Blue White Illustrated

August 2022

Penn State Sports Magazine

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A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 8 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Michigan nearly lost its head coach over the winter. It did lose a couple of coordinators, and one of them, offen- sive head man Josh Gattis, left a trail of scorched earth behind him on his way to Miami, claiming in a text to his players that he'd gotten "very little apprecia- tion" from the school's administration. Throw in the departure of two All- America defensive ends and a first-team All-Big Ten safety, and you'd be excused for thinking the Wolverines are poised to take a step back after winning the Big Ten championship and reaching the College Football Playoff last season. This program is rarely far from the top of the heap, however, as evidenced by its sudden turnaround after a forgettable, COVID-wracked 2020 season in which it won just two games. While elite de- fenders Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo and Daxton Hill are off to the NFL, and while Jim Harbaugh seemed as though he was intent on joining them, it's not hard to picture the Wolverines contend- ing in 2022. Entering his eighth season in Ann Ar- bor, Harbaugh said after ending his ex- tended flirtation with the NFL, "We've got a ton of momentum at this point." On offense, that definitely appears to be the case. The Wolverines might have the Big Ten's second-best quarterback situation, with senior Cade McNamara and sophomore J.J. McCarthy both re- turning. McNamara started all 14 games last season and had 327 passing attempts to McCarthy's 59. But the younger quar- terback may have a higher ceiling and figures to challenge the incumbent now that he's recovered from a shoulder in- jury that limited his practice time this past spring. The Wolverines fielded an outstanding ground game in 2021, and they should do so again this fall, even with Hassan Haskins gone. Blake Corum is back after just missing out on a 1,000-yard sea- son as a sophomore, and he'll be joined by sophomore Donovan Edwards, a tal- ented runner with great hands. That pair should give Michigan a similar one-two punch to what it had with last year's backfield. Elsewhere, the receiver corps wel- comes back Ronnie Bell, who suffered a season-ending injury in last year's opener, and three starting offensive line- men are returning. The defense has more question marks. Hutchinson and Ojabo accounted for 25 of Michigan's 34 sacks last season. The team's most productive returning pass rusher is senior defensive end Taylor Up- shaw with 2.5 sacks in 2021. No one else on the roster had more than 1. One star-in-the-making on Michi- gan's defense is sophomore linebacker Junior Colson. After a debut season in which finished fourth on the team with 61 total stops, Colson will be a key figure in the Wolverines' efforts to replace last year's leading tackler, Josh Ross. — Matt Herb O C T . 1 5 | T I M E T B A | T V T B A | M I C H I G A N S T A D I U M | A N N A R B O R , M I C H . Senior quarterback Cade McNamara led Michigan in passing last season but will have to fend off a challenge from sophomore J.J. McCarthy in preseason camp. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL, COURTESY THE WOLVERINE 2022 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2021 Result Sept. 3 Colorado State — Sept. 10 Hawaii — Sept. 17 Connecticut — Sept. 24 Maryland — Oct. 1 at Iowa W, 42-3 Oct. 8 at Indiana W, 29-7 Oct. 15 Penn State W, 21-17 Oct. 29 Michigan State L, 37-33 Nov. 5 at Rutgers W, 20-13 Nov. 12 Nebraska W, 32-29 Nov. 19 Illinois — Nov. 26 at Ohio State W, 42-27 WHAT COULD GO RIGHT A softer-than-usual nonconference sched- ule — all three games will be in the Big House, part of a 2022 slate that features eight home games — should allow the Wol- verines to start fast. After that, they'll go as far as their offense will take them. It's a talented and experienced group, so it could take them awfully far. WHAT COULD GO WRONG The Wolverines could come up short in their efforts to replace the three defenders who were drafted into the NFL this past spring. That might prove survivable most weeks given how good the offense should be. But against C.J. Stroud and Ohio State? In Columbus? Any signs of weakness on defense could easily keep Michigan from defending its Big Ten title. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Michigan leads 15-10 Last Meeting: Michigan defeated Penn State 21-17 on Nov. 13, 2021 Head Coach: Jim Harbaugh (61-24 in seven seasons at Michigan; career collegiate coaching record: 119-51) 2021 Record: 12-2, 8-1 Big Ten Returning Starters: 14 (7 offense, 5 de- fense, 2 specialists) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Blake Corum (952 yards, 11 TDs) Passing: QB Cade McNamara (2,576 yards, 15 TDs) Receiving: WR Cornelius Johnson (620 yards, 3 TDs) Tackles: LB Junior Colson (61) Sacks: DE Taylor Upshaw (2.5) Interceptions: CB DJ Turner (2) WEEK 6 MICHIGAN

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