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TheMichiganDaily, www.michigandaily.com
What to Watch For
Saturday, the No. 7 Michigan
football team (1-0 Big Ten, 4-0
overall) will host in-state rival
Michigan State in the first night
game at Michigan Stadium since
2014.
The last time the Wolverines
played a night game at home, Brady
Hoke was the coach and Devin
Gardner was the quarterback.
Times have changed, but the
storylines are just as intriguing.
Here’s what to watch for when
the Spartans and Wolverines
kickoff at primetime this weekend.
1. O’Korn’s big day
Wilton Speight is out. John
O’Korn is in.
After
transferring
from
Houston and losing the position
battle two years in a row, the fifth-
year senior is set to be Michigan’s
quarterback for the foreseeable
future.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh
said Monday that Speight would
be out for “multiple weeks” due
to a soft-tissue injury. O’Korn is
next in line, and following him
are redshirt freshman Brandon
Peters
and
freshman
Dylan
McCaffrey.
While O’Korn hasn’t played
consistently during his college
career, he threw for 270 yards and
a touchdown off the bench against
Purdue. He has enough offensive
weapons to utilize — various tight
ends and a deep running back
group — that he can fall back on if
he starts to struggle.
2. Michigan State’s weapon:
Lewerke to Davis
Michigan’s
run
defense
is
the best in the nation, but it will
face a challenge from Spartan
quarterback Brian Lewerke, who
has rushed for 248 yards and two
touchdowns this season. The
Wolverines have faced a mobile
quarterback before — Air Force’s
Arion Worthman — and they were
able to quickly settle in and shut
him down.
Lewerke’s playing at a high level,
and while his feet certainly pose a
threat, his recent connections with
leading wide receiver Felton Davis
III are where the Wolverines need
to be focused. Davis caught two
touchdown passes from Lewerke
against Iowa last weekend.
Michigan’s
defensive
backs
have done well so far against the
pass, but Davis will be one of
the top receivers they face this
season.
3. Will the running backs
keep spreading the wealth?
The running back revolving
door
continues
to
rotate.
Sophomore Chris Evans is the
latest to feature in the spotlight,
and
exceled
against
Purdue
with two touchdown rushes and
97 yards. Evans’ performance
against the Boilermakers brought
back memories of last year’s
Hawaii game, when he had two
touchdowns as well.
In both games, Evans displayed
remarkable
acceleration.
His
speed differentiates him from the
other running backs: fifth-year
senior Ty Isaac and junior Karan
Higdon.
Michigan State’s defense has
done well to stop the run so far,
holding opponents to an average
of just 96 yards per game. Earlier
this week, Isaac spent time
evaluating the Spartans’ defense,
commenting on its physicality and
blitz-heavy packages.
Isaac and Higdon, due to their
size, are best suited to handle a
physical run, but in the open field,
it’s Evans that stands out from the
pack.
4. Will Chase Winovich take a
single snap off?
Two
days
after
Michigan
defeated
Purdue,
defensive
coordinator Don Brown went on
the “Inside Michigan Football”
radio show and informed the
public that Winovich played every
snap of Saturday’s game against
the Boilermakers.
The
feat
is
impressive
regardless,
but
was
even
more
astounding
given
that
the
Wolverines’
defensive
end accumulated 50 snaps in
90-degree heat. As if that weren’t
enough, Winovich finished with
six tackles and four sacks — a
performance that garnered him
Big Ten co-defensive player of the
week honors.
Saturday night is expected to
hover in the low 80s, and it will
have all the energy of a night
game against an in-state rival to
go with it. Expecting a repeat of
Purdue isn’t too reasonable, but if
someone on Michigan is going to
do it, Winovich is the best bet.
because of his arm. He is
also the leading rusher for the
Spartans.
Lewerke has rushed for 278
yards on 38 attempts and scored
two touchdowns. By comparison,
Michigan State’s lead running
back, LJ Scott, has gained 227
yards on 58 attempts and has only
scored once.
He hasn’t gone up against the
Wolverines’ front four, though.
The defensive line is the heart and
soul of Michigan’s No. 1 overall
defense, leading the nation in
sacks and not trailing by much in
tackles-for-loss. Lewerke might
run straight into a brick wall
against the Wolverines.
Edge: Michigan
Special teams
The story seems pretty set for
Michigan in this phase of the
game.
Redshirt
freshman
kicker
Quinn Nordin has become a
reliable source of points for a
struggling offense this season.
If called upon against Michigan
State, Nordin can be expected to
put the ball through the uprights.
Sophomore punter Will Hart
has faced numerous problems
in his first season as the starter.
Though he has averaged 37 yards
per punt with a long of 61, he has
been responsible for multiple
obvious errors. Freshman Brad
Robbins took over against Purdue,
punting seven times with an
average of 40 yards. Robbins will
likely retain that starting spot
against the Spartans.
Michigan State hasn’t done
much in the kicking game, but
punter Jake Hartbarger averages
43 yards on his attempts, slightly
bypassing Hart.
Edge: Michigan
Intangibles
With the Paul Bunyan trophy
on the line in a historic edition of
the in-state rivalry, there is a lot at
stake for both teams.
But in three previous night
games at Michigan Stadium, the
Wolverines have come away with
a victory. They are favored to
do the same in their fourth this
Saturday.
Not many in Ann Arbor have
forgotten the events of that dreary
October night two seasons ago.
Michigan surely hasn’t. That’s as
big a motivational tool as it gets.
Edge: Michigan
Prediction:
Michigan
24,
Michigan State 14
BREAKDOWN
From Page 6
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Fifth-year senior quarterback John O’Korn will take the field as Michigan’s starter against Michigan State, as Wilton Speight is still sidelined with an injury from Purdue.
TED JANES
Daily Sports Writer