Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Friday, October 30, 2015 — 7
Breakdown: Michigan at Minnesota
By JAKE LOURIM
Managing Sports Editor
The game against Northwestern
had shades of it, and the game
against Michigan State did, too.
But the Michigan football team’s
game Saturday at Minnesota will
have old-fashioned power football
written all over it.
The Wolverines and Golden
Gophers match run-first offenses
and
hard-nosed
defenses
Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium
in
Minneapolis.
Minnesota
cruised in last year’s meeting at
Michigan Stadium, 30-14, but
Michigan won six straight in the
series before that.
The Wolverines have a good
chance to win this one, too, if
they can limit mistakes in a tough
road environment. The Golden
Gophers have been decimated
by injuries this season but could
play their best game Saturday in
the spotlight.
Here’s how the teams match up:
Michigan
pass
offense
vs.
Minnesota pass defense
Fifth-year senior quarterback
Jake Rudock is averaging just
186.1 yards per game passing
this season, and he failed to
meet that mark in his last game
against Michigan State. He did,
however, establish a big-play
component, throwing four of his
15 completions for more than
20 yards. Just as impressively,
he threw them to four different
receivers:
senior
tight
end
A.J. Williams, redshirt junior
wide receivers Amara Darboh
and Jehu Chesson and the
Wolverines’
newest
offensive
weapon,
redshirt
freshman
safety Jabrill Peppers.
In all, Rudock has thrown this
year to 21 different receivers,
including himself (he caught a
deflected pass against Michigan
State). The deep passing game
still needs work, but Rudock will
need to focus on taking care of the
football above all else Saturday.
The Golden Gophers have been
average at forcing interceptions
(six total) this year, and their
pass rush has been weak (tied
for 103rd in the nation). Their
pass defense has been stingy,
though,
allowing
just
177.3
yards per game. Defensive back
Jalen Myrick leads Minnesota
with three interceptions, and
Adekunle
Ayinde
and
Eric
Murray have added four pass
breakups each.
Edge: Minnesota
Michigan rush offense vs.
Minnesota rush defense
The Wolverines managed just
83 yards on 28 carries last season
against Minnesota, but their
offensive line has been much
more successful this year. A big
reason for that is continuity:
Michigan has started the same
linemen at the same positions
in every game this season, and
many of them have previous
starting experience.
Junior running back De’Veon
Smith leads the team with 436
yards, and he figures to get more
than the nine touches he had in
last year’s meeting. After missing
one game and being limited in
another, he returned to being the
featured back against Michigan
State, earning 19 carries while no
one else had more than three.
Minnesota
ranks
52nd
nationally
against
the
run,
giving up 151.4 yards per game,
so the Wolverines could find
daylight on the ground. The
defensive line has been one of the
Golden Gophers’ healthiest units
this season, however. Defensive
linemen Steven Richardson and
Theiren Cockran have combined
for 12 tackles for loss and will
look to create havoc in the
Michigan backfield as they did
last season.
Edge: Michigan
Minnesota pass offense vs.
Michigan pass defense
Like Michigan, Minnesota’s
passing game is its second option.
Quarterback Mitch Leidner has
seven fewer yards than Rudock
through seven games. He, too, has
six interceptions, but also seven
touchdowns. And the Gophers’
passing attack is conservative like
Michigan’s, with a season-long
play of 38 yards.
Michigan
secondary
coach
Greg Jackson touted the play of
Minnesota wide receivers KJ
Maye and Eric Carter, and the
Gophers also rely heavily on
tight end Drew Wolitarsky.
The Wolverines allowed a
season-high 328 passing yards
against
Michigan
State,
but
it took a strong effort from
Spartans quarterback Connor
Cook, and they won’t face a
receiver like Michigan State’s
Aaron Burbridge this week. If
they can limit the deep ball as
they have all season, they won’t
have any trouble.
Edge: Michigan
Minnesota rush offense vs.
Michigan rush defense
The Gophers’ bread and butter
is their power running game,
but they haven’t been able to
establish it as they did last year,
when running back David Cobb
steamrolled the Wolverines for
183 yards on 32 carries. Cobb
graduated,
and
Minnesota
hasn’t
been
able
to
replace
him with another workhorse.
