Reasons Michigan can beat Michigan State

On paper, I don’t feel like Saturday’s meeting with Michigan State is a good matchup for Michigan. Despite that, there are some areas I think Michigan can take advantage of. Here are some of the reasons the Wolverines can beat the Spartans.

- One-on-one coverage – Michigan State’s defense is so good that the Spartans can play one-on-one coverage on the outside. Most teams have taken a number of deep shots on the Spartans, but have been unable to capitalize on those attempts. Devin Gardner isn’t a great short-field passer, but has a big arm and a couple of athletic receivers in Jeremy Gallon and Devin Funchess. Michigan has the potential to hit on some big plays down field if Gardner gets time to throw deep.

- Mobile quarterback – Denard Robinson didn’t have a lot of success against Michigan State, but last season, mobile quarterbacks posed a problem for the Spartans. This is a different MSU team, but the defensive philosophies are still the same. Braxton Miller had over 300 total yards of offense in beating MSU in East Lansing last season while Taylor Martinez rushed for 205 yards while throwing for 160 at Spartan Stadium in 2012. Gardner is a better passer than Robinson and also has plenty of mobility, as he has rushed for 520 yards and nine scores this season.

- Dennis Norfleet – Norfleet hasn’t exactly been outstanding on kick returns, averaging just 24 yards per return, but it is clear he has the ability to break one. Norfleet could be a big weapon for the Wolverines on Saturday if he gets an opening. With the MSU defense being as strong as it is, Michigan is going to have to take advantage of special teams, with Norfleet being its biggest key.

- Connor Cook – Ultimately, this game looks like it will be decided by the Michigan State quarterback. Which Connor Cook will show up on Saturday? Will it be the one that struggled mightily against Purdue, going just 13 of 25 passing for 107 yards, or will it be the one that showed up last Saturday at Illinois, going 15 of 16 passing for 208 yards with three touchdowns? If Michigan faces the bad Cook, or if Cook feels the nerves in his first start in this rivalry, the Wolverines will have a great opportunity to win at Spartan Stadium.

Reaction to Michigan's 59-9 win over CMU

It was a 59-9 win for Michigan, so what is there to complain about?

Maybe nothing, but the Wolverines’ victory on Saturday sure didn’t quite feel like a 50-point win.

But, perhaps that is a good thing for Michigan.

Both Brady Hoke and quarterback Devin Gardner felt there was plenty to still work on and I can’t disagree. I wrote a column for The Oakland Press on Gardner being the one that will make or break this team.

The Michigan offense came out a bit rusty, especially Gardner. The junior quarterback made some questionable throws early, but once he settled in, he played a strong game (10-for-15 162 yards 1TD, 2 INT; 7 rushes, 52 yards 2TD). It is clear that Michigan does have the ability to make plays in the passing game with the current roster. Jeremy Gallon (4 receptions, 47 yards) had a number of difficult catches and tight end Devin Funchess (2 receptions, 47 yards) has all the potential in the world.

The running game was steady, but none of the handful of running backs that were used put a real stamp on being “the man”. I thought freshman Derrick Green (11 carries, 58 yards) looked solid and has potential to be a great back. He seemed to earn himself more carries next week against Notre Dame.

The Michigan defense only allowed 210 total yards and was flying to the ball. Granted, the Wolverines faced an offense that lost its starting quarterback and starting running back in the first quarter, but Michigan was going to limit Central Michigan regardless.

The Wolverines got some big plays from all three units, including special teams right off the bat. There are plenty of reasons to nitpick and point out what went wrong, but you have to remember this was a season opener and mistakes will take place. The key for Michigan was, it was still able to score a lot of points and allow very few despite those mistakes. That’s not something the Michigan State offense could say for itself against a similar opponent on Friday.

Michigan obviously faces a tough test next Saturday and that game will provide more of a picture as to what fans can expect from the Wolverines in 2013.

Final thoughts from Week 6 games

For just the second time this year both Michigan and Michigan State won on the same day.

Despite both coming out victorious on Saturday, the moods of both teams have to be very different.

Michigan picked up an impressive 44-13 win at Purdue while Michigan State continues to look unimpressive in its 31-27 win at Indiana. Here are my closing thoughts on both contests.

MSU at Indiana

Let’s start with the bad.

Michigan State won, but did little to inspire hope for the future.

