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TheMichiganDaily, www.michigandaily.com
‘M’ braces for Oregon State’s Collins
Wolverines will
face another speedy
quarterback in home
opener Saturday
By MAX BULTMAN
Daily Sports Editor
Last Thursday, the Michigan
football team got a stiff test for its
run defense when it took on Utah
and
Devontae
Booker,
the
Pac-12’s second-
leading
rusher
in
2014.
And
on
Saturday,
when
Oregon
State
visits
Ann Arbor, the
Wolverines will
face yet another
fleet-footed
challenge.
In
Jim
Harbaugh’s first
home game as
head coach of
the Wolverines,
Michigan will try its hand at
containing a quarterback who
will be looking to run all game in
Oregon State’s Seth Collins.
Against Utah, the Wolverines
saw a healthy dose of Booker
and kept him mostly in check
for the first half. But they were
burned by senior quarterback
Travis
Wilson,
who
sucked
momentum out
of the Michigan
defense
by
scrambling
to
the tune of 12
carries for 53
yards
and
a
touchdown.
Collins
has
played
only
one game in his
career, but he
was impressive
on the ground, ripping off 152
yards rushing on 17 attempts —
a whopping 8.9 yards per carry.
Then again, that performance
came against Weber State, so the
gaudy numbers don’t mean as
much as they would have against
a Football Bowl Subdivision team.
What the numbers do provide,
though, is a glimpse of how
Collins will try to beat the
Wolverines
(0-1).
Throughout
the Beavers’ opener, it was clear
Collins would prefer to run
when possible. He attempted
just 18 passes, completing 10 for
92 yards. So when he lines up
against Michigan on Saturday,
the Wolverines will need to have
the QB contained at all times.
Fortunately for Michigan, its
athletic linebackers should be up
to the task. Seniors Joe Bolden,
James Ross III and Desmond
Morgan will bear
the brunt of the
responsibility
in stopping the
run, and if they
can go sideline to
sideline and keep
Collins in front
of them, they’re a
solid bet to keep
the Beavers (1-0)
in check.
Outside
of
Collins, Oregon State also has a
steady stable of backs who can
carry the load as well. Storm
Woods and Chris Brown combined
for 117 yards on 29 carries against
the Wildcats. Michigan’s run
defense is expected to be its
strength going forward, so if
the Beavers’ trio of runners can
produce, it could cause some
alarm at the Big House.
But the Wolverines will have
to be careful to not get caught
watching for a run. Wednesday,
Michigan defensive backs coach
Greg Jackson cautioned that
while the run game is clearly a
focus for the Beavers, it can also
be used as an effective decoy.
“We still think (when) there’s
more runs, there’s more deep
balls,” Jackson said. “So we’re
going to come up and leverage all
the players with safeties, but at
the same time we’re going to be
prepared for deep balls as well,
because with the runs, there’s
a whole bunch of play actions to
come with it.”
Michigan is favored by more
than two touchdowns in the home
opener, and ESPN’s SportsCenter
will be broadcasting from Ann
Arbor, which is sure to energize
the city. And in Harbaugh’s Big
House debut, it’s a safe bet that
the Wolverines will be fired up to
face the Beavers, especially after
last week’s season-opening loss.
“Some people walk right out of
the locker room and they’re over
(a loss),” Harbaugh said Monday.
“I’m not one of those guys. It stays
with me — I choose to have it stay
with me, and in the mindset of
our team, it’ll stay with us.
“There’s a bad taste in our
mouth when you lose a football
game
and
there’s
only
one
mouthwash for that, and that is
winning.”
Oregon St.
at Michigan
Matchup:
Oregon St. 1-0;
Michigan 0-1
When:
Saturday
12 P.M.
Where:
Michigan
Stadium
TV/Radio:
ABC
“There’s only
one mouthwash
for (losing), and
that is winning.”
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Fifth-year senior linebacker Desmond
Morgan (top) and senior linebacker
Joe Bolden (bottom) will be tasked with
slowing down Oregon State freshman
quarterback Seth Collins in Saturday’s
home opener.
For full coverage of
Saturday’s game
Check MichiganDaily.com
throughout the day
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily