The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/998618
16 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW MICHIGAN FOOTBALL After Michigan suffered through a disap- pointing 8-5 season in 2017, some of the most respected preseason college football publica- tions — Athlon, Lindy's and Street & Smith's, in particular — are expecting the Wolverines to bounce back in a big way in 2018. Even though Michigan finished last year unranked and only a game over .500 in Big Ten play (5-4), both Athlon and Street & Smith's have the Wolverines in the national top 10 entering 2018, at No. 5 and No. 9, respectively. Although Lindy's isn't as high on U-M as the other two, they still have Michigan inside the top 20 at No. 18. Here's a closer look at why all three outlets are so optimistic about the Maize and Blue in 2018: Athlon Sports At No. 5 nationally, Michigan is ranked the highest by Athlon, but the publication has the Wolverines finishing second in the Big Ten East behind No. 4 Ohio State. No Michigan players made Athlon's All-Big Ten first-team offense, but a league-best six were on the defensive unit — fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich, junior defen- sive end Rashan Gary, junior linebacker Devin Bush Jr., junior viper Khaleke Hudson, and ju- nior cornerbacks Lavert Hill and David Long. Six first-team honorees on offense and defense ranked second in the conference, behind only Wisconsin (five offense, two defense). Three Wolverines were cited to the All-Big Ten second-team offense — senior running back Karan Higdon, junior left guard Ben Bredeson and junior tight end Sean McKeon — while two more landed on the league's all- specialists second team — redshirt sophomore kicker Quinn Nordin and sophomore receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones as a punt returner. The magazine also shared an interesting take from an anonymous opposing coach, who summed up Michigan's struggles last year perfectly. "They will have the best defense in our league this season," the coach said. "Maybe even the best defense in the entire country. T h a t a l l ow s you to make a bunch of mis- takes on of- fense, or play with a quarter- back who's just another guy. "That has to be so frustrat- ing for Jim. He has the pieces everywhere, but can't make it work at quarterback." Athlon explained that the arrival of junior signal-caller Shea Patterson from Ole Miss may have changed that, though. "Patterson outpaced Michigan's entire of- fense by himself last season in just seven starts at Ole Miss with 2,259 yards and 17 touch- downs," the publication noted. "Michigan has to simplify its offense and figure out how to keep someone standing in the pocket." Keeping the quarterback "standing in the pocket" is exactly why new offensive line coach Ed Warinner was brought in. Warin- ner spent last season at Minnesota and the previous five years at Ohio State, serving as its offensive line coach and as the co-offensive coordinator on the 2014 team that won the national title. "Warinner has been an offensive line fixer throughout his career, and his credentials (he's done good work at Notre Dame and Ohio State) stand on their own," Athlon stated. "He has his work cut out, though, as Michigan may wind up rolling with a youngster at one tackle spot ([redshirt freshmen] Andrew Stueber or James Hud- son) if a veteran can't figure it out." In Athlon's opinion (along with many oth- ers), the success of the 2018 season will come down to the play of the offense. "If the offense, a trou- ble spot in recent years, shows any improvement, this team can compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff — even against a difficult schedule that includes the usual sus- pects from the Big Ten East, as well as Notre Dame (on the road) and Wisconsin (the top team from the West)," the publication noted. "However, if the quarterback play remains an issue and the offensive line doesn't prog- ress, it will be more of the same in Ann Arbor." Athlon is confident those two areas will im- prove, though, evidenced by the fact that it is projecting U-M to the Rose Bowl against Washington. Lindy's While Athlon was quite optimistic about the Maize and Blue's chances in 2018, Lindy's doesn't share that same enthusiasm. The publication has them at No. 18 nation- ally and finishing fourth in the Big Ten East, behind No. 3 Ohio State, No. 10 Michigan State and No. 11 Penn State. Expectedly, Lindy's points to U-M's offense — along with Harbaugh — as the main culprit as to why they have concerns. "Jim Harbaugh has so far been more style than substance," the publication noted. "Three years in, Harbaugh's trophy case remains empty. He is a champion of the offseason. "The real season? Not so much. Less glare, more action. And how about beating Ohio State for once?" Under its "good news" section for Michigan, Lindy's points to U-M's "air-tight" defense, but once again can't get past the offensive struggles in its "our call" category. "Too many questions loom on offense for Michigan to claim (even challenge?) for the East division title," Lindy's noted. "So, it looks like 14 years and counting since the Wolver- ines last won a Big Ten championship (2004). "That sound you hear? It's the clock ticking louder for Harbaugh." While any kind of "ticking clock" or hot seat talk for Harbaugh is an absurdity at this point, Lindy's is accurate in its assessment that the offense does need to be better. The magazine doesn't think it's all doom and gloom on that side of the ball, though, handing out some high praise for junior quar- terback Shea Patterson. They cited him as not only the "coolest player in the clutch" in the Big Ten, but also the league's "newcomer of the year." He was also the their choice for the All-Big Ten second-team quarterback, along with the third-best NFL prospect in the league, behind Ohio State junior defensive end Nick Bosa and Gary, respectively. "Patterson could be the cure to Michigan's quarterback woes," Lindy's explained. "The highly touted transfer was rated as a five-star recruit and the No. 1 quarterback in the 2016 class. He has experience playing in a spread Preseason Magazines View Michigan As A Big Ten Title Contender First-year offensive line coach Ed Warinner was cited as a key addition for the Wolver- ines by Athlon, which noted he has had suc- cess fixing front-line units in the past. PHOTO COURTESY MINNESOTA ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS