The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/998618
12 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW MICHIGAN FOOTBALL NOTRE DAME Michigan offense vs. Notre Dame defense: The Fighting Irish return eight starters from a unit that finished No. 31 nation- ally in scoring defense, led by linebacker Te'von Coney and defensive lineman Jerry Tillery, both seniors. Michigan's offense will be much improved, but for the season opener, the Irish de- fense has the advantage with U-M breaking in a new quarterback. EDGE: Notre Dame Notre Dame offense vs. Mich- igan defense: Notre Dame lost two of its best offensive skill play- ers and two best offensive line- men to the NFL (running back Josh Adams was signed as an un- drafted free agent, the other three were drafted). U-M's ferocious defense should enjoy its night in South Bend. EDGE: Michigan Intangibles: Michigan has won only two of the last eight games in this rivalry played in South Bend. Despite having the talent and coaching advantage, going on the road to begin the year will be a challenge, given the history. U-M was embarrassed 31-0 the last time these teams met in 2014. EDGE: Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE Michigan offense vs. Michi- gan State defense: The Spar- tans may lack high-end talent, but they don't lack production. MSU's defense returns nine start- ers from the No. 7-ranked defense a year ago, making this a difficult matchup for the Wolverines. Ju- nior quarterback Shea Patterson can make life hard for the Spar- tans, but will have to adjust to the intensity of the rivalry. EDGE: Michigan State Michigan State offense vs. Michigan defense: MSU returns its leading passer (redshirt senior quarterback Brian Lewerke), rusher (senior running back L.J. Scott) and receiver (senior wide receiver Felton Davis III) from last season. Michigan's defense, which has the star power to be the best in the entire country, will be tasked with shutting the trio down. This game has all the makings of a low-scoring dogfight, but U-M should be fired up and ready to win back the state after a disap- pointing performance in 2017. EDGE: Michigan Intangibles: Michigan is headed on the road, which is never ideal in a rivalry. Michi- gan State's Mark Dantonio has shown he has is one of the best head coaches in the country and has a knack for drawing up just the right game plan against U-M, beating the Wolverines in eight of the last 10 years. The Spar- tans, who treat this matchup like their Super Bowl, have a chip on their shoulder that never seems to go away. These factors, plus the pressure on U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh to deliver a rivalry win, give Michigan State the psycho- logical advantage. EDGE: Michigan State PENN STATE Michigan offense vs. Penn State defense: Penn State loses a lot of pieces from its 2017 de- fense, bringing back just three starters. It will still have a solid unit, but with Michigan's ex- pected improvement on offense, shouldn't be enough to slow the Wolverines. Patterson can play right with Penn State fifth-year senior quarterback Trace McSor- ley and get revenge for last year's lopsided loss. EDGE: Michigan Penn State offense vs. Michi- gan defense: PSU lost running back Saquon Barkley, wide re- ceiver DaeSean Hamilton and tight end Mike Gesicki, McSor- ley's three biggest weapons from last year. The Nittany Lions were the only team that really exposed Michigan on defense last season — racking up 506 yards of of- fense. However, without those guys, U-M has the talent to regain the edge here. Penn State also has a new offensive coordinator, meaning there could be an adjust- ment in year one. EDGE: Michigan Intangibles: This is a huge test for the Wolverines at home, but they'll be coming off a bye and history favors the Maize and Blue. U-M is 7-1 against Penn State in The Big House dating back to 1998. The coaching matchup is a good one, but Harbaugh gets the nod over James Franklin. EDGE: Michigan OHIO STATE Michigan offense vs. Ohio State defense: The Buckeyes lose eight players that saw sig- nificant action on the defense, in- cluding five that were selected in the NFL Draft. Junior defensive end Nick Bosa does return to give Michigan's offensive line fits. Given the departures on OSU's side, the Wolverines should have enough offensively to move the ball. Each phase of the unit is im- proved — especially quarterback, which could be the difference in this game. EDGE: Michigan Ohio State offense vs. Michi- gan defense: Michigan's defense got worn down a bit at the end of last year's game, which saw the Buckeyes pull away in the fourth quarter. With nine defen- sive starters back and depth much improved, that shouldn't happen again this November. However, this could be the best offense Michigan faces all season. Yes, OSU will have a new face at quarterback, but it was redshirt sophomore Dwayne Haskins that came in for J.T. Barrett and led his team to victory last year against U-M at The Big House. Explo- sive sophomore running back J.K. Dobbins returns, and so do all of the key players at wide receiver. Despite the firepower, U-M's defense will be one of the nation's best and still holds the advantage. EDGE: Michigan Intangibles: The Buckeyes have owned Michigan, winning 13 of the last 14 meetings, and will be playing at home. Add in one of the best coaches in college football history in Urban Meyer, and that favors the team down south. EDGE: Ohio State — Andrew Vailliencourt How Michigan Stacks Up With Its Rivals U-M held Michigan State to just 252 yards last fall, but the of- fense could not muster much in a 14-10 defeat in Ann Arbor. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN