Michigan Thursday: Wildcat Bites

Michigan Basketball team showed up outside of Chicago last night as the #2 in the nation with eyes on being #1.  The Northwestern Wildcats going in were 2-11 in the Big Ten and the Wolverines expected a layup line the entire game.  Michigan showed up "sleepy" and the Wildcats were not missing from the field.  

Cadeau had one of his "turnover" games but was shooting well from 3.  The entire Michigan Basketball team looked disinterested in playing.   They found themselves down by 9 at half and surly would play better after the break.  Nope, the same teams hit the floor at the start of the 2nd and the Wildcats grew the lead to 16 points over the #2 team in the nation. 

There were a few issues for the Wildcats, they were getting into foul trouble and there were hints they were starting to wear down.  Both were accurate as Cason showed up for Cadeau (who didn't play much in the 2nd) and scored 13 of his 18 points in the 2nd session.  Yax had another good game with 15 points, 12 boards, and really good defense when Michigan needed it (also led the team with 37 minutes).   

Michigan did not wrestle the lead back until under 6 minutes in the game.  Then Northwestern tired and beat up didn't have any more gas left in the tank and lost by 12 points.  

Here is why I like this comeback for the Wolverines.  This was one of the worst showing by this team all year and they still won by 12 points.   They got into deep waters down 16 and fought back and won.  NW was on fire and Michigan wasn't.   The only way to come back from 16 down is to play defense and that is what the Wolverines did.   The young guns off the bench won this game.   Cason had 18 and McKenney hit some big 3's for a total of 12 points.   

A win on the road in the Big10 is a good win.  No matter the sport there always seems to be drama when Michigan heads to Chicago to play the Wildcats.  I'm still shaking my head over that game at Wrigley.  

The combine invites are out and Michigan will have a nice showing at the event:

Did I mention yesterday that Dusty landed another big fish in recruiting?

From Yahoo Sports:

Cosby, a 6-foot-10 versatile forward from the prestigious Montverde Academy, was long considered a consensus top-10 prospect in the 2027 class. However, his commitment came paired with the news of his reclassification into 2026. Despite moving up a year, Cosby remains one of the most coveted prospects in the country, currently sitting at No. 22 overall in the Rivals Industry Ranking and a high four-star (borderline five-star) on the 247Sports Composite.

Turnovers Not the Pastry of Choice

Jacob Hamilton/Mlive

Downtown Chicago rightfully named on Michigan Ave. has a one of the largest Starbucks in the world called Starbucks Reserve.  It's huge and they have all kinds of special drinks and pastries.  It happened to be right around the corner from our hotel, and the family and I enjoyed a couple trips to the large coffee shop.  

We did not buy any turnovers, but it seems Sherrone and the traveling Wolverines did.  You don't win football games at any level when you are -5 in turnovers.  Michigan did just that at an un-seasonably warm Wrigley Field on Saturday.   Michigan dominated in all other stats, including fans in the stands for what was supposed to be a Wildcat home game.  It was easily 90% Michigan to 10% Northwestern fans in the friendly confines of Wrigley. 

With so much to clean up, this game was ripe for a Cheers and Jeers:

Cheers:

• Andrew Marsh is going to be Michigan's next great WR
• 189 yards 
• 12 catches 
• One game saving sideline toe tap catch 
• Kuzdzal with some strong running late in the game 
• Marshall with 143 yards on the ground 
• Bryce threw for 280 yards 
• #14 Jordan Young with a game saving pass deflection 
• Z for making the game winning field goal
• The weather! 

Jeers:

• Chip had his worst day as Michigan OC.  On both Bryce picks the Northwestern DC set up Bryce and the Michigan offense.   Chip has to be better moving forward. 
• Sherrone continues to struggle with in game head coaching duties.  I don't like how he managed the last 5 minutes of the game at all. 
• Bryce's 2 picks changed the game 
• Injuries are killing the Wolverines right now 
• I'm sorry and I don't like saying this about any kid, but Semaj does not need to be seeing the field at all. 
• Michigan Special Teams are just struggling right now 
• Michigan punted once and it was a terrible line drive with the wind at his back, where NW gained like 30 yards in field position. 
• Z's miss to start the game was awful 
• Semaj's fumble cost Michigan 3 points 
• a fake punt that everyone knew was coming 
• 1-3 on field goals 
• A holding call that took away a Michigan TD on the first drive, where Michigan left with zero points. 
• 0 sacks 
• Wrigley is a fun historic ballpark, but not a great venue to watch a football game. 

This was another ugly game folks and the fans left Wrigley not happy, just relieved they were leaving with a W.  In the last 2 games, Michigan beat Purdue and NW by a total of 6 points.   Michigan has to be better to beat a struggling Maryland team and of course that team down south that is ranked #1 in the nation.   

It doesn't matter how many total yards you have, if you're going to turn over the ball over 4 or 5 times you are going to lose most games. 

