Michigan ready to invade East Lansing

Kick off: Noon (EST)
Location: Spartan Stadium
TV: Big Ten Network
Broadcast crew: Wayne Larrivee, Chris Martin, Charissa Thompson
Line: Michigan State -1.5

The Michigan Wolverines (4-0) will hit the road for the first time this season as they head down I-96 to tangle with the Michigan State Spartans (1-3). Michigan is ranked 20th in the Coaches Poll and 22nd in the AP Poll. The Wolverines are one of 17 unbeaten teams in the country. They have a high octane offense that has produced big plays galore so far this season. The offense is of course led by freshman QB Tate Forcier, who is nursing a shoulder injury this week. Rich Rodriguez described the injury as a bruised shoulder and said Forcier would play this week. Forcier has completed 62% (54-87) of his passes so far this season for 671 yards with 7 TDs and 2 interceptions. He has also rushed for 183 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Michigan’s rushing offense is ranked 8th nationally and 1st in the Big Ten averaging 240.25 yards per game. Carlos Brown leads the Wolverines with 336 yards and 3 TDs. Michigan’s most dynamic running back is Brandon Minor, who has been nursing an ankle injury since fall camp. The coaching staff has been very careful with Minor and I believe that is because they want him ready to roll this week. He is a powerful and punishing runner. In limited action this year he has 206 yards rushing and 3 TDs.

Another wounded Wolverine who should be close to full speed this week is Junior Hemingway. Who, by the way is Michigan’s most explosive receiver. Anytime Hemingway plays he adds another dimension to Michigan’s passing attack with his ability to stretch the field.

Michigan’s offensive line has had to adjust to losing standout center David Molk to a broken foot. Last week David Moosman (normally a starter at RG) filled in at center he did have a few miscues with his long snaps but those were more communication issues then anything else.

Speaking of communication, Michigan’s lockdown corner Donovan Warren said the defense has a lot of work to do communicating, getting guys on the right page. I have a hunch the Wolverine defense will play better this week. I’m not saying they will shut down the Spartan offense but I do believe they will play better. Warren also said, we have to try to get the Paul Bunyan back. He was referring to the Paul Bunyan Trophy that the winner of this game will take home with them.

It will be interesting to see who starts opposite of Warren. Will it be Boubacar Cissoko who has been battling injuries and struggling this season or JT Floyd, who replaced Cissoko in the Indiana game. Floyd played well last week in relief of Cissoko.

Michigan State entered the season with high expectations and so far has buckled under the pressure of those expectations. The Spartans will likely play both Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol at QB this week. This situation is a little different than Michigan’s QB situation because Cousins and Nichol are very similar in their abilities and neither has the game breaking speed of Denard Robinson.

The Spartans best offensive player is probably sophomore running back Glenn Winston, who spent some time this summer in jail for an aggravated assault conviction. Winston assaulted Michigan State hockey player AJ Sturges who suffered a severe head injury. His jail sentence was reduced and he was immediately reinstated to the football team. Call me crazy but I can’t help but wonder what kind of backlash Michigan and Rich Rodriguez would have received if this exact scenario had played out in Ann Arbor.

The strength of this Spartan team has been their passing game, which leads the Big Ten with 320.75 yards per game. Whether it is Cousins or Nichol throwing the ball they have a good receiving corps at their disposal. Michigan fans remember Blair White’s break out game in Ann Arbor last year. He is joined by Mark Dell and BJ Cunningham to form a tough trio of receivers.

Michigan State’s defense has been a work in progress so far this season. They have particularly struggled in defending the pass, as they rank 10th in the Big Ten in passing defense. The Spartans do have tackling machine Greg Jones to lead their defense. The Michigan State linebacker ranks second in the country averaging 13 tackles per game.

Many are predicting this game will be a shootout and that the last team with the ball will win. I don’t think it will be that simple. This is a rivalry game. Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio has gone out of his way to poke at Michigan since he was hired. He has done a good job of working the Spartan fan base into a lather with his anti-Michigan agenda. That is all fine and dandy but don’t think that his antics have gone unnoticed at Schembechler Hall.

Rich Rodriguez doesn’t play the games Dantonio does through the media. He prefers to talk about Michigan and guys that play for Michigan. He understands the importance of this game. Usually every Wednesday of game week the media is allowed to observe practice for about 30 minutes. This week practice is closed. I expect the Wolverines to have a few new wrinkles to their already explosive offense this week. As always the X-factor for this offense is Denard Robinson. His combination of speed and elusiveness make him a scary variable for opposing defenses.

I expect the Spartans to play their best game of the season. They are in desperation mode trying to avoid a 1-4 start to their season. They will be playing at home in front of a crowd of people that loathe Michigan. I also expect Michigan to play very well. The key factor is how healthy is Tate Forcier and how will he hold up during the game. The Spartans know he is nursing a shoulder injury and I’m sure they’ll do whatever they can to aggravate that injury. Robinson is the X-factor and Forcier is the difference maker. He has already displayed a knack for making big plays and coming through in the clutch. Through his first 4 games he has already directed two fourth quarter comeback wins.

Prediction: It would be easy for me to say my prediction for this game hinges on Forcier’s health. I’m not going to do that. My pick is Michigan and I think it will probably be a high scoring affair. Michigan leads the Big Ten in scoring offense and ranks 16th nationally. There is no reason to believe they won’t put points on the board this week. The guy that will put Michigan’s offense over the top is Brandon Minor. Look for him to have a big game. I also believe Michigan’s defense will play better this week. Brandon Graham is due for a breakout performance and I think he has one in East Lansing.

In case you missed it there is more on this big game here, First Look: Michigan vs. Michigan State