Certainly jackson will face a loaded box. It will b interesting to watch any push from the los early on. That may dictate the game.
On offense, whether or not JH opens things up, the mich qb has been inefficient with what has already been called.
i think michigan can get shut out
- Thread starter Turk
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On offense, whether or not JH opens things up, the mich qb has been inefficient with what has already been called.
Jackson and the OL have been at their best when they wear down the opposition over the course of a game, consistently moving the ball on the ground in the second half. While I'm not sure the coaches have much of a choice (it would be a lot to turn a game over to Thorson early on in his first B1G road tilt), I hope we stick with the run game even if it's tough going early.
My worry is Fitz will drum into everyones heads the danger of turnovers so much that they will not be loose enough to play well.
Thorson has been in the limelight his whole life. The Big Roach Motel House won't phase him at all.
We're going to need a screen game and a draw game against them to keep them honest. If we don't mix it up and make them hesitate a little, we will have trouble moving the ball consistently.
Wasn't it always like that though? All our past opponents this season have loaded the box. Still, JJ will do what JJ does. He will carry over 30 times and once our offense gets close to 20 points and ahead in the game, our D will lock it down.
Dang, I just sounded like Wrassler..
How about throwing some long balls early? It seems our WRs are starting to catch the long ones and CT is in the upwards momentum.
Yes, the ol' "who have they played." I mean in today's college football especially, we see stat lines like that all the time.
Go Blue. Always.
The thing about Jackson is that he faces a loaded box every week. He may not be the fastest back and you can run him down from behind, but he kills teams running between the tackles, bouncing off of defenders and carrying them for an extra 3-4 yards. He turns nothing into 3-4 yard gains, and 3-4 yard gains into 9 yards.
They may not be flashy, but we have usually gotten 3-5 yards on bubbles. The whole idea is to keep defenses from moving their safeties into the box while gaining reasonable yardage.
Northwestern lost to Michigan last season with Hoke at the helm, when the Wolverines actually were a bad football team.
That team lost to Maryland and Rutgers, among seven losses.
But if you're more comfortable trying to be clever than facing facts, by all means, keep it going.
Go Blue. Always.
And we also beat a Notre Dame team that blew you out. You don't need to remind NU fans that we never beat Hoke. But previous seasons have little relevance to this one. Maryland and Rutgers were both bowl teams last year. Doubt they'll make it this year.
I hear you. The calendar flips, things change.
But last season is extremely relevant from a Michigan perspective. Hoke wins two more games, he likely survives and returns for 2015.
Instead, he fails to get the team to a bowl, gets properly canned, and Michigan gets Harbaugh and the outstanding staff he built.
There is a night and day difference between the previous staff and the current one, on qualifications.
No surprise - but a lot of relief - that there is so much evidence of that difference playing out on the field.
Two well-coached teams meet Saturday. I couldn't have said that last year.
Go Blue. Always.
I actually thought Hoke got a raw deal. When he started, he had a roster of underclassmen that were recruited by RR and not suited to his style of FB. And the last couple years, those guys were his upper classmen. But this year as his recruits (the ones recruited for his style of play) get to be upperclassmen he is not there to coach them. THat said, Harbaugh has the good fortune of getting a 5th year Senior QB transfer that fits the system better and a roster of players for his system.
He had some raw talent but never got anything cooking.
Players were not developing, nor were they or assistant coaches, held accountable.
The program was a mess, and trending downward. There were other compounding - and mounting - negatives.
Four years was enough.
Go Blue. Always.
As a UM fan I can tell you why. It was a messy game. Field was wet. Winds were blowing a consistent 17MPH and gusts over 30MPH. UM knew Maryland couldn't score or move the ball on them, so they tried to run it and control the game. Unfortunately, Deveon Smith wasn't healthy, Ty Isaac fumbled twice and was benched, so we were using two backs -- 1 of which is coming off an ACL injury and has rarely been used.
Stats can be mislead. We're far from a juggernaut on offense, but - the OL has been incredible for the most part in pass protection and the defense is ... well, really good.
I completely agree Michigan might have trouble scoring against Northwestern. The Wildcat defense is that good and Michigan's offense is iffy. It'll help Michigan if starting TB Smith is back as expected (he missed the Maryland game).
