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Marcus Ray called in advance Michigan's overtime battle with Indiana. In this podcast, he explains why, and looks at where the Wolverines stand.

Ray gives a blunt evaluation of where head coach Jim Harbaugh is with this team, what he's trying to accomplish and gives individual evaluations on players such as junior tailback Karan Higdon and sophomore cornerback Lavert Hill.

Here's the podcast…

Here are podcast highlights, including Ray on…

• Predicting an overtime game the day before Michigan took on Indiana: “I played on a team similar to this one. It wasn’t as young of a team. We blew a 16-point lead to Northwestern, years ago.

“It had nothing to do with Northwestern being good, or Michigan being not as good. It had everything to do with, sometimes when you play these types of game on the road, you may have a lead, but Indiana can come back. Michigan was clearly the better team, but I figured this one’s going to be close.

“It will probably go to overtime, because there are some guys on that team that were there two years ago who said, ‘Hey, Indiana let it get away from them.’ And with the overtime, it was almost the same ending, just a different scenario with the points.

“I saw how these two teams matched up. With Indiana’s defense, I knew they weren’t going to give up a ton of points. But I also knew Michigan’s defense was going to suffocate Indiana for about a half…

“I had a hunch.”

• What Michigan got from this game: “They won a close game, on the road, but it wasn’t against a good team. Michigan solved one problem: who is the best running back on the team? Who does not need to split carries? And it’s [junior tailback] Karan Higdon.

“They found that guy. But when you go against a better defense, let’s say like next week, when you play this other team, they lead the league in takeaways. You have to do it, week to week to week.

“Jim Harbaugh’s shoveling the driveway while it’s still snowing. Hey man, it’s snowing. Right now, we’re going to shovel this driveway the way we’re going to do it, and we’ll get to the next one when we get to it.”

• What he saw about Higdon he liked: “I saw toughness, I saw vision, I saw burst. He had one play in the first half where they hit him about two or three yards in the backfield…

“He kept his little legs going, and it took three, four, five guys, and they still almost didn't get him down going toward Michigan's sideline. I just think he's a tough cookie. He's got a chip on his shoulder. He wasn't a five-star recruit. He's an underrated player on a big-time roster. He's a third-year player, and he is a tough guy, and he's talented.

"He doesn't quit. He has that fight that I challenged Michigan about last week. He actually had it. He's got the burst, and can hit the home run.

"When I called the spring game in 2017, I said he's a guy that should probably get more touches this year, and he impressed me the most. That was back in April."

• Hill's contributions: "I really like him. I like Lavert Hill. He's an NFL player. I think he's a future All-American. He's a guy who could leave early as a junior if he wanted to.

"I thought his first interception was legit. I didn't think that was pass interference. I really didn't. I liked the way he attacked the football. I liked his interception when he leaped and grabbed it.

"He's a playmaker, and a difference maker. He should have had an interception or two against Michigan State. He batted the ball down with two hands, and should have squeezed it. I think he's the best player in the secondary, by far.

"He needs to get a little bit bigger. But he has the tools, and the skill set. If he gets coached up, he can go down as one of the great ones. I like him a lot. He's super talented."

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