Preview Northwestern

Time: 12:00 

Location: Wrigley Field 

Weather: 64 Partly Sunny 

TV: Fox 

Line: Michigan -11.5

This is a weird game in a historic location.  Never thought I would type Wrigley Field into the location spot in a game day preview post.  This is not your father's Northwestern team and they play fundamental football.  A team like that is one you might suspect could give the young Wolverines trouble.   Mostly if those young Wolverines are still injured coming off a bye week. 

Dear Sherrone,

You have 3 games left in this season to cement the legacy of the 2025 Wolverines.  2 road games and then hosting THE GAME.  The team has won the games they should've this season but at times they look like a young team trying to find its footing. 

You clearly have an injury problem.  Your best player on offense is out with foot surgery after coming back from a rib injury.  Your WR's and TE's are banged up and your offensive line has had guys in and out all year.   That is just one side of the ball.  

On defense you have room full of LB's out with injuries and the hope is the bye week allowed them to return this week.   Nobody knows what your secondary is going to look like week to week.  This is not a game you can over look.  Northwestern wants to go to a Bowl Game and they are playing in Chicago's most iconic stadium.  They would love nothing better then beating a ranked Michigan team in Wrigley.  

My hope is Wink has been spending two weeks designing a defense to stop Northwestern and Chip is finding ways to open the offense for the 18 year-old 5 star QB we have.  I'm worried that your going to run the wheels off of Jordan Marshall in the run game.   The best way to not do that is find a passing game that gets first downs on early downs.  Throw to the TE's! 

I don't know what the hell has happened to your Special Teams.  That needs to be better in all areas and I hope you worked on that during the past 2 weeks.  

Northwestern is not going to beat themselves, so play smart tough football.  Open the offense enough to score 24-30 points and let Wink stop the Wildcats offense.   This should be a "clean" football game on both sides and if Wink doesn't blitz too much, Michigan has a great chance to leave the Windy City with a Win.  Some young guys might feel like tourists in such a historic building, keep the team focused that this is a business trip and they will need to play hard to win the game.   There will be plenty time for photos after the game. 

Michigan 28 Northwestern 17 

Michigan Monday: Too Early Look at Northwestern

It's always strange watching Big Ten Football when Michigan isn't playing and some teams just don't change.  Iowa does what they do, plays a close one and loses by a field goal at the end.  Penn State puts up a great effort against IU and then coughs it up in the end, and Washington can't play on the road.   Tigers don't change their stripes. 

Northwestern 5-4

Best Win: Penn State 

Worst Loss: Purdue 

Pass: 169.9 (119th)

Run 181.4 (42)

Points given up: 19.1 (21st) 

Points Scored: 21.9

Line: Michigan -11.5

Northwestern is on a two loss streak with recent losses to Nebraska and USC.  They have Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois to get to Bowl eligibility.  

I'm very happy its a noon kick and I hope my flight doesn't get cancelled, its also forecasted to be unseasonably warm on Saturday and I will take 65 in November anytime!  

Michigan needs to be careful in this game, Northwestern is not terrible and will play you tough.  If Michigan doesn't play clean, the Wildcats could steal a W.  Michigan needs to be healthier then they were against Purdue to win this one. 

• Sherrone gets mentoring from Jim Harbaugh and Nick Saban.  That is pretty smart actually. 

• No time yet for Maryland game, will get it next weekend. 

• Big Ten tells USC and Michigan too bad we are taking the private equity money.

Michigan Tuesday: Gets Buckets

If your a YouTube TV subscriber MNF was not an option last night so that only left Michigan's opener on FS1 against Oakland.  Michigan has struggled with Oakland in the past but not last night.  The Wolverines went on an early 20-0 run and never looked back and set a program record for points in the first half with 69.  They finished with 121.

Look at some of these point totals:

Johnson Jr.: 24 

McKenney: 21 

Tschetter 16

Burnett: 14 

Yax: 12 

Mara: 12 

Gayle: 11

Yax didn't start because he has a (non-structural) hand injury.  So he scored 12 with one hand last night.  Yes, we had an All American come off the bench.   Oakland was also down 2 starters.  Dusty's son even got his first college points when he hit a 3 late.  

It was a dominating performance and if this team doesn't turn the ball over, they are going to be really good.  Did I mention, UNC transfer point guard Cadeau had 12 assists?   That is some good basketball right there! 

• There is a new name in the Penn State head coaching search and its Louisville's Jeff Brohm, congrats on the incoming raise from Louisville Jeff! 

• Michigan NW will be a Noon kick from Wrigley in a couple weeks

• Northwestern plays USC on Friday night on Fox, if your interested in seeing what Michigan has in it's next game.

• Michigan is trending for Wisconsin LB commit Aden Reeder who visited for the Purdue game and clearly sees a need for good LB's in A2.

Michigan Friday: Meet Your 2025 Captains

 

That's a strong list of leaders! Don't forget Tom Brady said, his greatest football honor was being named a Captain at the University of Michigan. 

• Max Bredeson is mentoring Bryce Underwood and asked to be his camp roommate.

• How did CJ Carr get the start for ND?  Per sources and Chris Hummer: "He's got the moxie. He's got the leadership. He's got that 'it' factor."

