FootballSaturday, October 12, 2018
6B
Breakdown: ‘M’ vs. Wisconsin
By MARK CALCAGNO
Daily Sports Editor
Here it is.
After
four
blowout
wins
and
one
furious
comeback
in
Evanston,
the
Michigan
football team finally has its
chance
at
another
ranked
opponent. The Wolverines’ last
shot, of course, ended with a
loss to Notre Dame to open
their season.
But since then, Michigan’s
offense has added dynamism
thanks to needed improvement
on its line. Junior quarterback
Shea Patterson has been kept
heathy and mostly upright,
allowing
him
to
throw
10
touchdowns with a completion
percentage
approaching
70
percent.
Those numbers make the
Wolverines’ next three games
—
Saturday’s
contest
with
Wisconsin, next week’s game at
Michigan State and then home
against Penn State — seem more
winnable than they did directly
after the loss in South Bend.
The
Badgers,
however,
have the best rushing attack
Michigan
will
face
in
the
regular season, along with a
proven quarterback in Alex
Hornibrook. The teams’ last
meeting went Wisconsin’s way,
24-10, last November.
The Wolverines have the
chance to avenge that loss
and earn a marquee win this
weekend.
Here’s
how
the
Badgers and Michigan match
up.
Michigan pass offense vs.
Wisconsin’s pass defense
Nebraska
threw
for
407
yards against the Badgers last
Saturday — two weeks after
mustering just 93 yards through
the air against the Wolverines.
Wisconsin
struggled
with
the mobility of Cornhuskers
quarterback Adrian Martinez,
who was also dangerous hitting
receivers with consistent time
in the pocket.
Perpetuating the Badgers’
difficulties
are
four
key
injuries to their secondary.
Safety
D’Cota
Dixon
said
he’ll play despite being listed
as
questionable
while
his
counterpart, Scott Nelson, will
miss the first half after being
ejected from last week’s game.
Caesar Williams and Deron
Harrell — Wisconsin’s starting
corners — are also questionable.
Patterson made play after
play last week in Michigan’s
victory over Maryland, and
with Wisconsin’s injuries, he
could do more of the same
against the Badgers.
Edge: Michigan
Michigan rush offense vs.
Wisconsin’s rush defense
Wisconsin’s
bad
luck
worsened Thursday morning
with the news that defensive
end Isaiahh Loudermilk will
not make the trip to Ann Arbor.
Loudermilk is the team’s best
pass rusher and a crucial part of
its run defense, which is ranked
fifth in the Big Ten and allows
130.2 yards per game.
On the other side, running
backs
coach
Jay
Harbaugh
said on Wednesday that he
“expects” Chris Evans to play.
The junior running back went
through warmups last week
,but ultimately sat out his third
consecutive game.
Senior running back Karan
Higdon has carried the ship in
Evans’ absence with 30 and 25
carries for 115 and 103 yards,
respectively,
the
past
two
games. Despite the Badgers’
sturdy front, Higdon should
get another heavy workload
Saturday with Michigan’s run-
first style.
Last week, redshirt junior
left tackle Jon Runyan said
his
group
has
room
for
improvement in run blocking,
and this week would be the
perfect time to make that jump.
Edge: Toss-up
Michigan pass defense vs.
Wisconsin pass offense
Wisconsin quarterback Alex
Hornibrook has been stellar
on the road, throwing for 18
touchdowns
and
just
three
interceptions his past 10 games.
Hornibrook
wasn’t
fantastic
in last season’s meeting —
9-of-19 for 143 yards — but he
made trademark tight-window
throws to hurt the Wolverines
in
key
moments.
Michigan
allows just 134 yards per game
through the air, but penalties
have
somewhat
offset
that
low mark. If the Wolverines
can apply pressure and get
to
Hornibrook
on
multiple
occasions, it’ll pay dividends
for their pass defense.
Edge: Michigan
Michigan run defense vs.
Wisconsin’s run offense
It’s power football at its finest:
the country’s third-ranked run
defense against its third-ranked
rusher, Jonathan Taylor.
AARON BAKER/Daily
Junior quarterback Shea Patterson has thrown 10 touchdowns so far this season, almost reaching a completion percentage of 70 percent through six games.s
For in-game updates
Follow @MikeDPersak, @ethanewolfe,
@Max_Marcovitch and
@MWCalcagno on Twitter during
Saturday’s game.