The following depth chart has removed these listed players from the depth chart, even though some could return with a fifth year or COVID year exception:
QB Jack Tuttle (graduation)
RB Blake Corum (graduation)
WR Cornelius Johnson (graduation)
WR Roman Wilson (graduation)
OL Karsen Barnhart (graduation)
OL LaDarius Henderson (graduation)
OL Myles Hinton (graduation)
OL Trente Jones (graduation)
OL Trevor Keegan (graduation)
OL Drake Nugent (graduation)
OL Zak Zinter (graduation)
DT Cam Goode (graduation)
LB Michael Barrett (graduation)
LB/RB Kalel Mullings (graduation)
LB Joey Velazquez (graduation)
CB Mike Sainristil (graduation)
CB Josh Wallace (graduation)
S Quinten Johnson (graduation)
K James Turner (graduation)
It also assumes that every currently rostered player and every currently committed prospect will be here in 2024, which is obviously not true.
Here are some quick-hitting thoughts on the College Football Playoff selection.
#1 Michigan: Personally, I don't necessarily believe Michigan is the best team in the country. I think there are a couple teams that would defeat Michigan 51% or more of the time. That doesn't mean Michigan can't win the national championship. It just means things will have to fall their way and/or they'll have to play up to their potential. But they had to be the choice for #1, because they have shown both a consistent offense and a consistent defense, along with solid special teams. Washington's defense has not been great, and both Texas and Alabama have had losses. Unfortunately, I think Alabama is one of the teams that I would choose to defeat Michigan at this point, and I would have had Georgia ahead of them, too. This is a tough matchup for the Wolverines.
#2 Washington: Washington has a questionable defense, but their offense has been explosive for most of the year. They average 7.23 yards/play and QB Michael Penix, who used to play at Indiana, has thrown for 4,218 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions this year. And RB Dillon Johnson has run for 1,113 yards and 14 touchdowns. Despite some struggles, winning the games is what matters, and they did that 13 times with zero losses. Their last four games have been one-score wins, including one against a 5-7 Washington State team.
#3 Texas: Texas has an all-around good football program with former 5-star QB Quinn Ewers at the helm. They also have two former Michigan commits in star WR Xavier Worthy and DE Ethan Burke, the latter of whom leads the squad with 5.5 sacks. Their one loss came against Oklahoma, and it was a 34-30 game. Oklahoma finished 10-2 and is ranked #12. The big win was against Alabama early in the season, a 34-24 victory when the Tide were trying to figure out their QB situation. Head coach Steve Sarkisian struggled in stints at Washington and USC, but he's a coach who worked with Nick Saban as a coordinator, which somehow propelled him to success at Texas. Sometimes spending a bit of time around Saban works magic for some guys, like it did with Jim McElwain, Kirby Smart, Lane Kiffin, and others.
#4 Alabama: First of all, Alabama shouldn't be in the CFP because they had a loss to Texas. Florida State went 13-0 in a Power Five conference and absolutely should have been the CFP committee's choice. The Seminoles should be #3 and Texas should be #4. Yes, Florida State QB Jordan Travis broke his leg and is out for the season, but the Seminoles continued to win without him. Winning the games should matter more than a popularity contest. But the CFP knows that a lot of people watch SEC football, and they don't want to piss off a moneymaking conference. It's a travesty that those players and coaches have to watch the CFP from afar. That being said . . . I would pick Alabama to beat Michigan, which sucks for the Wolverines. Michigan's offensive line has struggled this season, and its best lineman, Zak Zinter, is out for the year with a broken leg. Meanwhile, Alabama QB Jalen Milroe (10.4 yards/attempt, 23 passing TDs, 6 INTs, 12 rushing TDs) has taken a giant step forward since the beginning of the year. He can run and throw and presents a lot of issues for Michigan's defense. I'll be doing my research and watching more film over the next few weeks, but I do think 'Bama would beat Michigan more times than not.
RUSH OFFENSE vs. IOWA RUSH DEFENSE Michigan is #53 in rushing offense (169.8 yards/game) and tied for #56 in yards per carry (4.44). Ohio State held up fairly well against the run last week, but they did allow a 22-yard touchdown run by Blake Corum immediately after Michigan starting RG Zak Zinter was lost for the season due to a broken leg. It may be interesting to see what Michigan does with the offensive line. Last week it was RT Karsen Barnhart sliding to right guard, with jumbo TE/extra OT Trente Jones sliding in at right tackle. But Michigan has some options with backup offensive guard Giovanni El-Hadi and former starter Myles Hinton, who was injured two weeks ago but may be available this week. The problem with inserting Jones at right tackle full-time is that it may eliminate Michigan's formations with that sixth offensive lineman. Iowa is #17 in rushing defense (105.6 yards allowed/game) and they give up just 3.09 yards per carry, which is #9 nationally. They have also allowed just 2 rushing touchdowns this season, which is #1. Senior LB Jay Higgins (6'2", 233 lbs.) has some ridiculous stats with 141 tackles, including a season-high 18 against Penn State in the Hawkeyes 31-0 loss. Fellow senior LB Nick Jackson (6'0", 237) has 91 stops of his own, followed by senior safety Quinn Schulte (6'2", 209) with 59. Senior DE Joe Evans (6'2", 252) leads the team with 9.5 tackles for loss, followed by Jackson's 8.0 and senior safety Sebastian Castro (5'11", 206) with 8.0. It's a very well coached defense, as always, and they've won 10 games despite a terrible offense. Advantage: Iowa
Michigan dominated the all-conference selections in 2023, which is to be somewhat expected with a 12-0 record.