• Pat Fitzgerald and Northwestern have come to a settlement on his dismissal. I'm shocked he is not working anywhere.

• Hawaii Football will log nearly 30,000 air miles this season.

• DPJ was released by the Saints after trading for Vele.

• One sleep before Week 0 of College Football! A ranked Big 12 game!

Did you know? That Iowa Football shared the National Championship in 1958?

Iowa has long laid claim to the 1958 national championship. The Hawkeyes were recognized as national champions by the Football Writers Association of America after leading the nation in total offense. The Hawkeyes' 8-1-1 (5-1 Big Ten) campaign ended with a 38-12 Rose Bowl victory over Cal and garnered the No. 2 spot in the final Associated Press poll.

Iowa leading the nation in offense is just crazy.  The AP voted LSU National Champs that year.  With all that said, Auburn has now taken the National Championship that year for themselves.  😃

Northwestern Post Game: Sherrone Has Had a Good Week

On3

That is what we expected in September.  A controlled passing game that opened the run game with a dominating defense.  Yes, all caveats go to Northwestern not being very good, but if you remember, Michigan struggled with worse opponents earlier this year.   This was the first real sign of Michigan getting better after the bye week.  It's encouraging with a trip to C-Bus coming up next week. 

Having Bryce on the sideline as the newest Wolverine and putting up a 50 burger is a pretty damn good week for Sherrone.  Before we crown Wink for that defensive performance.  Let's see what he has for us next week.  His unit has played very well from the IU 2nd half on.   OSU DC should send Wink a fruit basket because he gave them the blueprint on how to beat the Hoosiers.   For the first drive of the OSU/IU game, I thought he didn't take the gift, but they figured it out.  

Cheers:

• The most complete game of the year in all 3 phases! 
• Warren's last game in the Big House was his best! 
• 3 TD's from Mullins!  Well Done sir! 
• Even Big Game Don found a hole and ran off a long one!  
• Tyler Morris sighting! 
• WR's catching the rock
• Dominating defense 
• Throwing the ball to the RB's?  Wish I had thought of that
• Great final game for Grant and Graham!  Go get that $$ in the NFL
• Zvada is the team MVP
• Whether its an injury or he shut it down.  Thank you Will for picking Michigan! 
• Loveland is so good! 
• Never thought this team would put up 50
• I love when Stewart is unblockable! 

Jeers:

• Love DG but Tim Brando is terrible on the ears. Not a good pairing. 
• Loveland didn't play in the 2nd half, lets hope he is not hurt.
• Davis did throw a bad pick 
• Did Hill lose his number and his starting position?

Thank you seniors, if you've been around 4-5 years, you are leaving with 3 Big Ten Championships and a National Championship.  You can't ask for anything more.  Thank you for the dedication to the program and everything you have done to make this program great.  Whether its the NFL or Corporate life, we wish you the best of luck in your next chapter! 

Let's enjoy this week a little longer!  No need to consider what is around the corner . 

 

Northwestern Preview

Time: 3:30

Location: Big House

Weather: 45 and No Rain

TV: FSN 1 (Brando & Gardner)
Line: Michigan -10

Michigan plays a football game on Saturday and people really don't care.  We hear tickets are less then $20 on the resale market.  Neither team is very good and Michigan is looking to become bowl eligible which is sad statement after winning a National Championship 10 months prior.  

The story lines are that Devin Gardner is on the call with a Tim Brando who is way past his prime and Michigan landed the #1 recruit in the nation yesterday.  Nobody is looking forward to the trip next week that the Wolverines have to make to a school down south.  

On a side note, if Michigan does qualify for a bowl game and gets two weeks of practices that Bryce can participate in,  I now fully support playing in the Blue Bonnet Bowl.  

Dear Sherrone, 

You have a game on Saturday you need to win.  Figure out a way to do it on senior day and let those guys have one final good memory of Michigan Football.   That is your #1 goal on Saturday.   Michigan has a struggling offense and Northwestern has a good defense.  The Over/Under is an embarassing 36 points.   Win the damn game.  

Now lets get to the other news of the week.   This year is a wrap, I don't know if there is any Ohio State Voodoo left, but it would be great to check for next week.  Nobody expects you to win that game and for some magical reason you do and ruin the Buckeyes season, all is forgiven for this season. 

Sherrone I know you understand magic because you pulled the biggest rabbit out of your hat on Thursday, landing the biggest fish in the 2025 class.  Get him signed and the playbook as he will be Michigan's starter next season. 

After next weekend, your 100% focus will be getting Bryce prepared for next season.   

To recap:

1 - Win the game on Saturday 

2 - Play hard next weekend 

3 - Get Bryce signed on 12/4 

4 - Fire Wink and turn Campbell into a full time QB coach

5 - Get Bryce ready to play next September 

In December, you will have your choice of the top DC's and OC's available.  Make some great hires and fill the holes in the roster through the portal.  

Win this off season and beat Northwestern.  

