Tag: Michigan Wolverines

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Michigan Spring practice underway, Shea Patterson may not be the #1 quarterback

Embed from Getty Images Michigan Wolverines head football coach Jim Harbaugh has three quarterbacks on his roster who are all highly regarded. Last season starting quarterback Shea Patterson  returned for his senior season after starting all 13 games and complete 64.6%  of his passes for 2,600 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2018. Patterson is only penciled in as the starter.

Competition is what Jim Harbaugh has harped on during his time in Ann Arbor. Both  Dylan McCaffrey and Joe Milton are said to be putting the heat on  Shea Patterson this spring leading Harbaugh to say “There’s no possible way that Shea Patterson will be able to put his feet up, in my opinion.”

This is how far the quarterbacks at Michigan have evolved. From one good one, to three above average quarterbacks on the roster all battling for for roster positions on the depth chart. It has been a process, but it paying off.

Dylan McCaffrey, was a 4-star recruit who will be a redshirt sophomore in 2019, Dylan saw plenty of time as Patterson’s backup last fall. He threw his first career touchdown pass the next week against Western Michigan. Dylan also showed he can use his legs to make plays a 44-yard touchdown run on a zone read against Wisconsin was promising.

While Joe Milton who also was also a 4-star recruit showed he may have the strongest arm of the Michigan quarterbacks. Milton played in three of the Wolverines final four games of the season and was able to preserve his redshirt status.

Harbaugh said that offensive coordinator Josh Gattis is giving the three players  equal reps this spring. All three players are looking good so far. It is fair to say the Wolverines starter will be the player who steps up into a leadership role. Who can command the huddle as well as not get rattled when things are not going well during the course of a game. Shea Patterson was that player last season.

This season appears to be different at least in the now. All eyes will be on the three quarterbacks to see if anyone separates from the rest.

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Michigan Wolverines will look to Hudson and Gil to bring stability to the linebackers

Embed from Getty Images It was not going to be easy to replace Devin Bush Jr’s production. Yet the Wolverines may be able to use two to get the production of one. At least that is the thought process.

Michigan will count on a pair of experienced veterans Khaleke Hudson and Devin Gil to help bolster the linebackers. Hudson, rings speed and  skill that few others can match on the roster.

Hudson brings a flexibility to the field as he can line up as a hybrid linebacker-safety. Khaleke is also a  two-time all-Big Ten honorable mention selection so that brings hope that he can help out a starter.

Devin Gil, brings perhaps the best run-stopping ability to the linebackers. In 2018 Gil  had 33 tackles (3 1/2 for a loss) and 1 1/2 sacks. Nice stats. Again Gil is likely to be named a starter in 2019.

As with the entire Michigan defense depth is a real issue and a real concern. It simply is not there. That puts pressure on both Hudson and Gil. Both played in a backup role last season will now have the spotlight on them this season.

This is not the kind of sink or swim moment either one was looking for. Yet, that because of the lack of depth  is exactly what it is. Sink or swim. Part of it is on the coaching staff to put them in position to succeed. Part of it is on the two players to do their job and make plays.

Michigan should find out if Hudson and Gil can bring stability at the linebacker position during spring practice. They will be under the microscope fair or unfair. That is what happens when it is the next man or men up.

In theory the Wolverines should be alright. They are getting Devin Bush’s run-stopping ability as well has his pass coverage ability. Only it is not just one player it it two. So there will be an adjustment period.

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2019 Michigan Wolverines spring football preview

Embed from Getty Images The Michigan Wolverines fan  base is growing tired of asking Is this the year? It’s been 14 seasons since Michigan’s football team won a Big Ten title the longest drought in program history. Despite improvements made by Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff the team still stumbled down the stretch.

March 17, is kickoff for Michigan’s spring practice.  One of the top questions for the Wolverines is can the offense play with better balance and consistency? Another can they come up with defensive depth?

Wide receivers Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins and Tarik Black, (if he can stay healthy and on the field), headline a deep group of  pass-catchers for the Wolverines. New offensive coordinator Josh Gattis has banged the “speed in space” drum since arriving in Ann Arbor.