FIRST TEAM QB J.J. McCarthy (Coaches, Media) RB Blake Corum (Coaches, Media) OL La'Darius Henderson (Coaches) OL Zak Zinter (Coaches, Media) C Drake Nugent (Coaches, Media) TE Colston Loveland (Coaches) DL Mason Graham (Coaches) DB Will Johnson (Coaches, Media) DB Mike Sainristil (Media)
SECOND TEAM WR Roman Wilson (Coaches, Media) TE Colston Loveland (Media) OL Karsen Barnhart (Coaches) OL La'Darius Henderson (Media) OL Trevor Keegan (Coaches, Media) DL Kenneth Grant (Coaches) DL Kris Jenkins, Jr. (Coaches, Media) LB Junior Colson (Coaches, Media) DB Mike Sainristil (Coaches) K James Turner (Coaches)
THIRD TEAM OL Karsen Barnhart (Media) DL Mason Graham (Media) DL Kenneth Grant (Media) LB Michael Barrett (Coaches) DB Rod Moore (Coaches) P Tommy Doman (Media)
HONORABLE MENTION WR Cornelius Johnson (Media) TE A.J. Barner (Coaches, Media) DL Jaylen Harrell (Coaches, Media) DL Braiden McGregor (Coaches, Media) DL Derrick Moore (Coaches, Media) DL Josaiah Stewart (Coaches) LB Michael Barrett (Media) DB Rod Moore (Media) DB Makari Paige (Coaches) DB Josh Wallace (Coaches, Media) K James Turner (Media) P Tommy Doman (Media) RET Semaj Morgan (Coaches, Media)
I believe every single Michigan starter is represented here except FB/TE Max Bredeson (1 start), OL Trente Jones (2 starts), WR Tyler Morris (2 starts), safety Keon Sabb (4 starts). Even a full-time backup in Derrick Moore - who has yet to start a single game - was named Honorable Mention by both the coaches and the media.
Do you see any snubs?
Personally, I think Mike Sainristil should have been 1st team to both coaches/media. Meanwhile, I'm surprised Barnhart was valued so highly since he struggled in pass protection so much, especially over the last three weeks of the season.
Please consider supporting the blog by using the Amazon links here (LINK):
FORMER PLAYERS
TE Erick All (Iowa): All tore his ACL in week seven. He led the Hawkeyes in all receiving categories, catches (21), yards (299), and touchdowns (3) by a wide margin at the time of his injury.
WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony is out for the season. He caught 27 passes for 429 yards and 1 touchdown this season before the injury.
QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman completed 31/47 passes for 321 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions in a 40-34 win over BYU.
Michigan acting head coach Sherrone Moore reacts to a video replay during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Ohio State, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Hail to the Victors! For the third season in a row, Michigan proved to be superior to Ohio State. It was a tight game from start to finish, but ultimately, Michigan's defense sealed the victory with a good pass rush by Jaylen Harrell and an interception by Ohio native Rod Moore. This was perhaps the most satisfying win of the three straight wins vs. the Buckeyes, because all the excuses for Ohio State were stripped away - there was no snow, there was no Connor Stalions, and there wasn't even a Jim Harbaugh. Both teams were (relatively) healthy. And Michigan came out on top.
Ohio State players recruited by Michigan are too numerous to list. A huge chunk of the Buckeyes' roster was targeted by Michigan.
Ohio State players from the State of Michigan include: S Cameron Martinez (Muskegon), RB Cayden Saunders (Northville), WR Kai Saunders (Northville), OT Grant Toutant (Warren De La Salle)
LAST TIME THEY PLAYED...
