Rivalry week brings Michigan and Michigan State together again, and the Wolverines are looking to keep their season moving after last week’s win over Rutgers. On the other side, the Spartans are searching for a statement result, with Pat Fitzgerald taking aim at Michigan earlier this week as Michigan State tries to spark its fan base around a new era.
Michigan, meanwhile, is trying to make sure it’s headed in the right direction under head coach Kyle Whittingham. With that backdrop, the matchup sets up a few big swings - and the most obvious one might come through the air.
Andrew Marsh has been on the doorstep of a couple of explosive plays this season, but Tommy Carr and Bryce Underwood haven’t been able to finish the connection. That’s been a point of emphasis for Michigan’s offense this week, according to Koy Detmer Jr., who said, "Talking to Tommy, he's kicking himself, because he's like, 'It has nothing to do with my arm.'
You know, he's like, 'I've got to connect on those,' and we talked about it,” Detmer Jr. said. “That was a big thing coming out of this game is to help everything involved in the offense, man, being able to take some shots and help be able to lighten up the box, it will help, and we've got to be able to connect on them.
And so being quick and decisive with his feet, getting the ball up in time, and man, when we do have the opportunity, [Andrew Marsh] has got him beat, just being able to connect on him.”
That makes a deep ball to Marsh feel like the cleanest prediction of the bunch. Michigan has been waiting for that kind of explosive strike, and this feels like the week it finally lands.
There’s also good news for Michigan on the defensive front. Kyle Whittingham expects John Henry Daley and Dom Nichols to be back this week, even though both were listed as questionable on the injury report. If that holds, Michigan should have its defensive line at full strength for the first time since Nichols went out in late September.
That matters because Michigan’s pass rush was nasty early in the season when Nichols was available, especially in the dominant outing against John Mateer and Oklahoma. With those two back, Michigan should be able to get after the quarterback without having to lean as heavily on pressure from the second and third levels.
And once that rush starts landing, mistakes usually follow. The bet here is a strip sack from Chris Bracy on a blitz, plus interceptions from both Jyaire Hill and Rod Moore.
The last prediction has a little more pageantry to it. One of the questions around Ann Arbor this week has been who will strike the Paul Bunyan pose the way Donovan Peoples-Jones did in the 2018 game. This time, the guess is Savion Hiter gets the honor after a 10-yard touchdown, then hits the pose in the end zone.
In Other News...
Michigan Hiring Story Feels Bigger After Biff Poggis Latest Reveal
Michigans coaching search took on a different shape this week after Biff Poggi said he was a finalist for the job before Kyle Whittingham was hired. Poggi had already become a familiar face in the program after stepping in as interim head coach during Sherrone Moores absences, and then again after Moore was fired ahead of the bowl game against Texas following an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. His latest reveal only adds another layer to a transition that has already been unusually turbulent.
Poggi also made clear hes backing Whittingham as he settles into the job, even while acknowledging the challenge of adapting to the Big Ten. For Michigan, its another reminder that the coaching change was never just about one hire, but about how the program steadies itself after a messy stretch and hands the keys to someone new. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Faces An Early Reality Check In UConn Rematch
Fridays National Championship rematch with UConn arrives early in the season, but it already feels like a useful measuring stick for Michigan. The Huskies bring the kind of defense that can expose every loose possession and every quiet stretch, while Michigan is still sorting out how its offense will look when the game tightens and the pressure rises.
Mike Boynton Jr. has pointed to the adjustments Michigans players need to make if they want to compete with a team like UConn, and that starts with more production from the right people at the right time. The Wolverines do not need a perfect night to make this one interesting, but they do need key scorers to assert themselves against a defense that rarely gives away easy answers. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan UConn Rematch Could Expose One Early Wolverines Concern
The rematch with UConn arrives with plenty of familiar stakes for Michigan, even if both rosters look different from the one that met on the sports biggest stage. Dan Hurley has already been through three national championship games, and the Huskies still have enough backcourt talent to make life difficult, with Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins expected to drive much of the guard play.
For Michigan, the early question may be less about the perimeter and more about how its frontcourt holds up on the glass and around the rim. Graduate forward J.P. Estrella and junior center Moustapha Thiam are important pieces in that area, while UConn added center NaJai Hines through the transfer portal, giving this meeting a chance to show whether the Wolverines size and rebounding can stand up to another high-level test. [Read more 🡒]