What They're Saying Ahead Of Michigan's Matchup With Northwestern
Michigan Wolverines football is set to host Northwestern Saturday afternoon at The Big House (noon ET on FOX).
Here is a look around the internet at what they're saying about the Maize and Blue this week.
RELATED: Previewing Michigan vs. Northwestern With A Wildcat Insider
John Borton, The Wolverine: Wolverine Watch: Michigan's Major Move Forward
The shakeup arguably left Harbaugh with his best staff in his seven years at Michigan. But the job wasn’t finished. The Wolverines couldn’t continue the internal me focus and eyes-on-the-NFL attitudinal poison that affected recent teams, especially the 2020 squad.
And they didn’t.
James Ross became the latest to testify to that fact.
No, not Josh Ross, the redshirt junior linebacker who appears transformed this season into what Harbaugh describes as a ‘backer as good as any he’s had at U-M.
This is James, the older brother and former Wolverine. Well, what would he know, except second hand?
Plenty. He served as a graduate assistant coach the past three years, working inside Schembechler Hall. He knows the much-discussed increase in excitement and attitudinal makeover is for real.
“You can see the excitement from watching the games on TV, and the closeness of the players,” Ross said. “That really sticks out to me.
“I think the culture has definitely changed. The conversations I’ve had with Josh, him talking about the things they have going on, the changes they’ve made, the coaches that are involved in each of these kid’s lives, it’s clear that it’s a different type of feel up there.
“That’s why they’ve got these guys playing at the level they’re playing at. I think we’ve always had the talent. It’s always been there.
“Now, the players are not only playing for the coaches, but they’re playing for one another. That’s why you see these guys playing at a high level.”
To a man, those players agree on this: we haven’t done anything yet.
From the standpoint of winning the Big Ten, or even challenging for a spot in the title game, they’re right. As far as becoming a playoff squad, they’re dead on. The biggest landmines lay ahead.
But in terms of a dramatic reversal from the recent past, and an undeniable, results-based hope for the future? They’ve done a lot.
Now they get to build on it, with every prize remaining on the table.
Bill Connelly, ESPN.com: Analyzing every College Football Playoff contender's greatest strength
Greatest strength: no negative plays. While the Wolverines' offense lags a bit behind the defense — Michigan is ninth in defensive SP+ and 18th on O — it has thrived with its ability to avoid moving backward. Michigan ranks first in fewest tackles for loss allowed, second in sack rate allowed and 24th in stuff rate (run stops at or behind the line of scrimmage). Better yet, the Wolverines won't play against a defense that currently ranks in the top 30 for TFLs the rest of the regular season.
As with Georgia, we still don't know everything we need to about the Michigan attack — namely, whether quarterback Cade McNamara can make big plays downfield when he needs to (U-M ranks 69th in passing downs success rate) or whether the Wolverines can turn scoring chances into actual TDs frequently enough (last week's fatal flaw was that they settle for too many field goals). But if you can't push them backward, their odds of moving forward are pretty good.
Michigan: It feels more and more like The Year in Ann Arbor. Can Michigan’s offense do enough against Ohio State? Maybe, maybe not. But it can against Michigan State and Penn State, and if it wins those games, it can get into the Playoff even with a loss in The Game or the Big Ten Championship Game. Blake Corum is good enough to get the Wolverines into the bracket out of a brutal division.
Why Michigan can cover
The Wolverines have scored at least 31 points in five of their six games this season and are 14th in the nation with an average of 38.5. They have one of the top rushing attacks in the country, ranking sixth at 246.5 yards per contest while tying for sixth with 21 touchdowns on the ground. The majority of those scores have been recorded by Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins, who have eight apiece.
Corum, who ran for only two scores as a freshman last year, leads Michigan with 610 rushing yards. Haskins had only 10 TD runs over the previous two seasons but has notched a pair in three of his last four contests and been kept out of the end zone just once in 2021. The senior posted his second 100-yard performance of the year in Michigan's 32-29 win over Nebraska on Oct. 9 with 123, while Corum fell 11 yards shy of reaching triple digits for the fourth time this season.
Angelique Chengelis, The Detroit News: Detroit News predictions: Michigan football vs. Northwestern
Michigan didn’t play last week, so there are a couple possibilities — maybe the Wolverines are a bit rusty and will need some time to find their groove, or they’re rested and they come out refreshed and clicking. It will probably be somewhere in the middle. Northwestern has clearly struggled this season but also has shown some improvement here and there. That’s what the Wolverines need to keep in mind in case they start looking ahead to Michigan State the following week. The Wildcats have been challenged for the most part this season to stop the run, and running the ball has been Michigan’s bread and butter with Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum behind a solid offensive line.
Michigan 38-14
Michael Cohen, Detroit Free Press: Michigan football vs. Northwestern: Scouting report, prediction
Michigan is beating teams with physicality: Michigan, critics have said, was known to wilt in the biggest moments. But the Wolverines have exhibited such a turnaround this season that Fitzgerald believes his team will be challenged to match the intensity U-M displays each week. “You pop on the defensive tape and the front seven is violent,” Fitzgerald said. “I mean, they’re really violent. They’re really, really physical across each position. And then the back end is as fast and physical as we’ve seen. Complete team, there’s no doubt about that. That’s why they’re ranked in the top 10.”
Running at will: Even with the stellar performance by Northwestern’s defensive line against Rutgers, the Wildcats still rank 118th in rushing defense, allowing of 206.2 yards per game. That is not a recipe for success against a Michigan team averaging 246.5 yards per game. The Wolverines are 33-1 under Harbaugh when they have a 100-yard rusher. It’s hard to imagine Corum and/or Haskins not reaching that mark this week.
Prediction: A trap game on paper won’t be a trap game on the field. Michigan cruises to set up a thrilling showdown with Michigan State next week.
The pick: Michigan 45, Northwestern 13.
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