Former Michigan All-Big Ten offensive lineman Doug Skene and former defensive lineman Ryan Van Bergen each spoke this morning about Michigan's dominant effort against Wisconsin last night.
Doug Skene:
Offensive line play: “Defenses are starting to figure out how to defend the ‘pull the guard, downblock play’ Michigan likes to run. They made adjustments off of it though, and did a better job in the middle too. The result was [senior running back Karan] Higdon finding creases off tackle. It’s night and day from what we saw a year ago, and that’s what it’ll take to continue this run.”
Offensive line coach Ed Warinner: “You’re seeing the benefits of his simplification. It means you only have two pass protections and just a few things you have to do out of your stance. You get good at it instead of doing 15 different things average. Simplification is a good thing for linemen — it’s easier for the coaching staff to build off of that, and Warinner is doing a nice job with them.”
Wisconsin offense: "They look like an NFL offensive line — they're 6-6, 320, and can move — and early in the game, they were doing what they do best. Time and time again later on though, they dropped back when they were struggling to throw and catch, and I kept saying, 'Amen, we’ll take it.’”
Michigan State: “For those who had a burial service for MSU last week, you’re crazy. That same coaching staff that gets blood out of a rock every year continues to do so. I’ve always thought Penn State’s coach outcoaches himself on a regular basis, but you have to credit to Sparty. Anyone who doesn’t think they’ll look like the LA Rams next week is kidding themselves.”
Michigan going forward: “Yesterday was a big step forward for the team and the program under [head coach Jim] Harbaugh. Last night was a big night. The next chapter in this story is being able to do that same kind of thing on the road against a tough team. I don’t care if they’re ranked or not — MSU knows how to play this game in recent years, and Michigan needs to find a way to do it too.”
Ryan Van Bergen:
The victory: “It made some noise nationally. People kind of cooled on the team after Notre Dame, but they’ve developed and gotten better. We’ve talked for a while about this stretch they’ve got coming up, but they’re right where they want to be right now.”
Stopping Jonathan Taylor: “The defensive line did a great job of surging and coming off the ball. Even on passing plays, they were pushing Wisconsin's linemen back. I don’t ever like to put a kid down, but we knew [redshirt junior Alex] Hornibrook didn’t exactly have an explosive attack. Wisconsin had one thing and they stuck to it, and when they get down, they’re a different team.”
Shea Patterson: “Some of the things on offense had probably been kept close to the vest. We hadn’t seen too many options or designed runs for him, but this was a good time to unveil it. Fortunately, they have [redshirt freshman] Dylan McCaffrey behind him as well, in case anything would happen to Patterson. I don’t think Wisconsin’s defense athletically is on the same level as some of the other great teams in the Big Ten.”
Michigan's offense: “It was exciting. They dominated Wisconsin in time of possession and yards on the ground, and that doesn’t happen to it much. Once they started running on first downs more in the second half, it was exciting to see how they could execute it at will against a team like Wisconsin. That’s something to look forward to in the future."
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