On November 26, 2022, Michigan beat Ohio State 45-23 at Ohio Stadium
Michigan established a 60-51-6 lead in the rivalry
Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud completed 31/48 passes for 349 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions
RB Donovan Edwards ran 22 times for 216 yards and 2 touchdowns, including 85- and 75-yarders
WR Cornelius Johnson caught 4 passes for 160 yards and 2 touchdowns, including 75- and 69-yarders
Converted LB Kalel Mullings completed a jump pass from the RB position for a 15-yard gain to Luke Schoonmaker
RUSH DEFENSE vs. OHIO STATE RUSH OFFENSE Michigan is #9 in the country, allowing just 90 yards/game on the ground. That includes allowing 2.96 yards/carry, which is also #9 nationally. Last week Maryland managed just 15 yards on 33 attempts (including sacks), though they did score 3 touchdowns from the 1-yard line on quarterback sneaks. Linebacker Junior Colson leads the team with 60 tackles, followed by 42 from LB Michael Barrett and 32 from Ernest Hausmann. (Side note: The gap from #1 to #2 to #3 in tackles is ridiculous; the #3 tackler is averaging fewer than 3 tackles per game.) At this point everyone knows about Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant on the defensive line, but #4 defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny has quietly been coming on and now has 23 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss on the season, including 4.5 TFL in the past six games. Ohio State is #85 in rushing offense (145.6 yards/game) and #69 in yards per carry (4.33). Junior RB TreVeyon Henderson (5'10", 212 lbs.) was not healthy early in the year, but he has 74 carries for 499 yards and 5 touchdowns in the past four games. Backup RB Deamonte "Chip" Trayanum (5'11", 233) is the Arizona State transfer who had a solid game against Michigan last year, and he has 79 carries for 336 yards and 3 TD so far this year. Quarterback Kyle McCord (6'3", 215) is not a threat on the ground, with 31 attempts for -62 yards on the year. Up front the Buckeyes don't have a dominant offensive line like they have had in some years, but LG Donovan Jackson (6'4", 320) is the best of the bunch. Redshirt sophomore LT Josh Simmons (6'5", 310) was playing for Brady Hoke at SDSU at this time last year, and redshirt freshman C Carson Hinzman (6'4", 300) has also struggled at times. Henderson is a potential breakaway threat at running back, and Michigan needs to slow him up at the line of scrimmage. Advantage: Michigan
PASS DEFENSE vs. OHIO STATE PASS OFFENSE Michigan is #2 in pass defense (144.8 yards allowed/game) and #3 in passing efficiency defense. They're #7 in yards allowed per attempt (5.7). This all comes despite being just so-so at getting after the QB, with 2.46 sacks per game, which is #40 nationally. OLB Jaylen Harrell leads the team with 6.5 sacks, followed closely by fellow OLB Josaiah Stewart with 5.5 quarterback takedowns. On the back end, it will be interesting to see what Michigan does to combat Ohio State junior WR Marvin Harrison, Jr. (6'4", 205), who has 62 catches for 1,093 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season, despite teams scheming non-stop to shut him down. Michigan could choose to shadow him with #1 CB Will Johnson, but I don't think Johnson can cover him one-on-one. Harrison will require safety help, whether it's Johnson or Josh Wallace covering him. Senior TE Cade Stover (6'4", 251) is the #2 target with 38 catches for 534 yards and 5 scores, followed by junior WR Emeka Egbuka (6'1", 206), who has 32 catches, 427 yards, and 3 touchdowns. The Buckeyes are #42 in the country in sacks allowed (1.64 per game). McCord's immobility will be a factor if Michigan can get after him, and he can't be allowed to sit back and wait for Harrison to come open, because Harrison is the best player in the country, in my opinion. Advantage: Michigan
Please consider doing some Amazon shopping via the links here at TTB (LINK):
RUSH OFFENSE vs. OHIO STATE RUSH DEFENSE Michigan is #50 in rush offense (171 yards/game) and #54 in yards per carry (4.48). However, Michigan is tied for #31 - with Rich Rodriguez's Jackonsville State - in rushing touchdowns with 31. Blake Corum has 180 carries for 888 yards and 20 touchdowns, the last of which leads the nation. Backup Donovan Edwards is averaging 3.4 yards per carry, which is dead last among qualifying running backs in the Big Ten. The Wolverines have suffered a couple blows in recent weeks, first losing left tackle La'Darius Henderson and then losing his backup, Myles Hinton. Last week that forced right tackle Karsen Barnhart to the left side, moving Trente Jones from his "extra OL" spot to right tackle. Michigan averaged just 3.33 yards/carry against Maryland last week, but stand-in head coach Sherrone Moore said he expects Hinton and Henderson to be ready for The Game. Ohio State is #21 in rush defense (108.6 yards allowed/game) and a matching #21 in yards allowed per carry (3.32). They have allowed just 3 rushing touchdowns all season, the last of which came against Maryland on October 7. Of all teams, Rutgers managed the biggest day running against the Buckeyes, going for 232 yards on 43 carries. Senior inside linebacker Tommy Eichenberg (6'2", 239 lbs.) leads the team in tackles with 75, followed by senior LB Steele Chambers (6'1", 232) and sophomore CB Davison Igbinosun (6'2", 190) with 62 and 48, respectively. Ohio State is tied for #71 in tackles for loss with 5.64 per game, led by junior DT Tyleik Williams (6'2", 290) with 10.0 and junior DE Jack Sawyer (6'4", 265) with 6.0. Williams has been outstanding on the interior. Advantage: Ohio State
