Crazy 4 Maize and Blue

  Defense : Defensive Line - Michigan needs some guys to develop here as it looks like the team is set for the next couple years along the line. Hutch, Paye, and Kemp might all be gone after 2020, though they all would have the option to stay according to the NCAA and Big Ten Covid-19 response, but guys like Christopher Hinton, Donovan Jeter, Julius Welschof, Taylor Upshaw, and David Ojabo all appear to be ready to compete for a starting position. While whoever signs this year could have a realistic shot at winning a spot themselves, it will be tough to crack the two-deep for the foreseeable future so they will need to be patient and keep working to be ready when their names are eventually called.  Quinton Somerville (DE) 6'1"/230lbs  4-Star  Grade: 84 - Should be ready to compete early at weakside end or possibly Sam linebacker. Kechaun Bennett (DE) 6'4"/220lbs 4-Star   Grade: 82 - A slightly underrated prospect that could be a steal. T.J. Guy (DE/DT) 6'4"...

Ultimately, the defense played just fine last Saturday against Minnesota. Yes, there were a lot of yards given up on the ground to Mohamed Ibrahim, including a couple scores. I am okay with that though, and I'll tell you two reasons why. First, Ibrahim is good and should be given credit. He already has one 1,000 yard rushing season on his resume and he has a veteran O-line in front of him so expect a lot of carries coming his way throughout the season. Secondly, despite the fact that Ibrahim rushed for 140 yards, as team the Gophers only managed 129 total rushing yards. The Michigan run defense will be just fine with some minor tweaking and I expect them to perform week in and week out this season. The fact that the Wolverines were able to snuff out what was a threatening passing attack returning from last season was worth whatever yards they gave up to a traditional running back.  Anyway, what should the defense be focusing on against Sparty tomorrow? Basically, more of the same w...

Okay, let's not beat around the bush here. Michigan has one mission this week, and that is to completely destroy Sparty on the field. And by destroy, I mean that they have to obliterate the 25 point spread by another 20 points. Send a message to East Lansing and take full control of this rivalry once again. Harbaugh already has the 3-2 advantage. Going 4-2 with a true beat down would solidify the fact that things are indeed still heading in the right direction in Ann Arbor (but not so much in East Lansing).  So, without further adieu, let's set some goals for each positional group for this game... Quarterback: Joe Milton - I saw some early signs on Saturday that this is becoming Milton's team. Not only did he take command of the offense, but the senior players rallied around him and the entire team competed extremely hard. There is actually some real veteran leadership on a team that lost a ton of production from a year ago. The offense definitely now resembles more of what...

Wow! Ok, I wasn't expecting that type of game. I feel bad for the Gophers due to the fact that they were missing a few players, including their starting special teams kicker and punter as well as two-fifths of their O-line. I picked Michigan to win 28-24. That reshuffling of the O-line led to a lot of pressure to be put on quarterback Tanner Morgan. It also resulted in a defensive score.  It's not like Michigan wasn't without it's best wide receiver and cover corner though either. Both Nico Collins and Ambry Thomas decided to opt-out of the 2020 season and instead focus on the upcoming NFL draft. I don't blame them. And good luck. I was happy to be impressed by their replacements. More on that later.  Let's break it down position by position:  Quarterback: It wasn't as if new starting quarterback Joe Milton had a lights-out jaw-dropping performance. Even at first glance the 15-22 for 225 yards and one touchdown stat line doesn't seem all that impressive...

  Offense The Running Backs Vs. The Gopher Linebackers - Michigan has one of the top backfield rotations in the nation coming into 2020. They could be capable of doing just about everything out of the backfield, whether it's running, receiving, or blocking. That gives the offense a ton of flexibility. That strength becomes even more of an asset when you look across the line and see the lack of production returning in the Minnesota front seven. I've talked about it before already: they have some good-looking bodies to fill in the front six of their primary 4-2-5 scheme but they lose all their best players, including six of their top seven tacklers. The biggest loss of all for them might be that of LB Thomas Barber, who has been a leader in the middle of that defense since 2016. It just seems logical from so many different perspectives to try to feed the ball to the likes of Zach Charbonnet, Chris Evans, and Hassan Haskins in a variety of designed ways. I expect to see a lot of ...

