9 down. 3 to go.
Michigan is 3/4 of the way through the regular season schedule after beating Minnesota at what we shall affectionately refer to as “Under the Lights VI - Brown Jug/Black Night.” While the focus heading into the game was Michigan’s new starting quarterback Brandon Peters, the story of the game was Michigan’s running game which completely dominated the Golden Gopher defense.
Michigan’s running game was lead by feature back Karan Higdon who ran for 200 yards and scored two touchdowns. Not far behind him was Chris Evans with 191 yards and two touchdowns. Both backs also featured 77 and 67 yard runs respectively. In total, the Michigan offense ran for 371 yards against the Minnesota defense. This production alleviated the need for Peters to do any heavy lifting. Peters served as a game manager going 8 for 13 for 56 yards and a touchdown pass.
Defensively, Michigan allowed only 134 yards and 10 points to the Golden Gophers. Minnesota was unable to mount any serious charge after tying the game at 7 in the first quarter. From that point on, Michigan dominated both sides of the football with a stacked running game and a high-pressure defense. Although there is a significant drop-off in talent, the Wolverines performance the last two weeks has been the type of football fans expected against Penn State and Michigan State.
Michigan sits at 7-2 as they head into the home stretch of the 2017 campaign. This Saturday, the Wolverines head east to face Maryland at 3:30PM. Next week it’s a difficult road test for Michigan as they face undefeated Wisconsin (who has yet to face a Top-25 team this season) before the season finale against Ohio State at Michigan Stadium on November 23. While Michigan still has a chance to win the Big Ten East, the liklihood is that it will be decided between either Michigan State or Ohio State. At this point in the season, Michigan is not only looking for wins, but look to build for 2018. Developing players for next year is almost as important as winning the remaining games this season. Provided that Michigan beats Maryland on Saturday (the Wolverines are a 15.5 point favorite right now), then next Saturday’s game in Madison will be most intriguing as the Badgers could face their first Top-25 team of the year.
Michigan’s running game was lead by feature back Karan Higdon who ran for 200 yards and scored two touchdowns. Not far behind him was Chris Evans with 191 yards and two touchdowns. Both backs also featured 77 and 67 yard runs respectively. In total, the Michigan offense ran for 371 yards against the Minnesota defense. This production alleviated the need for Peters to do any heavy lifting. Peters served as a game manager going 8 for 13 for 56 yards and a touchdown pass.
Defensively, Michigan allowed only 134 yards and 10 points to the Golden Gophers. Minnesota was unable to mount any serious charge after tying the game at 7 in the first quarter. From that point on, Michigan dominated both sides of the football with a stacked running game and a high-pressure defense. Although there is a significant drop-off in talent, the Wolverines performance the last two weeks has been the type of football fans expected against Penn State and Michigan State.
Michigan sits at 7-2 as they head into the home stretch of the 2017 campaign. This Saturday, the Wolverines head east to face Maryland at 3:30PM. Next week it’s a difficult road test for Michigan as they face undefeated Wisconsin (who has yet to face a Top-25 team this season) before the season finale against Ohio State at Michigan Stadium on November 23. While Michigan still has a chance to win the Big Ten East, the liklihood is that it will be decided between either Michigan State or Ohio State. At this point in the season, Michigan is not only looking for wins, but look to build for 2018. Developing players for next year is almost as important as winning the remaining games this season. Provided that Michigan beats Maryland on Saturday (the Wolverines are a 15.5 point favorite right now), then next Saturday’s game in Madison will be most intriguing as the Badgers could face their first Top-25 team of the year.
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