After three weeks of sloppy football, the Spartans once again came out flat against the Hoosiers. They once again dropped passes. They once again committed undisciplined penalties. They once again struggled to open up running lanes for Le’Veon Bell. They once again gave up big plays on defense.

I think that about covers it.

Indiana came out right in the beginning of the game and took it to the MSU defense. The Hoosiers had absolutely no respect for Johnny Adams, as they threw it deep, and succeeded, against him many times.

The offense can’t get into rhythm because the offensive line is playing so poorly. Injuries surely play a part in that, but the Spartans should have the depth on the line to move the ball against a team like Indiana.

Le’Veon Bell had 121 yards, but it took 37 carries again. The Spartans could barely get 1 yard when it had to, and they usually did because Bell fought his way to fall forward.

Pass protection wasn’t very strong, and when it was, it seemed like Andrew Maxwell was getting happy feet in the pocket because he was anticipating a rush that wasn’t there.

The only thing MSU can take from Saturday’s game is that it overcame a 17-point deficit, but I truly question whether it had more to do with what the Spartans did or because Indiana went completely conservative in the second half.

The Hoosiers that took the first in the first half didn’t show up in the second half. They made it very easy for Michigan State to get the comeback victory.

I thought Aaron Burbridge played well in his first start at receiver, but even he had a key drop on a third down. He made up for it, making some tough catches late, and I suspect he will be a strong player for the Spartans going forward.

Burbridge will have to step up, along with everyone else, if tight end Dion Sims is seriously hurt.

Saturday’s win felt similar to the Eastern Michigan victory. It didn’t feel like it was even a win, more like a tie.

We keep waiting for Michigan State to turn things around and improve, but perhaps this is just what the Spartans are this season.

Michigan at Purdue

I thought Michigan would have a much tougher time than it did.

Saturday’s 44-13 win at Purdue was a good sign for the Wolverines.

The Michigan defense continued to play strong, holding Purdue to just 213 yards, while the offense racked up 408 yards and Denard Robinson was the Denard Robinson we have been accustomed to watching these past three years.

If I am being picky, I would say Michigan had a chance to put the game away sooner in the second half, but settled for field goals instead of touchdowns.

Coming into the game, I said that Michigan needed to be smart with its play calling and the Wolverines were. They didn’t put Robinson in a position to have to force tough throws. They let the running game dictate the game and used it to set up some big pass plays.

Michigan should be able to play that same style of offense against most Big Ten teams. If the defense can continue to get better, it makes the Wolverines a legit Big Ten contender.

Though Michigan didn’t pass for many yards, Devin Gardner and Devin Funchess made some nice receiving plays and it appears that the Wolverines are starting to get some playmakers other than Robinson.

Michigan State is a team that seems to be regressing, or at the very best, staying the same. Michigan, on the other hand, is a team that looks as if it is getting better, especially on defense. 

Big Ten Teleconference Quotes from Brady Hoke

Another Big Ten Teleconference was held on Tuesday. Earlier this morning it was announced that Notre Dame is cancelling games with Michigan from 2015-17, meaning the final meeting in the foreseeable future between the Wolverines and Irish will be in the 2014 season.

Here is a collection of some of the quotes from Michigan’s Brady Hoke during Tuesday’s teleconference. I forgot to hit record for the Mark Dantonio portion of the call, but will add his comments when the replay is put online. My apologies for that.

Brady Hoke

Opening thoughts on last week: Obviously coming off a hard-fought game in South Bend on Saturday night. We had some opportunities. Give Notre Dame credit, they played good football. We’ve got to take care of the football better. We’ve got to execute better on both sides of the ball. Our team will take this week and we will get better in fundamentals and techniques and we will get ready for the Big Ten season.

Does having a bye week prior to Big Ten play help: Bye weeks are so tricky, to some degree, and what you want to get accomplished each year and your team’s are all different; the maturity of your team, the youth of your team. I think for us, at this point, I would say it’s a good time for us to re-evaluate where we are at and re-evaluate some of the personnel and, also, to get better as a football team from a standpoint of playing your position and doing your job.

On the defense: I think we were better last week. We have to continue that trend. I thought the effort and the demeanor that our defense played with during the course of the game was, really, kept us in the football game. We’ve got to improve upon that. You’ve got to make plays when the opportunity is there and we, unfortunately, didn’t do that a couple times.

