Michigan sideline reporter Doug Karsch witnessed the NIU destruction up close, and delivers his takes From The Sidelines.

Here’s Karsch, on…

Whether Michigan’s dominant run game is for real: “I don’t think you draw definitive conclusions just yet. The Washington game is still a game that carries weight with me.

“Washington’s Montana loss was huge, but they still have six guys who are relatively high on people’s draft board, as of now. Look up Mel Kiper’s top 10 or other mock drafts, and you’ll see Washington guys going in the first three rounds. It speaks to their talent.

“And while the Montana game was a big deal, the Michigan team that lost to App State finished the year beating Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators. You can have a devastating loss and still be a damned good football team.

“ESPN wrote today that, with some bold predictions, Washington will still win the Pac-12 North. Oregon is in the Pac-12 North. There is still quite a bit of respect for that Washington team.

“I’m kind of dismissive of what happened in the run game against Northern Illinois, but I think the Washington game was significant. What the Michigan defense did to Western Michigan? Look, I expected them to win that game, but Western got the one touchdown early and then got a touchdown in garbage time.

“They just went to Pitt and put up 44 in a win. There are some good signs, but the sample sizes are still pretty small. Right now, Michigan is clearly looking like one of the teams in college football that’s better than most people expected going in.”