The Wolverines have more than enough quality depth at running back even with the loss of Chris Evans who was dismissed by Harbaugh for undisclosed reasons. That should help starting quarterback Shea Patterson who has one full season under his belt.

The defensive front that has played a big role in Michigan’s success for most of the 2018 season has some players to replace. Electric pass-rusher Josh Uche, end Kwity Paye and defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour, who took a big step forward last season.That is the good news. The bad news is there is real concern at the lack of depth.

Michigan also has to replace all-everything linebacker Devin Smith. That will not be easy to do. His production will be very difficult to reproduce.

This is a big year for Harbaugh who was brought to Michigan to win championships. Fans are growing weary waiting for it to happen. Losing his first four shots at Ohio State makes Jim Harbaugh the first Michigan coach to do that is doing him no favors. He needs to solve Ohio State.

When Ohio State and Michigan meet November 30 Harbaugh will have yet another shot. Will it be his last? That is a good question as spring practice opens soon.

After what should have been a better season, Michigan now has to reload in some important positions. Young players must step in and step up. This is where coaches make their money.

 

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Michigan Wolverines: teams on the rise

Embed from Getty Images Every college has had teams ranked in the top 25 at one time or another. This year the University  Michigan has 3 different athletic programs ranked in the top 10.

 

It is no surprise the Michigan Wolverines football team is a top 10 program. They have been on the rise since Jim Harbaugh took over as head coach.

 

The Michigan football team can lay it’s claim for a College Football Playoff spot with a win Saturday against a sluggish Ohio State team. Michigan is 6 point favorites and boasts the better team this go round with their old rivals.

 

Michigan basketball on the other hand was reloading from a National Championship game last season. College basketball experts thought this would be a bit of a rebuild for Wolverine coach Jim Beiline.

 

However, when the Wolverines beat the then 8th ranked Villanova Wildcats last week the team leaped into the top 10 in the nation. Michigan basketball looks like they will be in the thick of the Big Ten race and another March Madness invite.

 

Next we switch the  Michigan Wolverines hockey team. A hockey program that has seen more players to the NHL than any other. The Wolverines got off to a slow start.

 

But big wins and young players understanding their roll has the hockey team ranked # 9. A hockey team that prides itself on excellence.

 

It is a good time to be a Michigan Wolverine alumni and or fan. College sports are good and fun when certain teams win and are doing well.

 

Michigan is one of those schools. Loved by some hated by others. The fact remains winning has returned to Michigan. It’s great to be a Michigan Wolverine!!

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Michigan Wolverines: dominating again

Embed from Getty Images It seems like forever since the Michigan Wolverines bullied teams the way they are this season. Jim Harbaugh’s team is not only dominating teams they are flat out suffocating  them on both sides of the ball.

 

Jim Harbaugh is not an elite coach they said. Jim Harbaugh can not beat rivals they said. After beating Wisconsin, Michigan State and Penn State by a combine score of 101-20 that can be tossed out the window.

 

Penn State is the latest big name team to get hammered by the Wolverines. Last season Penn State had the ball in the waning seconds of the game. They chose not to take a knee and scored a touchdown to run the score up. Fatale mistake.

 

In this seasons tilt Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson said he was not here last season. But, if Michigan had the chance to run the score up they would do it. Check that. Michigan dropped the hammer. 42-7.

 

Jim Harbaugh’s team did not want to just beat Penn State, they wanted to embarrass them. Sacking Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley 6 times and intercepting 2 passes Michigan’s top ranked defense was relentless.

 

As the “Revenge Tour” rolls on. It is a safe bet the Michigan Wolverines have their sights set directly on Ohio State. The game is in Columbus. Michigan would have it no other way.

 

Like Penn State, Harbaugh’s boys will want to embarrass the Buckeyes on their home field. Given the glaring talent gap. Michigan will be favored. This will be the game that changes the guard in the Big Ten. It is the game that will show Michigan is back and ready to stand on the national stage again.

 

With a very talented team and Harbaugh not being afraid to agitate fellow coaches. Michigan is set to both irritate opposing fan bases while enduring themselves to Michigan loyalists.

