Michigan is set to host Northwestern for senior day on Saturday. The Wolverines lead the all-time series against the Wildcats by a margin of 57-14-2. Heading into the matchup — the 11th game of the season — Michigan is still searching for that coveted sixth win, which will grant the Wolverines bowl eligibility for the 2024 season.

A host of players will be honored at the Big House on Saturday as they play their last game on the hallowed grounds of Michigan Stadium.

The good news for those seniors being honored is that Northwestern is about as easy of an opponent that they could ask for on senior day. However, the bad news is that arguably the most successful seniors in program history don't have anything more to play for other than pride and a shot at bowl eligibility.

Maize and Blue Review caught up with Northwestern insider Louie Vaccher to preview the Wildcats as the teams prepare to clash on Saturday.

Vaccher: I don’t think calling him a flash in the pan is fair. At least not yet. Braun proved last year he could lead a team. Now we’re seeing whether or not he can lead a program. This offseason he had to fire and hire some coaches, recruit a class for the first time and spearhead the drive for the temporary stadium. He also has a new boss now in athletic director Mark Jackson. The biggest hire he made was offensive coordinator Zach Lujan, and he hasn’t gotten off to a great start in his new role. I think Lujan’s biggest adjustment has been going from a powerhouse FCS program like South Dakota State, where he had superior talent to most opponents, to Northwestern, which rarely does, at least against Big Ten programs. The truth is that Northwestern was going to take a step back this season regardless of who was coaching. Some key personnel losses and a tougher schedule assured that. But Braun is still learning on the job, too. He made some questionable decisions this season at critical times that cost them dearly.

But all that said, I think Northwestern is one game off of where I thought they’d be. They blew what should have been a win against Duke, and I think if they were 5-5 people would be seeing the team entirely differently. His players love him, and when you watch Northwestern play, they may make mistakes and look bad at times, but they play hard for him.

Vaccher: While Northwestern is 2-2 on the road, I don’t think we can call them road warriors. Their two wins away from home aren’t all that impressive: a 37-10 beatdown of Maryland was a bit of a mirage as the Terps turned the ball over four times and gave them some short fields to work with, and they had to go overtime to beat the Boilers, who have yet to beat an FBS program. The Wildcats also played two of their worst games of the year away from home. At Washington they put up 112 yards of total offense, and at Iowa the offense failed to score a point in a 40-14 beatdown in which the Wildcats’ two TDs came on a pick-six and a punt return.

Lausch has had his share of ups-and-downs this season. He’s thrown for less than 100 yards three times, and his completion percentage and quarterback rating are still the lowest in the Big Ten. But he’s played well the last two weeks. He threw for a career-high 250 yards and scored two TDs against Purdue, and I thought he played a heck of a game in a losing effort against Ohio State. He and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel are the only two quarterbacks to throw for 200 yards against the Buckeyes’ No. 1 defense this season.

Vaccher: Henning has been a key player for the Wildcats the last two years, but he’s really blossomed as a receiver this season. He leads the team with 45 catches and three touchdown receptions, and he’s No. 2 in yards with 468. He’s also the team’s No. 1 punt returner. Henning is one of the fastest players on the team and is a big-play threat every time he touches the ball. That’s something we don’t see very often in Evanston.

Braun talked about Henning in his weekly press conference, lauding his production and leadership.

“You really find out about a person when adversity hits, and I think some of the things that we experienced in our passing game early on in the year, with transitioning at the quarterback position, some inexperienced quarterback play… And A.J.’s commitment to his team, his work ethic, his consistency and availability in practice and for games is something that just really stands out. He gets dinged up against Wisconsin; he’s back at practice on Tuesday. I think A.J. has only missed one practice this entire year, fall camp throughout the entire season. The workload that’s on that guy, that’s incredibly impressive. But it just speaks to his competitiveness, his commitment to this team. And to see him continue to have opportunities to impact games on Saturdays for us is something that we’re all really excited about.”

Vaccher: On offense, the Wildcats have a pair of productive receivers in Henning and Bryce Kirtz. They both have good speed and are Lausch’s go-to guys. Lausch can be erratic as a passer, but what makes him a threat is his ability to make plays outside of the pocket. He can tuck the ball and run, or throw it on the run when he’s pressured. In the backfield, Cam Porter is a 213-pound power back, while Joseph Himon II provides some speed as a change of pace.

Defensively, the Wildcat with the most NFL potential is cornerback Theran Johnson, who always draws the opponents’ No. 1 receiver. A physical, aggressive cover man, he leads the Big Ten with 10 passes defensed and had a pick-6 at Iowa. Among linebackers, Mac Uihlein is the team’s leading tackler with 65 and has really emerged as a playmaker in his first season as a full-time starter. (Linebacker and captain Xander Mueller, who has missed the last three games with an injury, will likely be out again on Saturday.) Up front, I wouldn’t point to any one standout, but they have a bunch of grinders who are at the heart of a run defense that only allows 114.6 rushing yards per game.

Vaccher: Defensively, the game plan will be simple: contain Michigan’s running game and make Davis Warren – or whomever is at quarterback – beat them through the air. I think they’ll be successful, for the most part. Northwestern’s front seven has been pretty stout all season.

The real question mark is the offense – both teams have that in common. But if Northwestern can get Lausch to 100 yards passing, they’ll be in good shape. That may seem like a very low bar, but the Wildcats are 3-2 when he hits the century mark, with losses to only Ohio State and Indiana, two Top 10 teams. Another key will be red-zone efficiency. I expect this to be a tight, low-scoring game without a lot of scoring chances, so when the Cats get inside the 20, they have to get touchdowns instead of field goals. Finally, they have to sustain drives. Northwestern seems to get into a funk where they’ll go three-and-out for a few drives in a row and absolutely kill any momentum they might have built. At one point this year, Northwestern had the second-worst third-down conversion rate in the country, but they’ve been better in recent weeks and converted an impressive 6-of-16 against Ohio State last week – though most of them came early in the game.

Vaccher: I think Northwestern can absolutely win this game if they avoid the types of mistakes that have plagued them throughout the year, like penalties, negative plays and, if you watched them against Ohio State, sailing snaps over the punter’s head. These teams are remarkably similar, with offenses that struggle to score (NU 18.0 ppg, Michigan 20.4), inconsistent quarterback play and a good defense. Whichever team takes care of the football (Michigan is -5 in turnover margin, NU +1) will likely win the game.

I reserve the right to change my mind before I publish my official prediction later this week, but I’m just having a hard time picking a Wildcat team that seems to find a way to beat itself most weeks. I’ll take Northwestern with the points but Michigan outright, somewhere around 17-13.

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