Michigan is heading into rivalry week with a win in hand, but the mood around Ann Arbor is anything but settled. After leaving Piscataway with a strange one - the Wolverines’ offense put up its most points against a Power Four opponent this season, while the defense surrendered its most all year - Kyle Whittingham is now steering a 5-3 team toward Saturday’s matchup with Michigan State.
The Spartans arrive at two wins and with a new coach, Pat Fitzgerald, and Whittingham made clear he understands what this kind of game demands. He called it intense and said the edge around it is part of the deal.
"Well, it's intense, obviously. A lot of nastiness in it.
I guess there was a fight a couple years ago. So, yeah.
It's a game that both teams throw out the records.
"... We have 55 new guys on our team this year that have never played here and don't know a whole lot about it.
So a lot of this week will be educating those guys on what the rivalry is all about. Some former players that will come in and talk to our guys and get them up to speed and give their background and their take on it.
"So we'll do our very best this week to educate them without overdoing it. We'll bring 10 guys in here to talk.
We'll have two or three former players come and give their take on it. Essentially 50% of the team that doesn't know much about it.
"... We went through that stuff in the summer and the term hatred and this and that, and so I don't want to come across as the rivalry is not important.
They are. This game is the Super Bowl, particularly for them.
We don't want to downplay it at all.
"I'm not trying to downplay it. But still, when all is said and done, you've got to keep everything in perspective. I guess that's the position I'm trying to take."
Whittingham’s point was simple: this week is as much about education as emotion. With 55 newcomers on the roster, Michigan has some teaching to do before the Spartans come to town, and he plans to lean on former players to help explain what the matchup means.
The kicking situation is also getting a reset. Whittingham said the job is open and that practice will decide who handles it going forward.
"We open up the kicking competition this week. We'll have just a competition and see who comes out on top.
And whoever is the better kicker in practice will kick... All of them, yeah, all three of them.
But primarily Baggett and Trey. But Stewart's in the mix as well."
That move comes after Trey Butkowski’s uneven stretch. He opened the season by making his first four kicks, then missed four of his last six.
One of those misses loomed especially large in the 13-6 overtime loss to Indiana, where a single make could have changed the result. Freshman Jacob Baggett and former walk-on Blake Stewart are now in the mix, with Baggett’s pedigree making him a name to watch.
The offensive line remains another area under the microscope. Whittingham said progress has been made, but he was blunt that the group still has work to do.
"Well, another cycle of that lifting. You can't do it all in one cycle. We closed the gap and definitely made progress, but still not where we need to be.
"And it's something that Coach Harding - he's a really good offensive line coach - but it takes a little bit of time to get the full effect and full impact of a position coach. The first year is almost as much of running off what's transpired before as what's going on now.
We're trying to just make that transition. It's a process and it takes some time, but we have made progress.
The offensive line play, I think, has gotten better, but still not where we need to be yet. Same with a lot of positions.
I'm not trying to pick on those guys."
That line of thinking matches what’s been visible on Saturdays. The Wolverines have had injury issues up front, but the push has not been there consistently, and the run game has suffered because of it. Jim Harding’s arrival was supposed to bring a different look, but the results haven’t fully followed yet.
Jordan Marshall’s situation is another piece of the puzzle. Whittingham said the back is not dealing with a major injury and is as close to full strength as anyone can be this late in the year, even if his rhythm has been off.
"Well, we're down to the last four games. I have watched the tapes last year.
The first four or five games of the season, we were still trying to figure out who we were offensive-line-wise and getting our feet on the ground. I think that has a lot to do with his overall production.
I can't give you a great answer on this last game why he didn't seem to be in a rhythm or in sync at all.
"But it hasn't been due to injury. He's been a little bit banged up earlier in the year.
Nothing major, just some nagging things. But right now, I think he's as close to 100% as anybody can be at this time."
Marshall’s numbers against Rutgers were hard to ignore: five carries, zero yards, and a touchdown. He ran for nearly 1,000 yards last season, but the current run game has been choppy, and Savion Hiter ended up taking on a bigger role in the Rutgers game. Bryson Kuzdzal also had some productive moments, and if Saturday was any indication, Hiter may keep getting more chances.
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