Running backs Rodney Smith
(467 yards, one touchdown) and
Shannon Brooks (316 yards, three
touchdowns) have shared the load.
Part of the issue for the
Gophers is also their health, or
lack thereof, on the offensive line.
While Michigan has maintained
a consistent group, eight different
players have started on the line
for Minnesota, and the Gophers
have used five combinations of
starters in seven games.
Minnesota
will
need
to
establish some continuity to
brace for Michigan’s defense.
Sixteen
different
Wolverines
have teamed up for 55 tackles
for loss, led by redshirt junior
defensive end Willie Henry’s nine
and redshirt junior defensive
tackle Chris Wormley’s eight. If
Michigan comes out angry after
a heartbreaking loss to Michigan
State, the Gophers will have
their hands full.
Edge: Michigan
Special teams
Finally, the Wolverines can
confidently say their special
teams are a strength. Senior
kicker Kenny Allen is now
10-for-12 on field goals, and
fifth-year senior punter Blake
O’Neill’s 80-yard bomb against
Michigan State has been the
highlight of a strong season for
the Australian punter. In the
return game, Peppers continues
to be a weapon.
The Gophers have similar
numbers. Ryan Santoso is 10-for-
13 on field goals, and Peter
Mortell is averaging 44 yards per
punt with only one touchback on
the season.
Edge: Push
Intangibles
This is the toughest category to
judge this week. Both teams are
at difficult points in their seasons.
Michigan must recover from a
last-second loss to Michigan State
and prove its Big Ten title hopes
aren’t dead yet. The Wolverines
must also manage the atmosphere
on the road, where they have
played just two times this year,
one of which was a fairly pro-
Michigan crowd at Maryland.
Minnesota, meanwhile, will
play without head coach Jerry
Kill, who retired Wednesday
amid health concerns. Defensive
coordinator Tracy Claeys will
lead the team Saturday night, so
the Gophers, too, could respond
in one of two ways. They could
play an inspired game in honor
of their highly respected coach
and pull off an upset to put
their season back on track, or
they
could
be
disorganized
and struggle to hold off the
Wolverines.
Coming off bye weeks, both
teams should respond well from
their setbacks. But Minnesota
should be fired up to win one for
Kill under the lights on its home
turf.
Edge: Minnesota
Pick: Michigan 23, Minnesota 17
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Michigan’s defense gave up 27 points against Michigan State but will look for a bounce-back performance at Minnesota.
‘M’ heads into Big
Ten Tournament
By SYED FAHD AHSAN
Daily Sports Writer
With 34 minutes on the clock
in the Michigan women’s soccer
team’s Oct. 8 contest against
Northwestern, Michigan senior
midfielder
Corinne
Harris
rocketed
a
shot into the
back of the
net from 25
yards out. It
proved to be
the
decisive
moment in a
1-0
victory
for
the
Wolverines.
The score line could have
been worse for the Wildcats
(7-3-1 Big Ten, 13-4-2 overall),
who were lucky to have finished
the 90 minutes only a goal down,
as Michigan failed to convert
many of the chances it created.
Now the two are set to lock
horns once again in the Big
Ten Tournament quarterfinals
this Sunday in Wilmette. The
Wolverines (6-3-2 Big Ten, 11-6-
2 overall) will be looking to pull
off a performance much like the
one they gave in October.
“If we play the way we did
last game, we should be fine,”
said
Michigan
coach
Greg
Ryan. “We’ve been organized
defensively for most of the year,
and if we can do that again, we’ll
been successful. We just need to
take our chances.”
However,
since
that
loss
in Ann Arbor, Northwestern
has won four out of its last
five games, scoring nine goals
and conceding just two in the
process. Michigan, on the other
hand, hasn’t been nearly as
stellar in that stretch, with a
2-2-1 record.
The Wolverines’ last game
was their 3-1 loss to No. 10
Penn State, a game defined
by a seven-minute onslaught
that saw Michigan sophomore
goalkeeper Megan Hinz pick the
ball out of her net three times.
Senior midfielder Cassie Collins
grabbed a late consolation goal,
but it was a case of too little, too
late for the Wolverines.
