These previews have become steadily more arduous to complete, and the team hasn’t been fun to watch for 2 months now. Yet, for some unknown reason here I am previewing one of the biggest pillow fights of conference play and planning my day around comfort food after another frustrating game.
Venric Mark is out for the year. If you remember last year’s game, Mark was the lead back in gashing the Michigan defense. The Wildcats become less terrifying without him in the backfield. They still do have Treyvon Green who will allow Northwestern to keep the option running attack with Kain Coulter at quarterback. The Wildcats will also deploy B1G-sized back Mike Trumpy for a change of pace. Michigan has been very good against the run this season, but have struggled under Coach Hoke in defending the option. Most of Nebraska’s limited success came from option pitches getting Abdullah to the edge. It will be interesting to see if Wilson and Gordon reclaim their starting safety roles, because strong run support from the secondary will be needed. Avery and Furman will get burned all game long. I think Michigan is able to hold Northwestern under their normal output, but Green or Coulter will still roll for at least one long run. Advantage: Push
Northwestern Pass Offense vs Michigan Pass Defense
The Wildcats are not a passing team, and when they try it usually isn’t very successful. However, backup quarterback Trevor Siemian destroyed Michigan last year in Ann Arbor. Coulter is an extremely accurate passer, but the game plan consists of mainly screens and quick routes. Teams have been successful at nickel and diming down the field against the Wolverine defense, but then have struggled in the red zone. Blake Countess should be back tomorrow, which will give Michigan the ability to play more press coverage. Look for the Wolverine secondary to have a big game. I expect at least one interception, and possibly a 2nd forced turnover out of this unit. Advantage: Michigan.
Michigan Rush Offense vs Northwestern Rush Defense
Northwestern’s rush defense is not much better than Nebraska’s, but falls right in the middle of the B1G. This is horrible news for Michigan because right now they have the disadvantage against the line of scrimmage, let alone an actual defense. I don’t expect much of the game plan to change for the Wolverines, so look for Fitz Toussaint and Derrick Green to run 8-12 times into stacked boxes. If Devin is still able to move at all after being hit more than a punching bag the past two weeks, there should be chances for him to attack the Northwestern defense on the ground. Even if Devin is able to find some room to run, it won’t make up for the monstrosity that is the Michigan rushing attack. Advantage: Northwestern
Michigan Pass Offense vs Northwestern Pass Defense
I should just copy parts of the last section. Michigan has shown an inability to adjust on the fly to teams destroying their game plan. There is no doubt that Northwestern has watched film from the past two games, and there is no doubt that they will try blitzing linebackers more than they have all season. Even though the Wildcats drop back into a soft zone for the majority of the snaps, expect them to have success while bringing pressure. It will be important to see if the Wolverine’s passing routes have changed at all, or if Funchess and Gallon are just running slow developing deep routes all game. I expect the latter. This means Devin will have another dirt caked jersey, and spend most of his time looking up towards the heavens praying for the end of the football season. Only 3 more games after tomorrow number 98, try to stay in one piece. Advantage: Northwestern
Like last week I will give the same disclaimer: Northwestern is not a good football team. They currently have not won a B1G game, and are somehow favorites against Michigan tomorrow. If Michigan has adjusted any part of their offensive game plan, the Wolverines should be able to score the needed 1 more point than the Wildcats. At this point, I have no doubts that Coach Borges and company have not. It will be so much fun to watch this team run head first into brick walls in a rain storm. Hurray for basketball. Northwestern 15 Michigan 8
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