Preview: Michigan at Nebraska

 

RUSH OFFENSE vs. NEBRASKA RUSH DEFENSE
Mighty Michigan is #50 in rushing offense (167.75 yards/game) but tied at #32 in yards per carry (4.97). The numbers aren't atrocious, but they're not where we expected them to be, either. With three starters returning up front and a couple solid transfers incoming, we wanted to see more. There has been some shuffling with La'Darius Henderson, Karsen Barnhart, and Myles Hinton going in and out of the lineup at tackle. Blake Corum has 351 yards and 8 touchdowns on 6.05 yards/carry so far, but backup Donovan Edwards is off to a slow start with just 3.3 yards/carry and no touchdowns so far this year. Meanwhile, Nebraska has the #2 rushing defense (46.3 yards allowed/game) and is allowing 1.83 yards/carry, which is also #2. They have adopted a 3-3-5 defense under new head coach Matt Rhule, and that 3-3-5 gave Michigan some issues last year when TCU ran it. Junior safety Isaac Gifford (6'1", 205 lbs.) leads the team with 23 tackles, followed by senior safety Omar Brown (6'1", 200) with 22 and junior linebacker John Bullock (6'0", 220) with 22 also. Those rushing defense numbers are even more impressive when considering that the Cornhuskers are pretty average in tackles for loss (#55 overall), led by junior nose tackle Nash Hutmacher (6'4", 330) with 3.5 TFLs so far. The Huskers have been consistent this year, not allowing any team to average more than 2.19 yards/carry in any game this year. I think Michigan is going to have some tough sledding on the ground.
Advantage: Nebraska

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2023 Ex-Wolverine Updates: Week 4

 

Te'Cory Couch (image via On3)

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FORMER PLAYERS

TE Erick All (Iowa): All caught 3 passes for 35 yards in a 31-0 loss to Penn State.

WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony caught 7 passes for 117 yards in a 20-6 win over Cincinnati. He now has 21 catches for 371 yards and 1 touchdown this year.

Andrel Anthony is good at footballpic.twitter.com/hCHo76mqoB

— RanDynasty (@ran_dynasty) September 23, 2023

QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman completed 23/48 throws for 278 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions in a 34-27 loss to Iowa State. He also ran 4 times for 5 yards and 1 touchdown.

Alan Bowman with a dime on his 6th drive of the day for a TD.

Almost like a QB settles into a game when you let him play more than 4-5 drives. Weird. #OKState pic.twitter.com/xnbihinjZq

— TJ Eckert (@TJEckertKTUL) September 23, 2023

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Michigan 31, Rutgers 7

 

Mike Sainristil (image via MGoBlue)

Different game, same result. Michigan has started this season with some remarkable consistency, if a lack of explosiveness. The Wolverines beat the Scarlet Knights, a Big Ten team, by a 24-point margin a week after beating BGSU, a MAC team, by 25 points. That came a week after a 28-point win over UNLV, which followed a 27-point victory over ECU. Michigan points, from week one onward: 30, 35, 31, 31. Opponent points: 3, 7, 6, 7. Michigan now leads the country in scoring defense, giving up just 5.8 points per contest. Oklahoma and Ohio State are tied for #2 at 8.5 points allowed per game.

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Ex-Wolverine Updates: Week 3

 

Xavier Worthy (image via SI)

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FORMER PLAYERS

TE Erick All (Iowa): All caught 1 pass for 34 yards in a 41-10 win over Western Michigan.

WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony caught 4 passes for 116 yards in a 66-17 win over Tulsa.

QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman completed 6/12 passes for 42 yards and 1 interception in a 33-7 loss to South Alabama. Ouch.

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Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Week 1

 

Aidan Hutchinson

NOTE: I thought I posted this in the middle of last week, but turns out I forgot to make it live. So now you get it on the morning of Week 2.

Detroit Lions defensive end Hutchinson made 3 tackles in a 21-20 win over the Chiefs, but he was constantly double-teamed. And in the NFL season debut on TV, the broadcasters constantly talked about how the Chiefs were "cheating" via false starts and illegal alignments to prevent Hutchinson from getting to Patrick Mahomes.

