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Answering Nine Key Questions Before Michigan Plays Michigan State

TheWolverine.com's Clayton Sayfie was interviewed by SpartanMag.com's Paul Konyndyk to preview Michigan football's upcoming matchup against Michigan State (noon ET Saturday on FOX).

Read the Q&A below.

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Michigan Wolverines football coach Jim Harbaugh
Michigan Wolverines head football coach Jim Harbaugh has his team off to a 7-0 start to the 2021 season. (USA TODAY Sports Images)
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1. Why has Michigan's running game been so effective this year?

It's really a combination of three different things, in my opinion.

First, the Wolverines moved position coach Sherrone Moore from tight ends to offensive line and promoted him to co-offensive coordinator. Over 70 percent of their run plays are gap blocking as opposed to zone, compared to around 60 percent last season, and you can see a lot more of Jim Harbaugh's fingerprints on the scheme (along with Moore and offensive coordinator Josh Gattis).

Secondly, Moore has really helped this group come together quicker than many thought he would, and he answered any questions about his O-line coaching chops in a hurry. His group up front has been physical and playing assignment football, with communication being a key.

Lastly, the running backs have really stepped up, forming arguably the nation's top ball-carrier tandem with redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins and second-year freshman Blake Corum. The former is a physical, downhill runner, great in short-yardage situations (his nickname is 'H2,' and they've recently dubbed third and two plays as 'third and H2'), while the latter is a speedier back who excels on the edge and can catch the ball and make plays in space. Corum has 729 yards, Haskins has 602 and both have rushed for 10 touchdowns.

2. What have teams done to take away the run?

Well, no team has completely taken away Michigan's run game, since the Wolverines have rushed for over 100 yards in each contest, including four games of 290-plus yards on the ground. But several squads have stacked the box and tried to outnumber the Wolverines at the line of scrimmage.

Rutgers was successful with that, plus some stunting with its interior defensive linemen, in the second half of the game Sept. 25. Wisconsin's elite rushing defense had the most success, and was able to do so without stacking the box on a play in, play out basis, but they still let up 112 rushing yards.

3. What is your assessment of Cade McNamara through seven games? Do you think he can carry team with his arm if run game isn't clicking?

Redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara has been extremely solid through seven games, with some ups and downs. What he does best isn't always seen by the casual observer, the coaches have said, mentioning shifting protections, identifying blitzes and changing the play or setting hot routes before the ball is snapped. He also doesn't make many mistakes, having taken just two sacks and thrown one interception in his career, dating back to last season.

He throws it away when he needs to and, for the most part, gets through his progressions quickly. We've seen some accuracy issues on down field passes, with McNamara completing just 33.3 percent of his throws that travel 20 yards or more past the line of scrimmage in the air. And we've also seen what can be taken as a lack of trust by the coaching staff to put him in those positions, with only 24 such attempts.

There is an argument to be made that the run game has worked so well that he hasn't had to take as many shots down the field, and that's absolutely true. It still remains to be seen if he can beat a team through the air during the entirety of a game, even though he has made some big-time throws this year.

4. Who are players on offense that MSU needs to account for?

Corum and Haskins, of course, for the reasons discussed above. As far as in the passing game, sophomore wideout Cornelius Johnson is the biggest threat now that star junior Ronnie Bell, who led the club in receiving yards in 2019 and 2020, is out with a knee injury. At 6-3, 211 pounds, Johnson leads the team with 282 receiving yards and three scores, playing almost every snap out wide.

Sophomore tight end Erick All has become increasingly involved as a receiver the last few games, and he's got 16 catches for 157 yards, picking up key first downs in the process.

In the trenches, redshirt junior right tackle Andrew Steuber, a projected 2022 NFL Draft pick, is one to watch. He's allowed just two pressures all season long and grades out as one of the top pass-blockers in the Big Ten, according to PFF. It'll be interesting to see him in sets against Michigan State fifth-year senior defensive end Jacub Panasiuk, who leads the country with 45 pressures.

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5.  Obviously, big off-season scheme change on defense. What improvements have you seen, and where is the jury still out? 

