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Michigan sideline reporter Doug Karsch delivers some strong takes on Michigan-Michigan State with senior editor John Borton.
Karsch touches on the U-M change at quarterback, the Spartans trying to attack Michigan's defense, and much more.
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• Michigan State's offense versus Michigan's defense: "[MSU quarterback Brian] Lewerke is a guy that can make things happen with his feet, and he was last year before he got hurt going up against Michigan. That has to be a concern for MSU against any hard-hitting defense, because you don't want your quarterback to take too many hits.
"He's proven to be pretty darned talented. You've got to account for him. He'll challenge Michigan's speed at the linebacker position, which [sophomore linebacker] Devin Bush looks every bit capable of handling, against everybody he has played against, but this will be a different challenge.
"If [MSU running back] L.J. Scott returns to form, he can be a load. Michigan State's problems with Lewerke and Scott have been turning the ball over. Lewerke played his first turnover-free game against Iowa, and Scott had three fumbles, two of them going in, in their first three games. They've got to cut down on those, or eliminate those altogether, to give themselves a chance."
• Michigan's talent versus MSU's: Michigan's got the more talented roster, but again, there's such a high degree of variability with such a young team. It's 13 or 14 true freshmen that have played, and many of them are being relied on.
"The bye week is something that should be in the back pocket of the Wolverines, and it could be useful. That is a chance to sit down, look at four games' worth of film, and figure out what positions need most to be addressed with extra reps or personnel changes.
"I thought Michigan had a challenge to get to the bye undefeated. They pulled that off. Coach Harbaugh called it an improvement week, and now the staff — which is exceptional — can show it on Saturday, because they can address things."
• Fifth-year senior John O'Korn getting the start: "John O'Korn the football player hadn't looked like he was going to be anything exceptional, up until that Purdue game. In his time at Houston, he looked that way. In his time at Michigan, well, there was no evidence of that.
"What do we see on Saturday? Was the Purdue game one day, where John O'Korn looked really good, the same way [redshirt freshman quarterback] Brandon Peters looked really good in the spring game for one day? Everybody was surprise that [redshirt junior quarterback Wilton] Speight was the guy. Peters, as it turned out, wasn't even No. 2. He was No. 3. That doesn't mean you give up on him. He's just got a ways to go.
"Was the O'Korn we saw against Purdue just one good day, or was it indicative of a kid who in his fifth year, the light's gone on? Or working with [quarterbacks coach] Pep Hamilton, the light's gone on? Or does [offensive coordinator Tim] Drevno know which plays to call that are in John O'Korn's wheelhouse?
"Or is John O'Korn not looking over his shoulder and maybe, for the first time knew, well, this game is mine. That game last year didn't feature ideal passing conditions.
"I think that's a really difficult question to answer. My instinct tells me that John O'Korn is probably more the guy we thought he was, and not the guy who was great against Purdue. But that's a shade in that direction. That doesn't mean he's not good enough to win this game, and win a bunch of games at Michigan."
• On whether the first team to 28 points wins: "I'm not sure it gets to 28 points to win it. I would say, you get to 20, you've got it. I don't think it's going to be a high-scoring affair, and I can't see Michigan's defense giving up much more than 20 points in most games.
"There are anomalies. Things do happen. It seems like there's a drive a game Michigan's defense gives up.
"If there is a special teams touchdown, a pick-six, that could be a game-changer. But 28 points, I think, is too much to say if you get there, you've got it. Getting to 20 could be the formula for Michigan, and for Michigan State, they're going to want to create turnovers. They're going to want to create short fields."
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