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Michigan Wolverines: 2018-19 basketball preview

Embed from Getty Images The Michigan Wolverines had a great season last year. One that saw them come up short in the title game to Villanova. Michigan finished last season with 33 wins and 8 losses. Head coach John Beilein is set with new players.

 

With big names from last seasons team gone to the NBA. Michigan is looking for new players to push the program forward. The did get a blessing.

 

6’6″ guard Charles Matthews chose to come back for another year and another shot at post season play. Matthews was the second leading scorer for the Wolverines last season behind Moritz Wagner.

 

Matthews is joined by returning teammate 6;0″ guard Zavier Simpson. This is good as it gives Michigan a returning backcourt for this upcoming season. The loss of Moritz Wagner(center), Muhammed-Ali-Abdur-Rahkman(guard) and Duncan Robinson (forward) were a blow. One that will test the Wolverines early in the season.

 

Losing 3 valuable players hurts any team. Coach Beilein, will have to find players to fill the sizable void. Enter Bandon Johns and Ignas Brazdekis. both players play the forward position. Look for Johns to be at the power forward.

 

Projected starting lineup for the Michigan Wolverines basketball team:

 

Zavier Simpson

Jordan Poole

Charles Matthews

Isiah Livers

John Teske

 

Michigan was one game away from being Nation Champions last season. They should settle for nothing less than getting back to the big dance and in that big game.

 

Matthews, will be counted on to score even more. He has the ability to carry the team. Expect Michigan basketball to be top three in the Big Ten. This team is loaded. John Beilein is tasked with growing them up in time for March Madness.

 

 

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How Jim Harbaugh shifted Big Ten power to Michigan

Embed from Getty Images He was questioned. All good coaches are. He was booed from a fan base that demanded more. Yet through it all, Jim Harbaugh was building the Michigan Wolverines to win. Not just for one season. To over-take the conference elite. The time is at hand.

 

Ohio State has owned it’s fair share of Big Ten titles for 17-18 years. Michigan State had a nice little run in there as well. Jim Harbaugh was brought to be the savior of a university he played quarterback for in the 1980’s.

 

While the aforementioned Ohio State continued to win and as Michigan State continued to beat the Wolverines. Harbaugh did not flinch. Like a mad chemist he kept adding. a three star recruit here. A four star there. While releasing troubled players from the school.

 

Other teams kept winning. But history was on Jim Harbaugh’s side. History of building championship programs. He did it in college at Stanford. He did it in the NFL with San Francisco. Interesting both places fell on hard time when Harbaugh left them.

 

He accepted the Michigan coaching job. Upon his arrival in Ann Arbor he gave a warning. “It takes time to build a sustainable program. That is what I am going to do.”

 

He has done it. Never listening to the media, fans and critics. Sticking to his guns. Allowing other schools the false sense of security. When you have a coach who has accomplished as much as Jim Harbaugh it is a bad idea to fall for such thoughts.

 

Now the Michigan Wolverines football team is loaded. Not just for this season. But this is a return to glory. Michigan is here to stay. They will continue to grow and beat the teams that once “owned” them. Jim Harbaugh has done it under the radar.

 

Teams that were winning, he was building. Now Michigan is winning the recruiting battles. Players are not jumping at Ohio and Michigan State they way they once did. Those programs  if they have not already soon will begin to feel the sting of Harbaugh’s work.

 

The kicker is Jim Harbaugh wears glasses that are a direct tip-of-the-hat to Woody Hayes. The former Ohio State coach. Sort of a shot at the school he beat 3 times in his playing days.

 

The Big Ten should brace for it. Michigan Wolverines football is back. With a coach that built the program the only way he knew how. His way.

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Michigan vs Michigan State a rivalry built on desdain

Embed from Getty Images It was ugly. It always was going to be. Michigan State players who for years have done questionable antics started the show. Taking Michigan Wolverine players head phones, trying to trip them and throwing pregame punches. All as Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio stood by smiling.

 

Rivalries are by nature nasty. They build up and then release. Michigan linebacker Devin Bush in retaliation to the Spartans pregame brew-ha scraped his cleats across the Michigan State logo on the middle of the field. Childish? yes.