PASS OFFENSE vs. OHIO STATE PASS DEFENSE Michigan is #64 in passing offense (228.6 yards/game) and #4 in passing efficiency. They're #7 in yards per attempt with 9.5. J.J. McCarthy had an off week last week when he went 12/23 for 141 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception, and he has not thrown a touchdown pass since October 21, when he threw for 4 scores against a terrible Michigan State squad. His Heisman hopes have dwindled with his numbers paling in comparison to some other players, but he's still one of the better QBs in the nation. He seemed to get banged up a couple weeks ago and looked off against Maryland. The bigger concern is the health of WR Roman Wilson, who was hit hard on a catch over the middle against the Terps (on which Maryland's safety should have been ejected for targeting) and left the game. There are some who say that was only for precautionary reasons, but basically, he was taken out because of a possible concussion and his status is unknown. Otherwise, Michigan doesn't have great speed at the receiver position, and Wilson's absence could be a problem. At one time he led the country in receiving touchdowns, although now he's tied for 11th. Michigan also had a lot of problems protecting McCarthy the past two weeks. Barnhart has been a turnstile against both Penn State and Maryland, and things don't get a ton easier against Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau of the Buckeyes. Ohio State has the #1 pass defense in the nation, giving up just 144.3 yards/game, 4.7 yards/attempt, and a 92.71 passing efficiency. They're #15 in pass breakups (49) but they're tied for 97th in interceptions (7). Junior CB Denzel Burke (6'1", 190) has 9 PBU and 1 INT, while senior safety Josh Proctor (6'2", 205) has 8 PBU and 1 INT. The only player with multiple interceptions is junior CB Jordan Hancock (6'1", 185), who has 2 picks and 5 PBU. Senior safety Lathan Ransom (6'1", 210) has missed the last three games, allowing Hancock to play more. Ohio State is tied for #86 in sacks (1.91 per game), led by Tuimoloau (4.0), Williams (3.0), and Sawyer (2.5). Advantage: Ohio State
Michigan linebackers coach Chris Partridge was fired toward the end of last week, ending his short second tenure in Ann Arbor. He coached an array of squads - special teams, linebackers, and safeties - from 2015-2019 under both D.J. Durkin (2015) and Don Brown (2016-2019) and was also an ace recruiter. He coached both Jabrill Peppers and Rashan Gary in high school, the former of whom signed with Michigan when Partridge was a high school coach and the latter of whom came to the Wolverines after Partridge was already a Wolverine.
From 2020-2022, Partridge worked under Durkin at Ole Miss, and he returned to Ann Arbor this past off-season when Durkin moved on to Texas A&M.
Despite being a great recruiter and generally considered to be an awesome guy, he was let go in the wake of "Sign-gate." Word leaking out from underground is that he attempted to interfere with the investigation into stealing signs, which largely centered around Connor Stalions. Partridge and Stalions were supposedly pretty tight and knew each other from back when Stalions was volunteering during Partridge's first stint with the Wolverines.
The loss of Partridge is significant from a recruiting standpoint. It's unclear whether there will be further punishment coming down from the NCAA. It seems as if impeding an NCAA investigation might warrant some kind of "show cause" for any program trying to hire him, but perhaps they'll deem the firing a sufficient punishment. Of course, the NCAA moves very slowly, so it may be a while before we find out what they think should be done.
Rick Minter is the new linebackers coach. He was hired as a defensive analyst in the off-season and is the father of defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, along with being a former head coach at Cincinnati.
Fort Myers (FL) Bishop Verot QB Carter Smith (image via SI)
Fort Myers (FL) Bishop Verot quarterback Carter Smith, a 2025 prospect, committed to Michigan on Tuesday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Florida, Maryland, Miami, Penn State, and others.
Smith is listed at 6'3" and 180 lbs. As a sophomore in 2022, he completed 185/296 passes for 3,104 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He also ran 133 times for 692 yards and 19 touchdowns.
A win is a win. Michigan has at least one of these every year, where the team overcomes a bit of a scare from an inferior team. Last season it was a close game against Maryland and a narrow victory over Illinois. The near loss to the Illini obviously didn't turn out to be disastrous for the Ohio State game in 2022, and maybe this one won't, either. I don't think this game will determine the outcome of the OSU contest. Maryland was a bit of a trap game between Penn State and Ohio State, and maybe the team wasn't fully locked in. They seemed to be loaded for bear early in the game when they jumped out to a 23-3 lead, but they seemed to sputter and let Maryland get back in the game. Clearly, though, the team will have to play better to beat the Buckeyes.
Michigan is 8-1 against the Terrapins after they started playing each other in 1985. The Terps eventually joined the Big Ten in 2014, winning that first game against the Brady Hoke-led Wolverines before losing five in a row.
Giles Jackson 97-yard kickoff return TD (2019)
A.J. Henning 81-yard kickoff return TD (2021)
David Long 80-yard interception return (2017)
Cade McNamara 77-yard TD pass to Donovan Edwards (2021)
Jehu Chesson 66-yard TD run (2015)
Tony Boles 64-yard TD run (1989)
Wilton Speight 56-yard pass to Chris Evans (2016)
Ty Isaac 53-yard TD run (2016)
Joe Kerridge 52-yard run (2014)
Shea Patterson 51-yard pass to Nico Collins (2018)
Shea Patterson 51-yard pass to Nico Collins (2019)
Please consider supporting the blog by using the Amazon links here (LINK):
FORMER PLAYERS
TE Erick All (Iowa): All tore his ACL in week seven. He led the Hawkeyes in all receiving categories, catches (21), yards (299), and touchdowns (3) by a wide margin at the time of his injury.
WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony is out for the season. He caught 27 passes for 429 yards and 1 touchdown this season before the injury.
QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): The Cowboys suffered a pretty embarrassing 45-3 loss to UCF. Bowman went 19/36 for 225 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Oof.
I apologize for the delayed/short post. I had a crazy busy weekend and I was on the road for much of it, so I didn't have much of a chance to write.
Great win. It shouldn't be underestimated how great of a victory this was, in light of all the distractions in recent weeks. Michigan went into Happy Valley missing its head coach, a head coach that was stupidly suspended at the end of the day on Friday with zero new information in the previous week. I postulated last Monday on Rivals that the Big Ten might make a decision late on Friday, making it impossible or at least unlikely that Michigan would be able to get an injunction/temporary restraining order in time to get Harbaugh available for Saturday. Sure enough, that's what happened. Supposedly, commissioner Tony Petitti released the suspension to the media before notifying Michigan itself, so M heard it first through the media. From a public perception standpoint, Petitti is lucky Michigan won this game, because the uproar would have been deafening if suddenly the Wolverines lost a game less than 24 hours after its head coach was suspended for such stupid reasons.
Who cares if Sherrone Moore cried? It was an emotional victory, for all the reasons mentioned above and more. I wish he didn't cuss a couple times on national TV, but he's not paid to be interviewed in an emotional moment after games. You know who is paid to do that? Jim Harbaugh. If the Big Ten wants family-friendly interviews after games, maybe they should let the guys who are head coaches coach the games and be interviewed, since that's part of their job. The cussing would be a bigger deal if it was Harbaugh, who has two decades of head coaching experience. So f*** the Big Ten.
RUSH OFFENSE vs. PENN STATE RUSH DEFENSE Michigan is #52 in rushing offense (167.1 yards/game) after struggling on the ground a little bit against Purdue. They're #47 in yards per carry (4.57 yards/carry) but #5 in rushing touchdowns (25). Blake Corum (126 carries, 649 yards) leads the country in rushing touchdowns with 16. Donovan Edwards has the lowest rushing average in the conference, though, at 3.14, so it will be interesting to see how much run Kalel Mullings (27 carries, 167 yards, 1 TD) gets. Edwards had an explosive game against the Nittany Lions in 2022, but he hasn't been playing up to the same level so far this season. Penn State has the #2 rush defense (60.6 yards allowed/game) and their 2.0 yards allowed per carry ranks #2 also. Junior LB Curtis Jacobs (6'1", 235 lbs.) leads the team with 36 tackles, followed closely by sophomore LB Abdul Carter (6'3", 249) with 34, junior S Jaylen Reed (6'0", 205) with 32, and junior LB Kobe King (6'1", 242) with 30. Reed and King are both Detroit products, from MLK and Cass Tech, respectively. Up front is fifth year senior Hakeem Beamon (6'3", 290) and sophomore Zane Durant (6'1", 285), both of whom are solid tackles. Overall, the team's worst performance was week one against WVU when they gave up 146 yards and 2 touchdowns to the Mountaineers. Last week they held Maryland to -49 yards on the ground (including sacks). Advantage: Penn State
Please consider supporting the blog by using the Amazon links here (LINK):
FORMER PLAYERS
TE Erick All (Iowa): All tore his ACL in week seven. He led the Hawkeyes in all receiving categories, catches (21), yards (299), and touchdowns (3) by a wide margin at the time of his injury.
WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony is out for the season. He caught 27 passes for 429 yards and 1 touchdown this season before the injury.
QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman completed 28/42 throws for 334 yards and ran 1 time for a 13-yard touchdown in a 27-24 win over Oklahoma.
If you had Alan Bowman rushing for a TD & making a tackle go to Vegas! Check out the forearm from the OU coach! Ollie, O-line, receivers, H-Backs, all have been awesome, but the job @alanbowman_ has done for this offense can't be under stated! #GoPokes#OkState#PistolsFiringpic.twitter.com/jrKTcwO8kW
I was a little nervous. Something was gnawing at my brain going into this game, and that was whether Michigan would look sloppy against the Boilermakers in the midst of Sign-gate. I was never nervous about the outcome of the game, but just about whether it would be a tight contest. Maybe something like a 14-10 contest at halftime. Or 17-13 in the third quarter before pulling away. The distraction of Sign-gate combined with the rustiness of coming off a bye week concerned me. So I was glad to see Michigan jump out to a 17-0 lead almost immediately. But the second quarter was boring for Michigan. Michigan was outgained by Purdue, as well as outscored 6-3, sending it to halftime at 20-6.