Key Matchups to Watch: Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman  Vs. The Michigan Cornerbacks  - Bateman is arguably the Gophers best player. He is a possible first round prospect that could go as high as the top 10. LSU's Jamar Chase might be the only receiver currently ranked higher by many scouts. It could be argued that he benefitted from playing with record setting Gophers like WR Tyler Johnson and RB Rodney Smith. At any rate, I expect P.J. Fleck and his quarterback, Tanner Morgan, to attempt to get Bateman the ball as much as possible against a suspect group of Michigan corners. They are just too young and inexperienced for Bateman to not take total advantage of them if he is in fact a top NFL receiving prospect. Because as much as I think junior Vincent Gray can be a good cover guy, I personally wouldn't put my money on him to win that matchup on a regular basis this Saturday. I would seek to mix up some coverages and try to keep him guessing. Throw in a bunch of two and cover thre...

It's kinda weird that Big Ten football is starting up almost about the same time as Michigan basketball. And just like their gridiron counterpart, the men's hoops team has a lot of questions to answer in regards to who will be in the game day lineup.  Point Guard   Analysis: For the last seven years since Trey Burke left for the NBA, the starting point guard position has been manned by two guys: Derrick Walton Jr. and Xavier Simpson. Both of them became stars in their own right, though neither of them was in Burke's class of play-making ability. They certainly carved out their own little niches at Michigan and gave the fans a lot to cheer for over the better part of a decade. Now it looks like the #1 spot at the helm will be manned by more of a committee this season. Eli Brooks is a bit of a 'tweener who returns to give the position some carry-over from last season, though he might be better-suited at the two-guard position, which he will probably play a lot too. Mike S...

With a trip to Minnesota just a week away, here are some tidbits and predictions about how things are currently shaking out for the Wolverines on the depth chart. Starting Quarterback:  It seems like the Joe Milton hype train has fully left the station and is on its way to a prime time kickoff in Minnesota next Saturday night. Despite some sort of catastrophe, he is entrenched as the guy at the helm of this offense. Everybody in Michigan nation should be tuning in to watch. I mean, this is exactly the type of scenario they have been clamoring about for a few years now - a completely Harbaugh-developed quarterback (and team) with an legit NFL-level arm. New Starting Wide Receiver: Look, I've been saying it for months. It's in writing. I don't know why anybody is surprised. Cornelius Johnson is making all the moves to be a starter this year and he will probably be the second-most targeted player in the passing game this season. He has great size (6'3"/200lbs), runs...

With the ongoing pandemic the NCAA loosened up its rules a little bit and has given a waiver to everybody on a college roster. Basically this year is like a redshirt year for everyone and teams can play everyone they want without burning up a year of eligibility. So I expect to see Michigan playing a lot more freshmen this year. In fact, Don Brown has already stated that he expects to play more freshmen on defense this year as a result of the rules being bent a little bit. And personally I am looking forward to it, as I see this season as a bit of a wash anyway.  Do I want the team to win a title? Yes. Do I feel this year is just not as important as most years? Yes, that too. Michigan is dang near the bottom of the nation in returning production, so it's fair to say that it really doesn't know all that it has on hand just yet. So get everybody some playing time that you can in order to find out who your best guys really are for this year, and next, seems like a good tactic if i...

With the leaves falling off the trees and the 2020 schedule out the team is finally busy practicing for their first game on October, 24th. And with that the Michigan fanbase is patiently waiting to see the beginning of the Joe Milton era under Jim Harbaugh. In case you didn't know, this will be the first time a program-developed quarterback that was recruited by the Harbaugh will take the field to start the season. In fact, this is the first time a completely Harbaugh-developed program will be in place. There won't be single person on the roster that he and his coaches aren't solely responsible for bringing to Michigan. There are plenty of naysayers, but there is some optimism too.  Even to the downtrodden fans there is no doubt that this team has talent. Technically, according to the 247 composite rankings, they rank somewhere around 10th in the nation in regards to the level of talent recruited to the roster. So, realistically, a one or two loss season is what should be e...