Team 137 - Game 5 - Michigan vs. Wisconsin

The Michigan Wolverines hosted Penn State last weekend for the conference season opener, and Big Blue came out swinging.  We’re underway in Big Ten play, and UM is on track … one in a row, and we’re rollin’!

After falling behind by 14 points to Colorado twice in the first half last week, Blue Nation had some concerns entering last weekend and the Wolverines’ first “real opponent” of the season.  Jimmy and his boys responded by scoring 28 unanswered first-half points en route to the Maize and Blue’s 49-10 ass-kicking of the Nittany Lions.

We’re off and running in the most competitive and exciting football conference in America, and I’m fired up.  This weekend we kick up the intensity a few notches by welcoming Bucky Badger to town for a top-ten match-up sure to light a fire under GameDay’s ass … can I get a yeeeeehaaaahhhh?!?!

But hang on to those buck teeth, Bucky, as we’ve got some catching up to do before we can address the pesky Badgers.  Let’s recap the Penn State W with appropriate color and then ease into a preview of this weekend’s big game … and maybe off-road a bit en route to the pre-game pick.

Michigan v. Penn State – The Recap

The Maize and Blue stepped on the gas early against Penn State and never let up.  Total domination in the first half led to an easy victory for Jim Harbaugh’s men. Offense … Defense … Special Teams … all was working on Saturday, and it felt like the first time this season that everything was in sync … at least for Michigan football.

For the rest of the sports world, a moment of silence, por favor, in honor of the tragic death of Miami Marlins’ Pitcher Jose Fernandez and the sad passing of golf great Arnold Palmer -- a Cuban career cut too soon, and a golf legend passing gently into memory banks around the world.

Back on the college gridiron, maybe “in sync” isn’t the best adjective to use when discussing the status of football in South Bend (where HC Brian Kelly is in the eye of a shitstorm after starting 1-3 and facing a tough road ahead that likely leads to absolute embarrassment) or the coaching situation in Baton Rouge (where LSU fired a mid-season blow at Les Miles and benched him for the remainder of the season) – to think how badly so many in Blue Nation wanted this guy during the RichRod/Brady eras … man, we were lucky to have been patient, and we were even luckier to have Steve Ross’ checkbook at our disposal!).  All of the college football noise has been even more exciting than the final week of baseball — I know, baseball and excitement go together about as well as Brad Pitt and child-rearing, but with seven teams scrambling for the playoff finish line in the final week of the regular season, it’s gonna be fun to watch.

But when it comes to Schembechler Hall and the Big House,, all is feelin’ pretty groovy for late September.  And speaking of feelin’ groovy in late September in the sports world, impossible not to raise a glass to Vin Scully this week in celebration of his retirement.  Scully spent 67 years in the booth calling Dodgers games, first in Brooklyn and then in LA – Vin has been a fixture of the Dodgers’ scene since long before most of us were born.  And his exit couldn’t have been more iconic.

For those who missed it, the Dodgers came from behind to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, and then Charlie Culberson hit a solo home run, his first of the season, in the bottom of the 10th to win the game and clinch the division title.  As the energy and attention in the building beamed on Scully, he embraced it all, literally and physically, and then humbly spoke to the crowd – he asked for permission to play a recording of him singing to his wife, and then he walked off stage left in the classiest of ways possible, a winner in every respect who went out while on top of his game.  

Many remember Vin for his memorable call of Kirk Gibson’s game-winning home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series … others as the voice they fell asleep too for much of their childhood.  Being from Chicago, Vin’s passing to me signififies the end of an era … modern-day baseball lost its last long-time great in the booth – Harry Caray, Harry Kalas, Ernie Harwell, Vin Scully … memories that will live on forever, but voices that have stopped calling balls and strikes.

Thanks for the memories, Vin – may retirement bring you happiness, health, and finally some peace and quiet.

The Offense

Tim Drevno and his Michigan offense put up 515 total yards on offense and dominated the Nittany Lion defense every which way to Sunday. 

QB Wilton Speight went 21-34 for 189 yards through the air with nine receivers catching passes and nobody exceeding 50 yards in total … again, a diversified air attack that was effective if not flashy.  Amara Darboh led the receiving corps with 7 grabs for 44 yards, while Jake Butt added 4 catches for 42 yards.

Big Blue’s ground game gained 326 yards on 49 attempts, yielding an average of 6.7 yards per carry.  De’Veon Smith saw 12 touches for 107 rushing yards and a toad, with Karan Higdon adding 9 touches for 81 yards and two scores and Ty Isaac, Chris Evans and Khalid Hill each adding a ground score as well.  Seven Wolverines rushed the ball with five of them scoring a combined six TDs … that’s more diversification than one of those cheesy Coca Cola commercials (brought to you by the cast of Mad Men, yes, for an interesting fall twist) and it bodes well for the Michigan ground attack moving forward.

Add in the fact that the Blue offense committed ZERO turnovers and won the time-of-possession battle, 35+ minutes to 24+ minutes, and we’re talking solid Michigan football.

The Defense

Michigan DC Don Brown’s defense shut down Penn State in every aspect of the game.  Big Blue allowed 199 total yards to Penn State – just 50 in the first half and that deserves a Hot Damn!

The D-Line harassed PSU QB Trace McSorley all afternoon and limited star RB Saquon Barkley to just 59 yards on 15 carries for a paltry 3.9 yards per carry and no touchdowns.  The Maize and Blue D racked up 13 tackles-for-loss, including 6 sacks, to go along with an interception and a fumble recovery, and the unit was cohesive and strong – we’re gonna needa lot more of that stuff, fellas, as the schedule toughens and we move into late fall!