Michigan 24 Northwestern 13

Big Ten Weekend Preview: Week 13 (also news and notes)

When the season started, we all had one game circled on the schedule.   Clearly, the biggest game of the year.  Indiana @ Ohio State for a shot at the Big Ten Title Game.   With the Big Ten giving The Ducks a free pass to Indy, now the only drama is the traditional rivalry game of IU vs. OSU.

Friday Night Match-Up:

Purdue @ MSU (-13.5): The rare Friday, DO NOT WATCH THIS GAME alert. I guess that no late November night games rule is over.  MSU 17 Purdue 10.

Saturday:

Indiana @ OSU (-13.5):  Michigan's 2nd half gave Ohio State a blue print on how to beat the Hoosiers.  Vegas is not buying IU as they are a 2 TD dog to the Buckeyes.  IU can win this game if they play the perfect game and don't turn the ball over.   This is one of those close first half games and then a blowout after.  OSU 38 IU 17

Illinois (-1) @ Rutgers: Somehow Illinois is still ranked.  Is there a difference between these 2 teams? One is 6-4 and the other 7-3.  Illinois 23 Rutgers 20

Iowa (-6.5) @ Maryland: Does anyone know who is playing QB for Iowa? They found one to replace Cade and then that kid gets hurt and is out for the year.  I expect Cade will play even though Iowa doesn't want him to.  Iowa 14 Maryland 9

Penn State (-11.5) @ Minnesota:  How many of these games are Penn State going to play?  They are going to slip into the playoff by playing nobody and getting embarrassed by Ohio State.   They should play ND in a play-in game to the playoffs.  PSU 38 Minn 28

Wisconsin @ Nebraska (-2.5):  Will the Bowl wins curse continue for Nebraska?  Wisconsin fired their OC after playing Oregon tough at home.  Wisconsin is playing better then Nebraska right now.  At some point Nebraska will win a 6th game.   Wisconsin 24 Nebraska 21

USC (-4.5) @ UCLA:  This is a huge rivalry game and nobody cares.  Both teams have a combined 9 wins and neither have had a good first year experience in the Big Ten.  USC is the better team but UCLA plays pretty well at home.  UCLA 28 USC 23

• Michigan lost another committed recruit with DL Jaylen Williams heading to Wisconsin.  He was committed to Michigan since this summer.  Win some - Lose some. 

• CMU coach Jim McElwain is retiring, clearly a side step from getting fired and the NCAA investigation into Connor Stalions on his sideline. 

• ESPN is ending the show "Around the Horn" next summer. 

• Sounds like tickets are available and low for the Northwestern game on the resale ticket services.

• PFF ranks Mason Graham as DT 1 and Ken Grant as DT 2 in the NFL Draft.  Thanks Wink! 

Michigan Monday: Too Early Look At The Wildcats

This season is weighing on me, I haven't felt this way since the 2020 COVID year.  I actually want this season to be over so Michigan can right the wrongs and fix this roster moving forward.   I feel terrible for the great players on this team that has had to go through this season: Loveland, Edwards, Mullins, Grant, Graham, and Johnson.   This season must feel like night and day after coming off a National Championship campaign just months prior.  If Sherrone had done an average job, this team is 9-3 easy. 

Speaking of that, I do like the 12 team playoffs concept because the Bowl Season is just a waste of time.  Sherrone talks about getting to 6 wins to play more football.  Why?  Michigan will be a shell of themselves if they play in Nashville or wherever they end up.  Those names above will not be playing, nor should they be. 

How about the state of football right now?  The #1 team in the nation struggles to beat Wisconsin who Iowa just put 40 on a couple weeks ago.  Is Georgia in the playoffs or out?  Does ND belong in the playoffs after losing to Northern Illinois then not playing anyone?  I will tell you one thing, there is not a team close to Michigan 2023 right now.  Its a Grand Canyon gap between the skill level and coaching of that team vs. any other team in the top 10 right now.   The best person to figure out this mess is the leader of our Michigan Football program, Warde Manuel, the blind leading the blind. 

IU keeps climbing the rankings and now gets a trip to Columbus.   Not sure I ever remember a week before Michigan - OSU there being a better game.   OSU took care of Northwestern at Wrigley on Saturday, so we take a look at the Wildcats today. 

Northwestern 4-6

Best Win: @ Maryland 

Worst Loss: Iowa 40-14

Pass: 178 yards (120)

Rush: 161 (121)

Score: 17 (127)

Give Up: 22 (52)

Northwestern was a great story last season and this year not so much.  Michigan fans can relate.  Remember when everyone wanted to hire Pat Fitzgerald?  What happened?  There are reports he turned down Michigan twice, 1st time after the Carr Retirement and 2nd time after RR. 

This is Michigan's chance to get to 6-6 with a presumed loss in Columbus a week later.  Northwestern is very limited and Michigan needs to win this game. 

• Anyone else wish Jessie Minter was the head coach of Michigan right now? 

• Nice to see DJ Turner and Kris Jenkins starting on SNF last night for the Bengals.  I hope DJ is ok. 

• Wisconsin fired its OC on Sunday.  Sherrone can't fire himself, but should. 