RUSH OFFENSE vs. PURDUE RUSH DEFENSE Michigan is #45 in rushing (174.3 yards/game) after entering last season's Big Ten Championship game against the Boilermakers at #5 in running the ball. The Wolverines are #40 in yards per carry at 4.73. Blake Corum (111 carries, 605 yards, 11 TD) leads the way, and backup Donovan Edwards (66 carries, 211 yards, 1 TD) is following behind. Kalel Mullings (23 carries, 147 yards, 1 TD) has missed time due to injury, but reports indicate he should be back this week. Purdue is #83 in rushing defense (153.8 yards allowed/game) and #70 in yards per carry allowed (4.07). They're tied with Michigan at tackles for loss per game (6.75), led by senior OLB Kydran Jenkins (6'1", 260 lbs.) with 11.5 tackles for loss and sophomore OLB Nic Scourton (6'4", 280) with 10.0. Freshman S Dillon Thieneman (6'0", 205) leads the team and is #3 in the conference in tackles with 74, followed by sophomore S Sanoussi Kane (6'0", 215) with 58. Purdue head coach Ryan Walters earned the head job after being a standout defensive coordinator at Illinois, but it might take a couple years to get the right guys in place and get them reacting instead of thinking. Advantage: Michigan
Please consider supporting the blog by using the Amazon links here (LINK):
FORMER PLAYERS
TE Erick All (Iowa): All tore his ACL in week seven. He led the Hawkeyes in all receiving categories, catches (21), yards (299), and touchdowns (3) by a wide margin at the time of his injury.
WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony is out for the season. He caught 27 passes for 429 yards and 1 touchdown this season before the injury.
QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman completed 17/34 passes for 286 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception in a 45-13 win over Cincinnati.
Kewan Lacy - RB - Lancaster (TX) Lancaster: Lacy (3-star, #30 RB, #351 overall) decommitted from Nebraska. Alabama, Florida, and Ole Miss are all in the mix, and the current crystal ball leader is Ole Miss. Michigan seems pretty set at running back with Micah Ka'apana and Jordan Marshall.
Drelon Miller - WR - Silsbee (TX) Silsbee: Miller (4-star, #14 WR, #66 overall) decommitted from Texas A&M after having been committed to the Aggies since June. He had 59 catches for 1,401 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior in 2022. His two official visits went to Miami and USC.
Joseph Stone - WR - Fairburn (GA) Langston Hughes: Stone (4-star, #46 WR, #300 overall) decommitted from LSU after pledging to the Tigers in July, just a couple weeks after being offered. It's a little surprising that a talented receiver would leave LSU since they have two of the best receivers in the country in Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas.
Please consider supporting the blog by using the Amazon links here (LINK):
FORMER PLAYERS
TE Erick All (Iowa): All tore his ACL in week seven. He led the Hawkeyes in all receiving categories, catches (21), yards (299), and touchdowns (3) by a wide margin at the time of his injury.
WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony is out for the season. He caught 27 passes for 429 yards and 1 touchdown this season before the injury.
QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman completed 24/38 throws for 210 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception in a 48-34 win over West Virginia.
Michigan 49, Michigan State 0 (image via AP/Al Goldis)
Emotional edge FTW. Going into this game, I felt like Michigan had more of a reason to win this game. I mean, aside from the fact that Michigan State sucks and surely really wanted to win because sucking isn't fun, Michigan should have had more of a reason. This stems mostly from the fact that Gemon Green and Ja'den McBurrows were viciously attacked in the tunnel last year. But this past week's cheating allegations probably cheesed off the Wolverines quite a bit since their accomplishments were considered to be tainted by some. But it seems like emotion sometimes forces players and/or coaches to press. So in my game preview, I predicted a 34-10 victory. I thought Michigan might come out a little slow, might get caught by a trick play, etc. But it turns out Michigan didn't have any trick plays up their sleeve. They didn't really have much of anything up their sleeve.
RUSH OFFENSE vs. MSU RUSH DEFENSE Michigan is #41 in rushing offense (182 yards/game) and #35 in yards per carry (4.88). I thought Michigan might take off a little bit against Indiana last week, which had the #91 rushing defense, but that didn't happen so much. Blake Corum (96 carries, 546 yards, 12 touchdowns) leads the way . . . and that includes nationally, because he tops the country in rushing touchdowns. Donovan Edwards has been a disappointment on the ground, averaging just 3.28 yards/carry this year, but he did break through with his first touchdown of the year last week. Kalel Mullings (23 carries, 147 yards, 1 TD) and Ben Hall (11 carries, 60 yards) are also options. Michigan State is #33 in rushing defense (114.8 yards allowed/game) and #36 in yards allowed per carry (3.48). They have only allowed 3 rushing touchdowns this year, which is tied for #8 nationally. But last week against Rutgers, MSU allowed Kyle Monongai to run 24 times for 148 yards and a touchdown. The teams they have shut down in the run game include FCS Richmond, Central Michigan, and the inept Iowa offense. Junior LB Cal Haladay (6'1", 235 lbs.) leads the team with 41 tackles, followed by S Malik Spencer (6'1", 195) with 36 and CB Dillon Tatum (5'11", 200) with 30. The leaders in tackles for loss include DE Zion Young (6'6", 265) with 4.5 and Haladay with 4. They're tied at #67 in tackles for loss per game with 5.83. I have a feeling that Michigan might try to bludgeon MSU, and considering the fact that the Spartans have only had success against weak teams, this might be a day for Blake Corum to have a signature performance. Advantage: Michigan
Minnesota Vikings captain and safety Josh Metellus had one of his best games as a professional, totaling 8 tackles with 1 sack and 1 forced fumble in a 19-13 win over the Chicago Bears. That fumble was returned for a touchdown. Unfortunately, it was on rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent out of Shepherd University and not Ohio State product Justin Fields, who is expected to be out for a few weeks with a dislocated thumb.