 

Michigan should not have an eye for an eye thought process. But in a rivalry emotions seem to take over. Right or wrong. They should have been the bigger group of players. Michigan State is known for this throughout Dantonio time at the school.

 

Michigan, destroyed Michigan State all over the stat sheet and scoreboard. That should have been enough. Michigan is in the drives seat to finish the 2018 “Revenge Tour.” That is what senior defensive end Chase Winovich labeled this season for the Wolverines.

 

In my opinion that is part of what lead to the pregame flare up. it is hard to have revenge when your school has struggled in recent years. I get trying to kick start it. Which it seems to have done.

 

With Michigan State having a bad season and Ohio State looking like they have lost a lot of luster. Michigan now has a clear shot to win the Big Ten and perhaps go to the College football playoffs. That and not revenge should be the focus.

 

Through it all Michigan has regained swagger that has been missing. Jim Harbaugh who has been building his program has caught up to Dantonio and Urban Meyer. Now the playing field is level.

 

So no matter what “little brother” does. Michigan can not let it get under their skin. Just line up and beat them. That is better than revenge.

 

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Michigan Wolverines: the team has come a long way

Embed from Getty Images The team that began the season in South Bend against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is not the same team that just beat the Wisconsin Badgers. Jim Harbaugh has molded this team into a power again.

 

The Michigan Wolverines offensive line that was a sore spot last season has grown into a huge area of strength. Pass and run blocking has taken a huge step forward.

 

The defense is ranked #1 in the country. It was never going to be an issue. It is the linebackers that have shined the brightest. They swarm to the ball. This group is flat out nasty.

 

However, what has been missing from a Jim Harbaugh lead Wolverines team have been two key factors. Quarterback.  Running back. They have had ok players at those positions. This year they have game- changers .

 

Quarterback Shea Patterson has been as good as advertised. Dangerous in the pocket, Patterson unleashed a new side to his game vs the Badgers. Shea Patterson, can run. He had an 81 yard TD that now puts fear in the rest of the teams on the Michigan football schedule.

 

Running back Karan Higdon has become a go-to player. Chris Evans was supposed to be “the guy.” However Evans has missed games due to injury. Giving Higdon, an opportunity to take control of the job.

 

This years Michigan football team has become a well rounded group. They have a big game Saturday vs Michigan State. It will tell us how far the team has come. Michigan opened up as a 7 1/2 point favorite.

 

Should the Wolverines beat Sparty. They will become the team to beat. Even over Ohio State who this year has a flawed defense.

 

This is what Michigan fans have waited for. A return to the limelight. The time is at hand

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Michigan Wolverines: must identify who they are

Embed from Getty Images After a week one meltdown in South Bend to Notre Dame. The Michigan Wolverines have bounced back. Only it has been against sub par teams yet again. That said Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has made adjustments.

 

Playing his college football at the University of Michigan under Bo Shembechler, Harbaugh understands the slam the ball mentality that he carries with him today.

 

The problem is when the defense crowds the box. Harbaugh still calls for the run. That all changed Saturday when Michigan hosted the SMU Mustangs. When the defense lined up eight in the box. Michigan passed.

 

It worked so well that Michigan running backs had a big day rushing the football. It seems the Wolverines coaching staff is coming to an understanding the fans have come to a while ago. The passing game and the running game need to compliment each other.

 

Even though it was against a lesser foe. The progress was much needed. Michigan still gets flagged for way too many penalties. And most are bone headed that can and need to be cleaned up.

 

With Big 10 play starting this Saturday it will be a better test as Michigan sees Nebraska invade Ann Arbor and the Big House. Adjustments are part of any sports. In game adjustments are critical to the outcome of games.

 

For the first time since taking over as head coach Jim Harbaugh has begun to make those all important adjustments. The offensive line still needs to be upgraded the tackles both right and left are still a sore spot on the roster.

 

It is now more interesting to watch Michigan football knowing the coach is going to make some micro moves to help his team. The days of running a play just because that is the one that was called appear to be over.

 

Michigan fans and media should know more after this weeks Big 10 opener.