Michigan v. Wisconsin – The Preview

This is the 66th meeting between the Michigan and Wisconsin football teams, with Michigan ahead 49-15-1 in the series.  But Bucky Badger won the last two games and that’s got Coach Harbaugh and his team extra-focused on this match-up.  Yeah, that and the fact that Wisco is 4-0 (1-0 Big Ten) and ranked #8 in the country heading into Saturday, meaning this is Coach Jimbo’s first real test of the season.  And he’s more ready than Brady Hoke at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Speaking of the antithesis of readiness, however, how ‘bout that Lester Holt in the moderator seat on Monday night?  Seriously?  There was some pre-game hype about his potential political leanings and some concern over whether he’d be able to quiet the fool in the wrong-color tie – instead: #WhereIsLester?  Holt appeared nervous, uncertain and rough around the edges, and chose to watch the game rather than participate, which was a shame for everyone involved.

The great Donald Drumpf again showcased his braggadocian buffoonery, whereas Hillary, appeared confident yet anxious, stern but with questionable execution capacity, eager yet noncommittal.  Honestly, both were difficult to watch when viewed through a presidential lens.  Lots of “untruths” and even more ignorance … we can spare re-hashing the details, but we can also rest assured that we’re all a little bit dumber after watching our two most promising Americans attempt an intellectual conversation in front of a live audience … maybe the most succinct summary of the situation: a well-regarded onlooker mentioned that it made him think of his favorite scene from Billy Madison … enough said. Or to bring it up to current day, I’ll take Matt Parker's and Trey Stone’s version, a more poignant and painful way to view the political dynamic.

And for those hoping a white knight rides in to save the planet at the end of the bad dream, sorry to disappoint.  It looks like Gary Johnson reminded us again this week that he may be riding in on his legalize-weed platform, but that he doesn’t know where Aleppo is and also isn’t too familiar with other world leaders. Seriously?!?!  Yup, Johnson was unable to name one single foreign leader who he respects when asked by Chris Matthews during a live town-hall meeting on Wednesday night.  So much for the Libertarian angle … fuck, we’re really just left with those two?  Time to start looking at residential real estate in Canada.

Oy, enough politics … I know some in the older generation can’t get enough of CNN and other campaign coverage … I don’t know, once I start thinking about it or watching it for more than a few minutes, the gag reflexes kick in and I need to go elsewhere.  Where were we?  Right, Wisconsin’s early-season momentum.

The Badgers opened the season with an impressive 16-14 win against #5 LSU at Lambeau Field, which thrust HC Paul Chryst and his boys into the national discussion.  The Madison Machine’s 54-10 win against Akron kept the momentum alive but in reality was less relevant than AOL Instant Messenger at SXSW.  Then the Badgers escaped 23-17 against Georgia State – a win that forced onlookers to question Wisco’s status as a contender.  But Bucky Badger rebounded nicely when it travelled last weekend to the Armpit of the Midwest, East Lansing, and took down #8 Sparty in impressive style – 30-6 was the final score, but the game wasn’t as close as the box score implies.  Wisconsin is for real … Bucky Badger must be taken seriously.

Wisco has beaten multiple AP top-10 teams in the same season for the first time since 1962 and that only adds to its confidence that it can take down Big Blue at the Big House.

Sr. Bart Houston and redshirt Fr. Alex Hornibrook co-lead the Badger QB attack, so far combining for 900+ yards of passing offense and 5 TDs … yes, they’ve thrown 4 combined picks, but their average QB rating of 138.2 is for-reelz.

Sr. RB Corey Clement leads the ground game, and while he’s only tallying 3.9 yards-per-carry, he has 5 toads on the season (two of which came against MSU in the second half of last Saturday’s game) and he constitutes a credible backfield threat – then again, nowhere near the status of Saquon Barkley, who Big Blue shut down last weekend with ease.

Jazz Peavy leads the receiving corps with 16 catches for 274 yards on the season and two scores … and while he does have one of the better names in the game, the Michigan secondary (even without Jeremy Clark, who’s out for the season with a torn ACL) should be able to tame his beast.  And as for his name, we’re reminded of one of the great commentaries of all time when it comes to college-football names throughout our great land -- you’re welcome again for the opportunity to laugh out loud wherever you are … enjoy!

The Wisco D is led, in part, by T.J. Watt, the younger brother of NFL superstar J.J.Watt.  T. J. was nothing short of a stud against Sparty – he notched 3.5 tackles for a loss (including 2.5 sacks), two QB hurries and a pass breakup to ignite a UW defense that held MSU without a touchdown.  

The Badger D is sticky and stingy like the countertop at Rick’s during last call, and it’s going to take focus and execution for Wilton Speight and company to find opportunities and capitalize.  But THIS IS MICHIGAN, FERGODSAKES … Big Blue will be ready.

Wisconsin is 11-1 in its last 12 Big Ten road games (5-0 under Head Coach Paul Chryst), and Bucky Badger is on a roll.  And that probably means that some poor Wisconsin souls actually believe their squad can take down Coach Jimmy and his Wolverines at the Big House.  To echo Coach Jerry’s sentiments towards his favorite-but-weakest on-field player, Little George: "And you want to be my latex salesman? I DON'T THINK SO!"

Michigan faces its toughest opponent of the season on Saturday, and we know it’s been all-businessall week long around Schembecher Hall.  Coach Jim will have his troops ready for battle, and the coaching plan will be sound.  

Football fireworks await all 110,000+ in the crowd this weekend, as they should see a doozy.  The experts in Vegas have the Wolverines as a 10.5-point favorite ... maybe it's just me, but that number sounds too big. This is a well-fought Big Ten battle featuring strong defenses and smart coaches … Michigan is noticeably better in each category, and therefore comes out on top.

The early prediction is now in … Michigan 28 -- Wisconsin 21

Go Blue!