Josh Metellus with the strip sack! He has really become a great pro player recently! Go Blue! 〽️
RB Zach Charbonnet (Seahawks): Charbonnet ran the ball 9 times for 46 yards in a 37-27 win over the Panthers.
WR Nico Collins (Texans): Collins caught 4 passes, including three for first downs, and 80 yards in a 20-13 win over the Saints.
DE Brandon Graham (Eagles): Graham made 2 tackles and 0.5 sacks in a 20-14 loss to the Jets.
S Dax Hill (Bengals): Hill made 8 tackles and 2 pass breakups in a 17-13 win over the Seahawks.
LB Khaleke Hudson (Commanders): Hudson made 3 tackles in a 24-16 win over the Falcons.
DT Maurice Hurst, Jr.: Hurst made 2 tackles and 1 tackle for loss in the Browns' 27-3 victory over the Titans.
DE Aidan Hutchinson (Lions): Hutchinson made 3 tackles in a 20-6 win over the Buccaneers.
CB Jourdan Lewis (Cowboys): Lewis made 3 tackles in a 20-17 win over the Chargers.
S Jabrill Peppers (Patriots): Peppers made 7 tackles and 2 pass breakups in a 21-17 loss to the Raiders.
TE Luke Schoonmaker (Cowboys): Schoonmaker made his first professional catch for 1 yard. Unfortunately, he was targeted six times and reeled in just the one catch, but a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
CB D.J. Turner II (Bengals): Turner made 4 stops in a 17-13 win over the Seahawks.
Please consider supporting the blog by using the Amazon links here (LINK):
FORMER PLAYERS
TE Erick All (Iowa): All had 2 catches for 19 yards in Iowa's 19-6 win over Wisconsin, but the bigger news was that he suffered a nasty knee injury on his second catch. All leads the Hawkeyes in all receiving categories, catches (21), yards (299), and touchdowns (3) by a wide margin.
This is a better look at the Erick All injury. Viewer discretion: don't watch too closely if you're at all squeamish. pic.twitter.com/KIrsZN7U02
WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony is out for the season. He caught 27 passes for 429 yards and 1 touchdown this season before the injury.
QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman completed 28/41 passes for 336 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions in a 39-32 win over Kansas. As good as those numbers sound, that's just his sixth-highest passing yardage total in a game. His highest total was when he threw for 605 yards against Houston as a freshman for Texas Tech in 2018.
Run the damn ball. Coming into the game, Indiana was ranked #91 in rushing defense. And it was raining. So naturally, Michigan decided to come out throwing, with four pass plays and two rushes in the first six plays. Two of those pass plays resulted in sacks, and one was a drop by Colston Loveland. Meanwhile, the two carries by Corum averaged 4.5 yards per rush. Michigan wasn't necessarily going to obliterate Indiana on the ground with huge runs, but they could have just taken over the game physically instead of trying to throw in those conditions.
RUSH OFFENSE vs. INDIANA RUSH DEFENSE Michigan ranks #38 in rushing offense (185.2 yards/game) and #26 in yards per carry (5.07). Blake Corum's 5.95 yards/carry ranks sixth in the conference, while backup Donovan Edwards's mystifying 3.47 yards/carry ranks #32, lowest of any qualifying back in the conference. Kalel Mullings has stepped up his game with 23 carries for 147 yards and 1 touchdown this year. Michigan seems to have found a solidified starting five up front with Arizona State transfer La'Darius Henderson at left tackle and Karsen Barnhart at right tackle. Indiana is #91 in rushing defense (156.4 yards allowed/game) and allowed Akron's Lorenzo Lingard over 8.0 yards/carry a few weeks ago, along with 10+ yards per rush to Maryland's Antwaine Littlejohn despite his not getting above 3.7 against any other opponent. They give up 4.74 yards per carry, which ranks #108 in the nation. Having watched some of Indiana this year, their tackling is the worst I've seen it in Tom Allen's seven years at the helm. Fifth year senior middle linebacker Aaron Casey (6'2", 235 lbs.) leads the squad with 43 stops, followed by sophomore strong safety Phillip Dunnam (6'1", 190) and senior free safety Louis Moore (6'1", 190) with 35 and 25, respectively. Advantage: Michigan
Zone coverage FTW. There was a time when we lamented that Michigan defensive backs were terrible at looking back and finding the ball. There were interceptions to be had, but Michigan didn't, you know, have them. Don Brown had the defensive backs in chase mode all the time, and even though he was really good at his defensive coordinator job - Ohio State be damned - he hated zone defense. In this game a dose of zone coverage was enough to confuse inexperienced Minnesota quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, and he threw more touchdown passes to Michigan's guys (Will Johnson, Keon Sabb) than his own. In fact, he completed just 5/15 passes for 52 yards, 35 of which came on the final offensive play of the first half, a virtual Hail Mary that happened to come down in the hands of a diving Daniel Jackson for the Gophers' only touchdown of the night. That passing total was the fewest amount allowed by Michigan since they allowed 24 against UConn in 2022.