“The (Penn State) game will
be extra motivation to maintain
focus and discipline,” Ryan
said. “We played well in the
beginning, but it was just that
seven-minute
collapse
that
defined the game, and we paid
for it.”
The
Wolverines
finished
the regular season fifth in the
Big Ten standings, but the
Wildcats were able to finish one
spot higher given their recent
success. That’s concerning news
for Michigan, as its home record
tells a completely different story
from its away record.
With only one loss at home
all
season,
the
Wolverines’
dominance in Ann Arbor is
apparent. But a 1-5-2 record on
the road shows just how much
they struggle when not playing
on familiar ground.
Michigan started this season
playing
a
4-3-3
formation
that utilized its wingers and
fullbacks
to
spread
play,
widening the field and creating
space in the middle. For the
most part, this has remained the
trademark of the Wolverines’
style this season.
Michigan will rely on its
star forwards, sophomores Ani
Sarkisian and Taylor Timko,
who have scored seven goals
each. They will need to be sharp,
considering that Northwestern
has only allowed 10 goals this
season.
In what looks to be an
extremely well-matched game
in the Big Ten Tournament
quarterfinals, the importance
isn’t lost on the Wolverines.
“At this point, we’re just
looking for a chance to move
on in the Big Ten Tournament,”
Ryan said.
“It’s
a
must-win
game,
especially if we want to move
onto the NCAA Tournament.
It’ll definitely be a battle.”
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Michigan at
Northwestern
Matchup:
Michigan 11-6-2;
Northwestern
13-4-2
When: Sunday
1 P.M.
Where:
Wilmette, Ill.
Behind Enemy Lines: Mitch Leidner
By ZACH SHAW
Daily Sports Editor
While
much
of
the
talk
leading up to the No. 15 Michigan
football team’s trip to Minnesota
surrounds
the
head
coaches
(Michigan
coach
Jim
Harbaugh
and recently
retired Minnesota coach Jerry
Kill), the players will still have the
biggest impact on the game. Among
those players is Golden Gophers
quarterback Mitch Leidner, who
is playing the best football of his
career with 1,310 passing yards
and seven touchdowns as a junior.
As a quarterback in a run-first
offense for a football team in a
hockey-first state, Leidner often
gets overlooked, but not here.
Leidner spoke with the Daily
about building momentum as a
program, alcohol at stadiums,
bonding with the team in the wild
and getting rid of social media.
The
Michigan
Daily:
Michigan had a down year last
year, but was it still big to get
the win and the Jug at Michigan
Stadium?
Mitch
Leidner:
It
was
huge. It was huge for the state
of Minnesota, it was huge for
recruiting and huge for our
football team. Coming back from
a game like Michigan, we were so
excited — the adrenaline took us
all the way back to our complex.
We had a bunch of Minnesota
fans lined up to greet us. It was an
unbelievable feeling.
TMD: Why don’t you have
social media?
ML: I had a Twitter last
summer. I got one and had it up
until like three games into the
season when finally — I wasn’t
using it at all three games into the
season and a lot of people were
talking trash so I was like, “What
is this? C’mon!” So I just deleted
it. And then I had had Facebook
since high school, and before our
bowl game I was just like, “You
know, I’m just going to be done
with social media.” And I deleted
that too. I don’t know, life’s been
pretty good since. I haven’t had
to waste any time. I get all my
homework done since I’m not
scrolling through my Facebook
feed. Unfortunately, you guys (the
media) don’t have a choice.
TMD: After a couple strong
seasons, it seems your team is
gaining popularity among fans
again. How have things changed
with the wins?
ML: It’s been awesome. When
I first got to campus, people
didn’t like the football players too
much, to be honest with you. It
wasn’t that much of a thing. It was
hockey, basketball. Football, it
was just like “Eh, you guys suck.”
So basically, we start winning
some games, and to have people
in class, teachers, professors be
excited about your games and
other students, it’s a really cool
feeling. It’s something I hadn’t
really experienced since high
school, to be honest.
TMD:
To
go
with
that
momentum, Minnesota got its
own stadium close to campus and,
after some debate, decided to sell
alcohol at the stadium this year.
You won’t benefit from it, but did
they make the right call?