• Cade is back! After a concussion/benching the current QB starter is now out for the year with ankle injury, so it sounds like Cade will get to finish his career on the field for the final 2 games and a Bowl Game. 

• Michigan plays Miami of Ohio tonight at Crisler.  6:00 with Nik Stauskas on the call for BTN. I wonder if Nik ever got a drivers license? 

• Update: Don Brown Fired from UMass - I have a great idea on a replacement!  Wink!

Michigan Tuesday: Northwestern Trade - Player to Be Named Later?

NBC is running a TV promo for Big Ten Saturday Night Football.  Michigan of course gets a ton of highlight snips during the commercial.  One clip shows AJ Henning celebrating in the end zone.  AJ transferred to Northwestern prior to the program being lit on fire with a hazing scandal.  

When a head coach is fired, it allows players to jump into the transfer portal (even though it's closed) and look for new opportunities.  Former 4-star 2023 LB from Ohio, Nigel Glover has decided to look around even though he hasn't officially played a down of college football.  Nigel has also decided to attend the annual Big House BBQ this weekend to see if he fits into what is happening in Ann Arbor.  Nigel played at Rod Moore's high school so that might make him a little more comfortable to make a change so close to camp starting. 

Glover is 6'3 210 and could play OLB or Safety and you know Michigan loves tall DB's and the flexibility a guy that can multiple positions can bring.   Glover did not have a Michigan offer prior to committing to Northwestern and plans to visit Kentucky this week before his trip to Ann Arbor. 

Glover's original offers included Iowa, Washington, IU, Pitt, UK, Rutgers, Duke, BC and more.   Michigan took 3 LB's (Jason Hewlett, Semaj Bridgeman, and Hayden Moore) in the 23 class. 

• The Big Ten Media picks Michigan to win the Big Ten

• Chaundee Brown will be playing next year in a professional league in France

• Jourdan Lewis is starting on the PUP for the Cowboys, he hurt his foot last season during a game. 

Michigan Tuesday: Devaluating Running Backs in the NFL

Michigan Football next season might have the 2 best RB's in the country in one backfield.  I firmly believe that Blake Corum wins the Heisman if he doesn't get hurt against Illinois and has those game breaking runs against Ohio State that Donovan Edwards had.  Corum then decides to stay another year in Ann Arbor so he could focus on his knee recovery, charity work, and his love of real estate investing.  Edwards has pretty much already said he is heading to the NFL after this season.

That is an embarrassing RB room of riches for the Wolverines in one backfield next season.  I expect to see Corum in the backfield and Edwards in the slot as a WR, to keep the defenses guessing what might happen.  Edwards has proven to be a reliable WR as Corum is the powerful RB.   When you have two game breakers in the backfield, you're going to want to have both guys on the field a ton.  Which means the #3 RB a guy that probably wouldn't see many snaps is going to get a ton, so the dynamic duo doesn't play in blowouts risking injury. 

A great running back in college is worth its weight in gold.  In the NFL its a different story.  We saw a strong example of that yesterday as neither Barkley nor Jacobs signed a long-term deal.  Cook is a free agent, Akeler went back to the Chargers and Mixon had to sign a smaller deal to stay with the Bengals.    The NFL has become a league that drafts a good RB, lets them play their entire rookie contract, franchises them for 1 year at over $10M a year, and then drafts another.  Big Money long term RB contracts have not turned out well for NFL teams, Zeke Elliott in Dallas and the Rams Todd Gurley are good recent examples.  

So now what? Should RB's leave early or stay in school? It all depends on what the market is paying.  If you are projected to be a 4th rounder or higher in the draft, you probably want to stay in school to see if you can get into the 2nd round next year.   Rookie contracts are capped and if you can make the same money with NIL, get your degree, and help your team, it might be worth it to stay another year.   If the trend continues, an RB in the NFL might have only 1 contract, better make it as large as possible.  

• Ben St-Juste details in his own words what happen when Michigan asked him to medically retire from football.  Ben struggled to stay healthy as a Wolverine and had 6 hamstring pulls.  The trainers and Michigan coaches asked him to retire medically from the football team (which allows players to keep their scholarship but not play football any longer, this also frees up a scholarship for the team to use on another recruit or player).   This is not a great look for Michigan, but I get it.  At this time, Michigan was in dire need of good CB play and Ben just couldn't get on the field.  Yes, Michigan seemed heartless in letting him go when he signed the medical paperwork and it seemed like he was healed but you have to be able to count on players and Ben to that point hadn't proven he could stay healthy.  I remember when he committed, the Michigan coaches knew they had an NFL corner in St-Juste, he just struggled with injuries.   Ben ends up transferring to Minnesota, plays well and gets drafted.  Now he is the starting CB in Washington.  Sometimes you just need a different place or opportunity. 

• 8 Northwestern football players sue the University

Wolverine Wednesday: Mid-Week News and Notes

• With Northwestern now with an opening, Michigan OC Sherrone Moore and others names will be popping up.  If I'm Northwestern I hire someone right away.  Like I mentioned yesterday, if you wait until the end of the year, you are killing 2 years of recruiting at least.  Tommy Rees is also a name that has come up. He moved from ND to Alabama in the off season.   Someone could come in, keep the current staff and try to salvage the season.  Would Paul Chryst be a plug and play choice?