RUSH OFFENSE vs. MINNESOTA RUSH DEFENSE Michigan is #31 in rushing offense (184 yards/game) and #33 in yards per carry (4.95). Blake Corum is at 5.74 yards per carry and is tied for the national lead rushing touchdowns with 9 despite being tied for #31 in rushing attempts. (The other two players with 9 scores are Marshall's Rasheen Ali and Georgia State's Marcus Carroll, who have 91 and 115 carries, respectively, compared to Corum's 74.) Kalel Mullings had his first kind of breakout game with 5 carries for 43 yards last week and now has 15 attempts for 100 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown last Saturday. Donovan Edwards has been clunking along at 3.34 yards/carry (3.43 last week, though!) so we're still waiting for him to show his elite capabilities in the open field. Minnesota is #54 in rushing defense (127.2 yards allowed/game) and #81 in yards allowed per carry (4.18). Somehow they held North Carolina to 2.84 yards/carry a few weeks ago, but last week Louisiana-Lafayette carved them up for 177 yards on just 27 attempts. Freshman linebacker Maverick Baranowski (6'3", 230) leads the team with 35 tackles, followed by senior safety Jack Henderson (6'3", 215) with 30 and sophomore safety Darius Green (6'1", 200) with 27. The Golden Gophers play a 3-4 look with senior Kyler Baugh (6'2", 305) at nose tackle, where he has 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks on the year. Baranowski has 3.0 tackles for loss and JACK linebacker Danny Striggow (6'5", 255) has 4.0, so they're decent at getting into the backfield at times. But Michigan should have good success in the run game. Advantage: Michigan
That was domination. More so than any other game this season, that felt like Michigan truly dominated the team across from them. Despite winning by 24+ points against every other team on the schedule, it seemed like Michigan had gone through some rough stretches, including being down early against Rutgers and struggling for a while with Bowling Green. But right from the start, it seemed like Michigan just had way too much for Nebraska to handle. The #2 rushing defense in the country gave up 249 yards rushing to the Wolverines at 4.9 yards per carry. Punter Tommy Doman was only needed once - other than holding on kicks - and boomed his 1 punt for 65 yards. The only thing preventing Michigan from having a 45-0 shutout was a late 74-yard run by Joshua Fleeks, who sliced through a bunch of backups. Credit to him and Nebraska for not giving up, but it was indeed a garbage time score.
Michigan has played Minnesota 104 times throughout history and has a 76-25-3 record against the Golden Gophers. They first played in 1892, and the winner of the game after each meeting earns the Little Brown Jug Trophy.
Here are the longest plays for Michigan in the history of the rivalry:
Steve Breaston 95-yard kickoff return TD (2005)
Chris Howard 86-yard TD run (1996)
Gilvanni Johnson 85-yard punt return TD (1985)
Carlos Brown 85-yard TD run (2007)
Darrell Harper 84-yard punt return TD (1959)
Courtney Avery 83-yard fumble return TD (2011)
Karan Higdon 77-yard TD run (2017)
Tom Brady 76-yard TD pass to Tai Streets (1998)
Lowell Perry 75-yard punt return TD (1951)
Steve Smith 75-yard TD run (1983)
Scott Dreisbach 75-yard TD pass to Amani Toomer (1995)
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
Please consider supporting the blog by using the Amazon links here (LINK):
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Michigan has played Bowling Green State University two times, once in 2000 and once in 2010. The 2010 game was full of big plays, with Denard Robinson rushing 5 times for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns on an injury-shortened day that saw him rush or pass the ball just 9 times overall.
Defensive Tackle U. Michigan is putting together a nice crew of defensive tackles, and the least heralded one is the guy making plays most consistently, it seems. Sophomore Mason Graham made 5 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks against UNLV, eating up the interior offensive line repeatedly. The Rebels ended the game with 61 rushing yards on 31 attempts, which includes sacks, but still . . . the middle was stuffed up all day. Kris Jenkins made 5 tackles and 0.5 sacks and Kenneth Grant made 4 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 1 pass breakup. The title of this section is a little facetious, but the defensive tackle play has been terrific.
Please consider supporting the blog by using the Amazon links here (LINK):
FORMER PLAYERS
TE Erick All (Iowa): All caught 3 passes for 32 yards in a 20-13 win over Iowa State.
WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony caught 7 passes for 76 yards and 1 touchdown in a 28-11 win over SMU. He is now OU's leading receiver with 10 catches for 142 yards and 1 score on the year.
QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman completed 11/16 passes for 113 yards in a 27-15 win over Arizona State. He also ran 2 times for -5 yards. He's in a real battle for the QB job as OSU played three quarterbacks in a relatively tight game.
This is a feature I started last year, with the ten longest plays against any particular opponent. I didn't break it out last week since Michigan had never played East Carolina before, and now the opponent is UNLV, whom Michigan has only played once. So each of the following plays will take you back to 2015, when Michigan won by a score of 28-7.
