with satellite camps, shirtless “Peruball” and celebrity Twitter shoutouts.
Michigan is No. 5 in the country against the run.
Northwestern wasn’t having any of that. Not to be outdone, Northwestern blew out Minnesota 27-0. Defensive back is Northwestern’s deepest position. They’re playing for each other. What has the fan response been like in Ann Arbor? He understands the capacity crowd that’ll be in attendance this weekend and told the Chicago Tribune that he won’t let the crowd affect his style of play. “We’ll see how that goes”. Northwestern’s seventh-ranked pass defense has given its competition difficulty.
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Wisconsin is led by linebacker Joe Schobert, who had three of his nation-leading nine sacks against Iowa last week. The Wildcats were able to contain the No. 31 ranked offense (Stanford) to just six points in the season opener, so prepare yourself for a hard nosed battle between two talented defenses. Next week’s Michigan State-Michigan matchup is shaping up to be a doozy, and the Ohio State-Michigan game should actually be competitive this year. All losing streaks have to end at a few point, and there’s no better unit to do it than this Northwestern one so there’s reason for optimism.
