Denard Robinson and the 19th ranked Michigan Wolverines (4-0) are set to launch into the Big Ten portion of their schedule. Their first conference opponent will be Minnesota (1-3) and the rights to the Little Brown Jug will be on the line. The game will be played at the Big House and kickoff at Noon, TV coverage will be provided by the Big Ten Network.
The Golden Gophers
Minnesota opened their season in LA and nearly upset USC. Then they returned home for their next 3 games which resulted in a win over Miami (Ohio) sandwiched around two losses to New Mexico State and North Dakota State. Their head coach, Jerry Kill, has been battling medical issues and is currently at the Mayo Clinic. His status for making the trip to Michigan is unclear, but at this point it would seem unlikely that he will be in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
In the Gopher’s loss last week, QBs MarQueis Gray and Max Shortell rotated in and out during the second half. “What we’re doing is looking at it more package wise and saying, okay, here’s what we really, really think that MarQueis does well and what we think Max does well,” Offensive Coordinator Max Limegrover said. “Then there is that area in the middle that really either one of them can do and starting to look at it that way.”
Gray is Minnesota’s leading rusher with 351 yards. He’s completed 50% of his passes with 3 TDs and 3 INTs. Shortell has connected on 46% of his passes with 2 TDs and 2 INTs.
Sixth year senior DB Kim Royston leads the Gopher’s defense with 42 tackles. Senior corner Troy Stoudermire is a very good kick returner and he leads Minnesota with 3 TFLs.
Michigan
All the fuss surrounding the Wolverines right now centers on Denard Robinson and his passing statistics. The junior QB is 35-72 (48%) for 624 yards with 6 TDs and a startling 6 interceptions. “I think it is going to be alright,” Robinson said at Michigan’s press conference on Monday. “I have been practicing well. I just have to put it on the field.” Robinson has rolled up 552 yards and 5 TDs on the ground and heads into week 5 as the nation’s leading rusher. He will have to zero in the sights on his throwing arm if Michigan is going to make a run in the Legends Division.
Fitzgerald Toussaint (193 yards) and Vincent Smith (179 yards) have emerged from the running back pack and should be a good compliment to Robinson’s prolific rushing abilities.
Brandin Hawthorne is one of Michigan's many emerging defensive playmakers
Defensively, Michigan is transforming back into what we would expect from a U-M defense. They’re still a work in progress, but there are plenty of encouraging signs. Michigan ranks 13th nationally in scoring defense, 3rd in red zone defense, and 15th in turnovers forced. Those are rankings we haven’t seen around the Big House in a few years.
The list of promising playmakers on defense seems to grow each week. Last Saturday, true freshmen CB Blake Countess added his name to the list with 7 tackles and a PBU. He also passed the look test with flying colors. Redshirt freshmen LB Jake Ryan has a team leading 3 TFLs and 2 fumble recoveries and has the potential to develop into a really special player. Don’t forget about Thomas Gordon (RS So) who is tied for the team lead with 30 tackles and has also picked off a pass and recovered 2 fumbles.
Prediction: Michigan will manhandle the Golden Gophers behind their high profile rushing attack which ranks 9th nationally. Watch for Offensive Coordinator Al Borges to get Robinson going with some quick hitting passes and then expand the aerial attack from there. Michigan 38-13
About Rob White