The Wolverine

October 2020

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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OCTOBER 2020 THE WOLVERINE 19 of the gate the strongest will have returning starters in key positions. With no spring football, no chance for development of new players in new roles, the teams that have estab- lished quarterbacks, offensive lines, etc., will hold the upper hand. "Whoever has got the most return- ers, the advantage goes to them," Skene said. "The ones that have those are obvious. We can already point to the teams that have those in place. Those teams are going to do very well in what feels like a glorified spring football season." That's not Michigan. The Wolver- ines lost their entire offensive line except for Mayfield. They must also replace their starting quarterback, and as noted, now their best receiver and top cornerback. "Michigan is at a great disadvan- tage," he said. "With so many new faces, an almost entirely new offen- sive line, new quarterback, your best receiver just said he's not playing, and you've got a whole new chem- istry, huddle culture, all of that, that you develop so much of in the spring, is no longer there. "It started for a few days this fall, then they shut it down. Now more guys leave, and you've just had an- other quarterback [redshirt junior Dylan McCaffrey] say he's leaving. Who knows? There are so many things that happened so fast, how do they adjust? The advantage is not for Michigan here." At the same time, Skene wasn't taking an all-is-lost look at what lies ahead. He recognizes U-M's defense features a host of returning starters, especially in the front seven. He also never discounts the ability of the relatively untested to step up and deliver. "It's not an excuse for laying an egg this fall, if that possibly happened," Skene said of the offensive inexpe- rience. "The expectation is that the next guy steps in and meets the ex- pectation of the role. Whoever that quarterback is — [redshirt sophomore Joe] Milton, or even this [redshirt] freshman [Cade McNamara] that's so highly touted, whoever it is — the ex- pectation is that you go out there and lead the team down the field. Lead the huddle and lead the way. "That goes the same for every other position group, that offensive line and everywhere else on the roster. You've got to get it done. It doesn't matter whether you're new or not. You've got to get it done." They good news — for Michigan players, coaches and fans — is the fact that the chance to do so once again exists. ❏ Senior wideout Nico Collins (above) report- edly signed with an agent to begin preparing for the NFL Draft, though some who made similar moves like redshirt sophomore offen- sive tackle Jalen Mayfield have announced they will return to play this fall. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Revised Schedule Provides Big Challenges Michigan welcomed back football with an attitude of tell us who and where, and we'll play. The who and where turned out to be as tough or tougher than any draw out there. When the Big Ten released the schedule on Sept. 19, it didn't exactly do the Wolverines any favors. Here's a look at what they face once the season begins in roughly a month: Oct. 24 — at Minnesota (11-2 overall, 7-2 Big Ten last year) One of two pre-champions week crossovers with the West Division, opening with Minnesota on the road with a new quarterback, offensive line, etc., presents a daunting challenge. The Gophers are on the rise under P.J. Fleck, finishing 11-2 last year with wins over Penn State and Auburn in the Outback Bowl. Oct. 31 — Michigan State (7-6, 4-5) The backyard brawl gets a change of venue from the original slate, the Spartans coming to Ann Arbor for a second straight season. New MSU head coach Mel Tucker gets his first taste of the rivalry, with Michigan determined to make it a bitter one. Nov. 7 — at Indiana (8-5, 5-4) The Hoosiers have given Jim Harbaugh teams fits and several scares the past few years, without a victory. It won't be easy in Bloomington. Nov. 14 — Wisconsin (10-3, 7-2) The other pre-champions week crossover brings in the perennial best of the West. The Badgers are finally without Doak Walker Award winner Jonathan Taylor, but not without massive linemen and considerable talent. Nov. 21 — at Rutgers (2-10, 0-9) There are no byes in this reconfigured Big Ten schedule. This one comes as close as it can get. Nov. 28 — Penn State (11-2, 7-2) The Nittany Lions and Wolverines always seem to hold serve at home lately, the last four going that way. Michigan needs to make it so this time around, after getting whited out and yellow flagged in Happy Valley last fall. Dec. 5 — Maryland (3-9, 1-8) Michigan shelled the Terrapins in College Park last year, and it shouldn't be much different in 2020, especially given the venue. Dec. 12 — at Ohio State (13-1, 9-0) The Wolverines simply haven't been able to slow down Ryan Day's surgical speedsters on offense enough to give themselves a chance in Columbus. That has to change for U-M to maintain any hope, even without the scarlet horde of hatred in the stands. Snowstorm, anyone? Dec. 19 — Big Ten Champions Week No. 1 from the East Division will square up with No. 1 from the West, while No. 2 will face No. 2, No. 3 versus No. 3, etc. — John Borton

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