On Notre Dame opting out of the agreement with Michigan: My reaction is they are doing…Notre Dame made a decision. That’s not our decision. Dave (Brandon) told me on Sunday about what was going to happen. It’s unfortunate and it’s a great rivalry and all those things, but they have to do what they think is best. We’ll move on and it adds some new scheduling opportunities for us.

On Devin Gardner’s injury states: He’s fine.

On scheduling and the importance of strength of schedule: I think we have done a pretty good job here at scheduling. Obviously, the national rivalry with Notre Dame, when that was on the schedule, your strength of schedule was pretty good. We opened up with Alabama this year and played Air Force, which is a good Mountain West team. I think that is all part of it.

On the struggles of the Big Ten: One thing is, first and foremost, I think we have a great conference. A great conference from many standpoints. From the academic standpoint of the universities that are in this conference to the competitiveness to the student-athletes and how they react. Do we want to play better? There is no question. I don’t think there is a coach in America that doesn’t want to play better no matter what your record is. I think our conference will continue to be as good a conference as there is and I think the coaches and the student-athletes work very hard.

Keys to victory for MSU/Michigan on Saturday

The fourth week of the season is just 24 hours away. Here is a look at my keys to victory for both games.

Eastern Michigan at Michigan State, 3:30 p.m.

Find some confidence on offense – This shouldn’t be difficult as Eastern Michigan is giving up over 500 yards per game. After last week’s performance the Spartans need to find something on offense that can give them some confidence heading into Big Ten play. Andrew Maxwell needs to find some chemistry with his receivers. The MSU receivers need to make plays and catch the ball consistently. The Spartan offensive line needs to open up running lanes for Le’Veon Bell and not force him to have to do most of the work. Regardless of what happens on Saturday, there will still be a lot of questions about the offense heading into the Ohio State game. But if the offense struggles on Saturday, there will be even more reason to be concerned.

Don’t let EMU get started – The MSU defense needs to keep the Eagles from establishing anything early. The Eagles would ideally like to be a running team, but if they find themselves behind by a lot early, it makes them a passing team. If the defense can force some quick stops, the offense should be able to put this game away early.

Get Dan Conroy some confidence – Like the offense, MSU’s kicker could use a little confidence as well. In some odd stats, Conroy is 4-for-4 on kicks from 20-29 yards and 50 yards or more, yet is 0-for-3 on kicks from 30-49 yards. With the struggles of the offense (which will still be a problem entering conference play) the Spartans are going to have to rely on Conroy to be consistent. On Saturday, hitting a few field goals in that 30-49 range will do a lot for him going forward. I am not saying the Spartans should kill drives for Conroy’s sake, but I do expect a few opportunities to arise.

Michigan at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m.

Attack the weakened secondary – Notre Dame has nightmares about what Denard Robinson has done to them. It seems as if the Irish front seven on defense are finally capable of containing his running ability. However, Notre Dame is dealing with a lot of inexperience in the secondary, especially with safety Jamoris Slaughter now out for the season. I am not typically one to encourage a lot of passing from Robinson, but this could be a game where he could do some damage with his arm if his receivers can step up and win 1-on-1 battles. Similar to the fourth quarter of last year’s game, there may need to be some balls tossed in the air on Saturday. Look for Devin Gardner and Devin Funchess to be targeted a lot with their bigger frames.

Protect Denard – In order for Key 1 to happen, the offensive line is going to have to play better than it has. The Fighting Irish have 11 sacks in three games and their pressure on Andrew Maxwell last week caused the MSU offense to crumble. Robinson has the running ability to avoid pressure, but the Irish may have the speed to keep up with him this year.

Contain the run – Notre Dame was able to run the ball well enough that Everett Golson didn’t have to win the game on his own last week. Golson still made some big plays when needed, but Brian Kelly has to be thinking about keeping it simple for his quarterback. The Wolverines are giving up an average of 211.3 rushing yards per game this season. Notre Dame can run the ball and will run the ball if Michigan allows it. The Michigan front seven has to be up to the challenge and contain the run. If not, Notre Dame will be able to control the ball with lengthy drives and keep Denard and the offense off the field.

BONUS KEY – Create Turnovers – In a game like this, turnovers will be crucial. Michigan has failed to create turnovers consistently on defense. Saturday would be a good day for the Wolverines to change that trend. The opportunity will be there for the secondary to make plays, so someone will have to step up.