ML: Yeah. People are usually
in the parking lot getting pretty
ripped up anyway, but I think
it’s a great thing to serve it at the
stadiums, because I think it gets
your fanbase a little more crazy
and gets ‘em louder, so I’m all for
that, especially at home games.
That’s too bad that the rest of the
teams aren’t doing that.
TMD: Do you feel like your
team has to battle the hockey
team for prominence on campus?
Hockey is pretty big in Minnesota.
ML: I think the hockey team not
winning a national championship
last year kind of helped us out a
little bit. We were playing on Jan.
1, and because those guys didn’t
win the national championship,
it felt like people got a lot more
excited about us and football
was bigger than hockey for a bit.
But you never really know. It’s
a hockey state, that’s the way it
goes. I like playing a little pond
hockey myself here and there.
But we all get along. It’s not like
there’s any tension or bitterness
between the sports.
TMD:
Minnesota
has
a
different culture than the coasts
or the South where a lot of
Minnesota’s players come from.
Do they have to adjust to the
culture at all?
ML:
It
was
funny.
Josh
Campion, our right guard, he
lives up in Fergus Falls, which
is in northern Minnesota, and
we brought quite a few guys up
there back in late June, and it
was just fun seeing all the guys
floating down the river and stuff
like that, and to see KJ (Maye,
the team’s leading receiver) up
there exploring nature and having
a good time. We had a lot of fun.
Guys like to get out and go to
the lakes. That’s a big thing to
do in Minnesota in the summer
time, and I think guys have been
enjoying it.
FOOTBALL
BEHIND
ENEMY
LINES
coach Tracy Claeys.
“I think that’s probably very
indicative of who (Kill) is, and
maybe the best credit to him is
they would play like their hair’s
on fire regardless,” said Michigan
tight ends coach Jay Harbaugh. “I
think that says a lot about who he
is and how he coaches. You’re not
going to show up and see a differ-
ent team. I think that’s how he
would want it, too, and that’s how
those guys play.”
The Golden Gophers run a fairly
balanced offense in which they
rush slightly more than they pass.
Running back Rodney Smith is the
primary ball carrier, and he has
earned a solid 4.1 yards per carry
so far this season, totaling 487.
Outside of Smith, change-of-pace
back Shannon Brooks has cranked
out 321 yards on just 45 carries.
But the player to watch for
Minnesota is quarterback Mitch
Leidner. Leidner is on pace for
a career year with 1,310 passing
yards through seven games. Of
course, racking up yards against
the Michigan defense has proven
a near-impossible task all season
long for opponents.
Of the seven quarterbacks
Michigan has faced, just two —
Utah’s Travis Wilson and Michi-
gan State’s Connor Cook — have
eclipsed 200 yards passing. And
with the Wolverines coming off
a devastating loss on the final
play against Michigan State, the
Golden Gophers’ offense is in the
unenviable position of getting the
next crack at them.
“I feel bad for Minnesota,” said
senior defensive end Royce Jen-
kins-Stone on Monday. “We’re
going to be coming out with a lot
of energy now.”
Even after giving up 27 points
and 386 yards to the Spartans,
the Wolverines boast the nation’s
No. 1 scoring defense and the
No. 1 total defense. Anchored by
a stout, veteran line, Michigan
has wreaked havoc in opponents’
backfields all season. Leidner
can expect to be forced out of the
pocket early and often, at which
point he’ll be tasked with finding
receivers blanketed by one of the
Big Ten’s top secondaries.
On the other side of the ball,
things are a little less certain for
the Wolverines. De’Veon Smith
will get his carries against a Min-
nesota defense that ranks in the
middle of the Big Ten in rush
defense, but he has proven to be
a boom-or-bust back so far this
season.
While Smith has gone over 120
yards twice this year, he has also
been held under 60 yards four
times, including each of the last
two games. But Smith’s bruis-
ing style remains a threat, and
it can be bolstered by contribu-
tions from senior fullback Sione
Houma and redshirt junior run-
ning back Drake Johnson.
Still, this contest will be heav-
ily influenced by the way each
team harnesses its emotions.
And while Michigan is favored
by two touchdowns, the unpre-
dictable reactions to those emo-
tions could swing the contest in
either direction.
MINNESOTA
From Page 1