Man, it looks like a completely different defense than a year ago, and I mean that as a huge compliment to first-year coordinator Mike Macdonald and his group. First, let's talk style. The Wolverines now primarily play with two down lineman and two stand-up edge rushers, two inside linebackers and five defensive backs. That has been pretty consistent.

What has been less predictable, so to speak, has been where each guy is lining up, how much pressure they're bringing and what coverage they're in on the back end. Gone are the days where Michigan only plays press-man defense — and credit the Spartans for exploiting that last season, racking up 323 yards through the air, 204 of those coming on deep balls.

They now play more zone than man, and do a great job of disguising what they're in. The jury is still out on Michigan's ability to shut down an opposing offense that has elite wide receivers and a quarterback who can sling it. Nebraska is probably the best offense the Wolverines have faced, but the Huskers rely a lot on signal-caller Adrian Martinez's legs.

Michigan State poses a big threat with downfield weapons Jayden Reed and Jailon Nailor, going up against cornerbacks that we gave a 'C' grade halfway through the season. They've been much improved, but still have a lot to prove.

6. Who are they guys that make defense go?

The strength of the defense is on the edge with junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson — the top-rated edge defender in the country, according to PFF, and the Big Ten's leader with six sacks — and redshirt freshman outside linebacker David Ojabo, who has emerged this season and posted 4.5 sacks himself.

Redshirt junior inside linebacker Josh Ross, the team's leading tackler, has also been extremely solid, and he gets everybody else in order.

Sophomore defensive back Daxton Hill moves around on the back end, primarily covering opposing slot receivers while occasionally blitzing off the edge or dropping deep, and is projected as a first-round pick in CBSSports.com's latest mock.

7. If you were MSU's O-coordinator, how would you scheme against Michigan defense?  

If I were Michigan State offensive coordinator Jay Johnson, I'd make it a point not to abandon the run. Michigan's defense has been stout up front, allowing 3.6 yards per carry, but it features a young linebacker (either second-year freshman Nikhai Hill-Green or true frosh Junior Colson) next to Ross in the middle and defensive tackles that are solid but not extremely disruptive at this point in their careers.

There have been lapses where guys haven't always been in the right spots. Other teams have gone away from the ground game too early, in my mind, which has allowed Hutchinson and Co. to pin their ears back and rush the passer.

Secondly, I'd run a lot of misdirection. Michigan State has done a great job of this against the Maize and Blue (and other teams) in the past, lulling them to sleep with simple runs, etc., before running a throwback screen or something of that nature (the flea flicker that the Spartans have frequently used this season is a good example). Michigan has struggled to stop that sort of stuff this year, and you saw a lot of blown coverages in the second half at Nebraska, even after halftime against Rutgers on those types of plays.

Lastly, I would test Michigan's cornerbacks. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Payton Thorne is averaging 9.4 yards per attempt, the 10th-best mark in the nation, and over 20 yards per attempt on throws that travel 20-plus yards beyond the line of scrimmage in the air. While the Spartans haven't always moved the chains on a consistent basis against defenses that rank inside the country's top 60 (see: Nebraska and Indiana), and they rank 100th in the nation in third-down conversion rate, the big play has been a go-to.

8. Any significant injuries on either side of the ball that could impact the outcome of this game? 

Michigan is quite a bit banged up offensively. In addition to the aforementioned injury to No. 1 wideout Ronnie Bell, starting left guard Trevor Keegan (shoulder) and starting right guard Zak Zinter (lower body) were both limited at Nebraska and then missed last week's contest against Northwestern. Second-year freshman wideout Roman Wilson, who had a breakout game at Wisconsin, hurt his wrist in practice the following week, did not travel to Nebraska and then played just six snaps last week with a wrap on his left hand.

9. Score prediction and explanation

While neither team has played a tough schedule to this point, Michigan has been more tested, with three wins over opponents that hold a .500 or better record, compared to MSU's zero. The Wolverines are in for their toughest challenge yet, but having a run game and a defense that is predicated on eliminating big-play gains will be key in this matchup.

I expect a close one throughout, and it could certainly go either way, but this feels like a third straight Maize and Blue victory in East Lansing, where the Spartans haven't fended off the Wolverines in seven years.

Prediction: Michigan 31, Michigan State 21

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