But on the other hand why would you expect Northwestern to score 24 points on Michigan? The Michigan first string D has given up 7 points total in the last 4.5 games. And that's against offenses on par or better than Northwestern. And it hasn't been a fluke. It's not like teams are getting close and turning it over. I think they've given up 2 red zone possessions in the last 4 games.
Michigan's D is lights out against runs between the tackles, bubble screens, and anything downfield to a WR. Best bet for moving the ball is hitting TEs or backs short over the middle and hoping they can break a tackle.
Personally I think Northwestern will have a hard time getting 10 points unless they get a TO in great position. Michigan's special teams are outstanding this year and tough to win the field position battle against. Also don't know how Northwestern will sustain several TD drives. Now 10 points might be enough to win because I am impressed with the Wildcat defense. But I'd say <1% chance they hit 24 points or more.
i agree that it is unlikely the Cats score 24 on Michigan. I'm seeing this as a 17-14 game but have no clue who wins. When in doubt, put the money on the best coaching staff.........
It's going to be a slog. Anybody tuning in to see big offensive plays will likely be disappointed. 9-6, 14-10, etc is how I think it likely ends.
The key is if our redshirt freshman QB continues to improve. He has all the tools to be an All Big 10 QB in the future. He is the key to our offense improvement from game to game. He took a big step last week. If he takes another big step this week then we could score in the 17-20 range. Rudock is who he is. Thorson is an inexperienced RS freshman with huge upside. That could be the difference.
It is too bad Vegas doesn't have over/unders for college ball any more. Probably a season low of around 20 for the game.
Where in the world did you get that idea? The over under on this game in Las Vegas Sports books Is about 35. One place you might want to check is www.vegasinsider.com.
He definitely did not get a raw deal, you don't go from 11-2 to 5-7 over 4 years, getting worse each year and especially worse at QB each year, and get a pass at a school like UM. Love Brady's heart but he was a mediocre HC who failed badly.
If internet message boards made effective bulletin board material I'm pretty sure every team would be able to find something.
Travis Wilson for Utah is a senior playmaking QB and one of the best in the Pac 12 with an All American running back and plenty of playmakers. He lead Utah to 17 points against Michigan. Tanner Mangum is a probable freshman All American QB for BYU. He couldn't score a point against Michigan.
Thorson is most similar right now to Seth Collins for Oregon State who Michigan held to 79 yards passing and 28 yards rushing and 7 points. Collins has a higher passer rating and QBR this season, but similar overall numbers.
Will Thorson need to make big time plays for Northwestern to score some points? Sure. I'm just not sure I'd expect it to happen. A freshman QB playing against the best pass rush and DBs they've ever faced tends to work out in favor of the defense.
You are correct that Rudock is what he is at this point, not great but good enough to get some points on the board if Michigan can get their running game going.
Rudock is who he is, but some don't appreciate who he is or the stability and leadership he brings to a team that really needed that at QB.
He's only months-in as a U-M QB. Short-range arm, but long on experience, even if most of that was picked up at Iowa, hardly a bastion for QBs.
His timing with the WRs should improve, since a lack of time with them has been, is, a factor.
He's not likely to find better guidance and understanding than under Harbaugh.
He's not dynamic, but Harbaugh will put him in a position to succeed.
Go Blue. Always.
I guess we better hope our defense pitches a shutout and forces a safety for a 2-0 win since we're facing the 85 Bears defense.
When I say Rudock is who he is, I'm not saying he's bad. My point is, you won't see him making huge strides week to week because he's already a very experienced QB. Thorson on the other hand is more talented than Rudock and has much more upside week to week as he gains experience which means our offense is more inclined to improve than yours is as the season goes along.
Makes sense, but I think as Ruddock gets more and more settled, under Harbaugh's coaching, he'll improve.
And he isn't bad now, all things considered.
I certainly think his timing with his WRs will be better in the last third of the season, than the first.
Rare that M starts a 5th year, transfer QB. It's an interesting circumstance. I just like the kid and am glad to have him.
Go Blue. Always.
Ok blue balls, I see your hard-on for Harbaugh and it must really hurt by now. 2 great defenses but I think you are underestimating our RBs. Lucky for you Harbaugh and his amazing staff won't. See you Saturday. No illegal field goals though, ok?
C'mon... The OP was right about the shutout. For the first 10 seconds of the game, anyway.