• He has been everywhere man - WVU Basketball transfer Jose Perez will visit Ann Arbor the last weekend in July, when the quiet period is over. 

• Michigan Basketball is a finalist for 2024 4-star Center Patrick Ngongba

• Former Purdue WR Milton Wright did not get selected in the NFL Supplemental Draft and is now a free agent. 

• 2024 Edge Jacob Smith (whose twin brother is already committed to Michigan) will be making his announcement on Thursday.  He has an Alabama offer but Michigan holds 100% of the CB's.   

Michigan Tuesday: Answers Monday Question

A friend of mine after last season asked me over text if Pat Fitzgerald was going to get fired after a dismal 1-11 season?  I replied that was a good question, Northwestern's performance on the field the last 2 seasons have been terrible but he is a Northwestern Football legend and there aren't too many it that category.   Once they announced the plans for the new stadium, I was certain he would keep his job. 

Then the hazing suspension and firing happened and Pat Fitzgerald was fired on Monday afternoon.  In my mind, the President didn't have any choice and should've done it on Friday when he levied the "summer vacation suspension".  

Now what? I assume Northwestern will name an interim head coach or will they try to pull a guy off the street like a Big Game Bob Stoops or even a young and up and coming coach like Michigan OC Sherrone Moore.  The problem is, if you name an interim your basically killing 2 recruiting classes and with Northwestern's academic standing, that's pretty much your only path to attracting talent.   Big Game Bob is probably a reach but someone like David Shaw would not be. 

On a side note, Northwestern's top recruit is a CB from West Bloomfield named Jamir Benjamin. I wonder what Michigan's final need is in the 2024 class?

Even though the transfer portal window is closed, Northwestern players will have 30 days to enter (not decide on a new school) the transfer portal.

Mazie and Blue Review

There is a lot of work being done at the Big House for the start of the 2023 campaign. New scoreboards and lighting are getting a major upgrade. The new scoreboards will be larger, brighter, and use less energy than the old ones. The new lighting will also be designed to provide a light show during halftime and timeouts during night games. It didn't seem that long ago that Michigan didn't even have permanent lights and had to bring in temporary lighting structures for 3:30 games and the occasional night game. If I remember correctly David Brandon got ESPN to pay for the original permanent lights.

Michigan Monday: Is Pat Fitzgerald Going to Survive This?

When a program suspends a player or coach for what seems like a "strange" amount of time, it feels like they're just trying to cover something up and hopefully nobody notices.  Northwestern suspended Pat Fitzgerald for hazing within his team for two weeks in the summer, where he won't miss any camps or practices.  They basically gave him an unpaid vacation.  Someone refresh my memory, wasn't Cam Newton suspended for an afternoon after Auburn looked into the amount of money his father received for Cam transferring to Auburn?

The Northwestern Football program has been struggling lately, they went 1-11 last season and the joke was, they didn't have a win in the United States as Northwestern beat Scott Frost and Nebraska overseas to start the season in August.  That was after a 3-9 campaign in 2021.  The Wildcats did perform well during the 2020 COVID year and went 7-2 and won a Citrus Bowl. 2019 was 3-9 as well. 

Not too many coaches survive a 1-11 and 3-9 years back-to-back, but Fitz is considered a Northwestern legend.  He played at Northwestern and turned a lowly football program into something much better.   He had been rumored twice to be a candidate for Michigan openings and even the Chicago Bears at one point.   Northwestern has plans to open a new football stadium and probably wanted Pat to be around to open that new facility and see if the program can rebound.  

Now the hazing allegations are made known and of course the reports are much worse than the original Northwestern report alleges.  A former player alleges there was some type of sexual hazing for underclassmen that made mistakes on the field and he even shared a Shrek's list of punishments that was written on a white board in the locker room.   Everyone from the local student paper to ESPN is covering this story and now Northwestern is forced to re-review the situation and punishment given to Pat Fitzgerald. 

The Northwestern Football team players are supporting their head coach and said, these things didn't happen.  "These fabrications have been made with the intention of harming our program and tarnish the reputation of our dedicated players and coaching staff," they stated, in part. "We firmly deny the validity of these accusations and stand united in our assertion that they do not reflect the true character of the team."

Pat Fitzgerald also released a statement after he was suspended: “I was very disappointed when I heard about the allegations of hazing on our football team,” Fitzgerald said in a statement. “Although I was not aware of the alleged incidents, I have spoken to university officials, and they informed me of a two-week suspension, effective immediately. Northwestern football prides itself on producing not just athletes, but fine young men with character befitting the program and our university. We hold our student-athletes and our program to the highest standards; we will continue to work to exceed those standards moving forward.”