HONORABLE MENTION

• LB Devin Bush, Jr. (Seattle Seahawks): Bush made 1 tackle in a 30-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. This was Bush's debut with Seattle after being drafted by the Steelers.
• DE Frank Clark (Denver Broncos): Clark made 2 tackles in a 17-16 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Clark is in his first season with the Broncos after coming over from the Kansas City Chiefs.
• WR Nico Collins (Houston Texans): Collins made 6 catches for 80 yards and 1 touchdown in a 25-9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
• DE Mike Danna (Kansas City Chiefs): Danna made 6 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 pass breakup in a 21-20 loss to the mighty Detroit Lions.
• RB Chris Evans (Cincinnati Bengals): Evans had 2 carries for 12 yards in a 24-3 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
• S Daxton Hill (Cincinnati Bengals): Hill made 6 tackles and his first career interception in a 24-3 loss to the Browns.

Into the waiting hands of @daxhill5 for the INT!#ProBlue | #CINvsCLE on CBS pic.twitter.com/2dK5zz9NZT

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) September 10, 2023

• S Josh Metellus (Minnesota Vikings): Metellus made 6 tackles and 1 pass breakup in a 20-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Metellus recently signed a 2-year, $13 million contract extension and is a captain for the Vikings.
• K Jake Moody (San Francisco 49ers): Moody was 3/3 on extra points and 3/3 on field goals, including a long of 41 yards, in a 30-7 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• DT Mike Morris (Seattle Seahawks): Morris made 2 tackles in his NFL debut, a 30-13 loss to the Rams.
• DE David Ojabo (Baltimore Ravens): Ojabo made 3 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble on former Ohio State quarterback Marcus Stroud in a 25-9 win over the Texans.

David Ojabo strip sack of CJ Stroud

Video: @UMichFootball | @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/kAmd3z2kAO

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) September 10, 2023

• DE Kwity Paye (Indianapolis Colts): Paye made 3 tackles and 1 sack in a 31-21 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• WR Donovan Peoples-Jones (Cleveland Browns): Peoples-Jones made 1 catch for 12 yards and 3 punt returns for 15 yards in a 24-3 win over the Bengals.
• S Jabrill Peppers (New England Patriots): Peppers made 6 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and 1 pass breakup in a 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
• P Brad Robbins (Cincinnati Bengals): Robbins punted 10 times for 409 yards (40.9 yards/punt), including 2 inside the 20-yard line, during a 24-3 loss to the Browns.
• CB Ambry Thomas (San Francisco 49ers): Thomas made 5 tackles and 1 pass breakup in a 30-7 win over the Steelers.
• CB D.J. Turner II (Cincinnati Bengals): Turner made 2 tackles in his NFL debut during a 24-3 loss to the Browns.
• DE Josh Uche (New England Patriots): Uche made 1 tackle and 1 sack in a 25-20 loss to the Eagles.

Preview: Michigan vs. Bowling Green

 

Scot Loeffler (image via BGSU)

RUSH OFFENSE vs. BGSU RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is #75 overall in rushing (150.5 yards/game) and #53 in yards per carry (4.7) despite not having allowed a single sack this season. Blake Corum's numbers are adequate (25 carries, 153 yards, 4 TD), but backup Donovan Edwards has been surprisingly ineffective (18 carries, 46 yards). Mike Hart said last week that neither player had been tackled during fall camp, so it appears to be taking some time for them to get back in sync with their blocking. The offensive line starters appear to be set with Karsen Barnhart and Myles Hinton winning the left and right tackle jobs, respectively. Bowling Green is #102 in rushing defense (160.5 yards allowed/game) and #98 in yards allowed per carry (4.28). They held down FCS Eastern Illinois last week, but Liberty had 246 yards on the ground at over 5.0 yards per attempt. The leading tackler for the Falcons is sophomore weakside linebacker Joseph Shipp (6'0", 220) with 20 stops, followed by sophomore cornerback Jalen Huskey (6'0", 185) with 15. Both of BGSU's inside linebackers are 220-225 pounds, and they start a 285 lb. nose tackle in senior Anthony Hawkins, so they're a little undersized up the middle.
Advantage: Michigan

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Visitors: Michigan vs. Bowling Green

 

Detroit (MI) U of D Jesuit WR Elijah Dotson (image via Twitter)

2024

Luke Hamilton - OG - Avon (OH) Avon: Hamilton is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Jordan Marshall - RB - Cincinnati (OH) Moeller: Marshall is committed to Michigan (LINK).

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