What does Northwestern do?  You now have a coach who has won 4 games in the last 2 years and has a serious hazing allegation levied against his program.  To me, the "I didn't know" defense is troubling either way.   He is responsible for everything that happens in that locker room and on the field.  It's his job to know and with all the staff and coaches that's around a major college program, someone who gets a paid check and reports to Pat, knew what was going on. 

The other factor in this decision is we are basically 6 weeks away from the start of the season and plans are in place for a new stadium.   What does Northwestern do?  

Michigan Friday: Summer News and Notes

• Northwestern's coach Pat Fitzgerald's seat just went from hot to burning today, as the Wildcats coach since 2006 got suspended for two weeks for hazing in his program.  Northwestern has been terrible on the football field lately as the university plans to construct a new football stadium.  Fitzgerald, who has been a candidate in the past at Michigan, might be looking for a new gig next season after this latest suspension and if his team doesn't approve on the field.  Pat's suspension starts today and lasts two weeks.  He will not miss any time at fall camp and the only thing he will miss is a paycheck in his bank account. 

• July is the quiet before the storm of college football.  Recruiting takes a break, so families on both sides of recruiting (coaches and high school prospects) can have a summer and get away from football for a few weeks.  Current Michigan players will work out and hold players only practices to keep the steel sharp.  It's quiet before the August camp at Schembechler Hall. 

• Did you know DJ Wilson is on the Michigan Magic Summer League Team? They love those Wolverines in Orlando!

• Good Sh#t Jedd!  Arizona gets its highest ranked recruit ever, as 5-star DE Ellijah Rushing commits to the Wildcats.  Can you have a better last name for an Edge than Rushing?  (if you don't know, Harbaugh said those words on his headset after Jedd called a successful goal line play while he was the OC at Michigan)

• Michigan's DT Kris Jenkins is projected to go in the first round an early ESPN mock draft.  PFF stats had Kris (last season) with 54 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, 20 quarterback pressures and 31 run stops. 

• Livers got his $1.8M club option picked up by the Pistons. Average NBA salary is over $12M, so that is a steal for the former Wolverine sharp shooter. 

• Michigan got a CB for 2025 instate athlete Elijah Dotson from Detroit Jesuit.   With only a few spots remaining in the 2024 class, is it time to start focusing on 2025 recruiting?  Seems a bit early! 

Michigan Friday: Linebackers are Trending to Ann Arbor

Michigan is having some strong success on the recruiting trail at the moment and it's great to see.  We saw a run-on offensive lineman, a 5-star QB, and some nice pieces all around.  The latest trend to Ann Arbor might be LB as 3 guys are showing recent predictions on the recruiting services.  The 3 are:

• Cole Sullivan, 6'3 200 pound 3-star 
• Jeremiah Beasley, 6'1 200 pound 4-star 
• Dominic Nichols, 6'5 245 pound 4-star 

All are for the 2024 class and Cole could play LB, DE, or TE.  Beasley is a legacy MSU recruit that many thought was a lock for East Lansing.  Sullivan could be announcing soon. 

Ohio's Brian Robinson from Youngstown who has 100% predictions to Michigan is expected to take all his official visits before making a decision.  There is some worry there might not be "any rooms left at the Inn" when he is ready to commit. Brian is a 4-star edge and the 168th player in the country. 

• AJ Henning is going home to play at Northwestern.  Good decision on playing time, location close to home, and education! 

• Tom Brady is in discussions to own a percentage of the Raiders.  This would provide the Raiders with a huge lift in ownership haircut likeability. 

• MSU Football is opening a new 78 million facility called the Tom Izzo Football Building.

Northwestern Post Game

Wolverine Wire - USA Today

I've been trying to reconcile my thoughts and feelings after the game on Saturday and it hasn't been easy.  I was not happy with what my eyes saw but when I look at the score, I thought I might be crazy.  Even ESPN's bottom-line reported "Michigan routes Northwestern" which doesn't nearly tell the story of the game.  I guess that's why we do Cheer and Jeers:

Cheers:

• Any win is a good win 
• Corum and Haskins both over 100 yards
• Great pick by DJ Turner 
• Great punt block by Corn Johnson
• Defense made only one really bad mistake all game 
• 6 yards short of running for 300 yards 
• JJ continues to show his talent 

Jeers:

• We need to report Speed in Space kidnapped 
• Red Zone offense did not improve during the bye week 
• Michigan's defense bit on way too many miss direction and screens - Josh Ross probably saves the game by reading one and making a good tackle. 
• 163 yards of passing is not going to beat a ranked team left on Michigan's schedule 
• Offense is way too predictable 
• Play calling is lackluster to bad
• 2 fumbles with one on the 3 yard line to end the half
• Just kick extra points unless you have to go for 2
• 10-7 halftime score

My internal struggle is the coaches see the same thing I do and they know they can beat Northwestern being a vanilla Dairy Queen cone.  They are doing this to not show, MSU, PSU, and OSU too much film.  On the other hand, maybe this is the way they want to play and think they can beat everyone running into a loaded box every time.   There are two problems with the second theory.  1 - even a bad defense can stop the run if they know its coming.  2- Its a really bad way to score the needed points to beat a very good team.  

You can disagree with everything I said in this post, but the red zone/goal to goal offense is a problem and that is a fact.  How about we spread them out on the goal line, go 3 wide and get the defense out of the box?  I'll take my chances running Corum and Haskins against that formation any day.   Or run an NFL rub route and get your QB some confidence?

The coaches know this right? They have spent their entire adult life playing and coaching football.  They're seeing what we are seeing, right?  I guess we will see next week.  

Extra thoughts:

-The PSU - Illinois game put the Big Ten back 60 years.    This is also the difference between playing Penn State at Noon or during a Primetime White Out.  

-OSU -  I know they haven't played anyone since the Oregon Ducks, but there out there embarrassing programs.  When are they going to have their Clemson 2021 year?  ABC knew that game was going to be a cake walk and sent a Wednesday night MAC crew to call it. 

-I guess Wisconsin can play some defense.  That Iowa - Wisconsin game is now much better. 

-Cincinnati and Oklahoma should drop in the polls after their close games.  I guess Cincy didn't get my memo on scheduling service academies.  

-We will discuss, Is it JJ time? in more depth next week.  

Northwestern Preview

Time: 12:00

Location: Big House

Weather: 48 Cloudy 

TV: Fox 

Line: Michigan -23.5

Dear Jimmy, 

Been a couple weeks since my last letter, things are going well with me (thanks for asking).   The team got out of Nebraska with a narrow primetime win and had a week off to rest and get better for the very difficult 2nd half of the season.  

There really hasn't been too much to complain about in the first half, outside a bad half against Rutgers who has fallen off a cliff since.   I'm sure this team needed the week off to heal with a number of injuries on the offensive line and the WR position.  I also hope the team took the two weeks to get better in all areas.  The real concern is the red zone and Michigan scoring more TD's then field goals.  Also Michigan's goal to goal offense needs to be better as the play calls needs creativity to score more often.  

Now, the focus is on Northwestern and I hope the team isn't looking ahead to that team in East Lansing next weekend.  Northwestern has struggled this year but played their best football last weekend in a  win over the previously mentioned Rutgers.   Do you see what I'm hinting at?

Northwestern is well coached and improving in all areas.  They have settled on a QB and now starting to hit on more cylinders on offense.   They had 402 total yards last week with 267 passing and 135 on the ground.   The defense also held Rutgers to 222 yards.   This team can not be over looked.  

With that said, Saturday is all about your program and making a statement.   Your team hasn't played in front of the home fans in 3 weeks.  You have a talent advantage at every position and ranked in the top 10.   If this team continues to be focused and plays smart football that formula will go a long way this season. 

I know you and Gattis want to run and run some more on Saturday and I won't argue with that strategy, but that won't work for the remaining big games.   Michigan needs more confidence in the passing game and would love to see Cade throw for 300 yards.   Also if the down is 3rd and 7, is it possible for the TE's and WR's to run a 8 yard route instead of 6 yards?

Get Corum the ball in space, he needs to double his touches in this offense.  If WR health is still an issue lets see one of 2 true freshman get some snaps.  The defense had a few issues against Nebraska and would like to see that firmed up.   Keep confusing the opponent's offense with different looks and coverages.   They also know Michigan is sending everyone to the ball, so be on high alert for reverses and miss direction.  

Play Michigan Football and win that new tremendous George Jewett trophy. 

Michigan 41 Northwestern 13

Michigan Tuesday: Dent Commits and An Early Look at Northwestern

Michigan landed a 3 star Safety from Florida on Monday named Damani Dent.  D2 is 6'0 and 190 pounds and has an offer list that includes:  MAC type team, Oregon, and Pitt.   The star gazers won't like this pick-up as he is rated the 97th Safety and 1408th player ranked in the country.   But that doesn't matter when the Michigan coaches find a player they like.  Hassan Haskins was one of the lowest rated players in his class.  

D2 plays both ways for his high school in Jacksonville and 3 positions at WR, CB, and Safety.  Most expect him to project to Safety in Ann Arbor.   Welcome Double D! 

Now lets look at Northwestern:

Record: 3-3 

Best win: Rutgers 

Pass: 203 yards per - 95th 

Run: 171 yards per - 55th 

They score: 21 per - 212th 

Give up: 23 per - 69th

Per Pat Fitzgerald:  Michigan is by far the best team the 'Cats will have played so far this year. "From what I've seen on film this year, it's not even close."

Why is that statement important? Northwestern lost to MSU week 1.

This is not the team that went to the (7-2) Big Ten Championship game last year and played OSU tough for a half and beat Auburn in a Bowl Game. Their wins this year are against the likes of Indiana State, Ohio, and Rutgers. Yes, they are coming off a win and can't be taken lightly, mostly with MSU next weekend and already talking Smack.

• Taylor Lewan was carted off last night with what looked like a serious neck/head injury.  Lets hope he is ok. 

• MSU will be a noon kick on FOX.  I think MSU fans wanted a night game on ABC/ESPN so they could get Game Day.  Most expect Game Day to head to Ohio State for the PSU night game.   Fox has the World Series.