FootballSaturday, October 12, 2018
8B
What to Watch For: Wisconsin
By MAX MARCOVITCH
Daily Sports Editor
Seeking
copious
amounts
of
unnecessary
stress
with
potential
for
gut-wrenching
twists and turns?
Boy, do I have the Saturday
evening activity for you.
No. 15 Wisconsin comes to
Michigan Stadium to face off
against No. 12 Michigan, in the
first leg of a season-defining
three-game
stretch
for
the
Wolverines. Chances are, your
opinion
of
this
Wolverines
team will change drastically
by Sunday morning, one way or
another.
Michigan’s goals all remain
on the table. But in order to
maintain hopes of a Big Ten
Championship,
it
must
win
two of the next three games at
minimum. All three, and you can
start to sniff a College Football
Playoff appearance.
One step at a time, though.
The Badgers — a Big Ten
contender in their own right —
will pose a proper litmus test for
just how far the Wolverines have
come since the opening-week
loss to Notre Dame. Here’s what
you should be watching for in
the high-stakes affair:
Who plays, who doesn’t and
how it affects the run defense
Simple enough, right? But this
could well be the difference.
Slowing
down
Badgers
running back Jonathan Taylor
and
the
vaunted
Wisconsin
rushing attack is a chore on its
own. Taylor has rushed for 849
of the Badgers’ 1,435 rushing
yards on the season. Taylor is
ranked third nationally in that
category, and Wisconsin ranks
fourth — behind three triple-
option offenses.
The Badgers run the ball nearly
twice as often as they throw it;
there’s no mystery about what
Wisconsin wants to do. Slowing
them down becomes infinitely
more difficult if Michigan is
missing key contributors on the
defensive line.
There is little clarity on
whether junior Rashan Gary
(AC
joint),
junior
Michael
Dwumfour
(leg),
sophomore
Aubrey Solomon (knee) or junior
Carlo Kemp will be able to aid
that effort on the field.
For the most part, mum’s the
word, though Solomon’s mother
posted a photo on Twitter of
Solomon after practice — in
which he participated. Solomon
hasn’t played since the game
against the Fighting Irish.
Purely speculative, it seems
like it would take a substantial
injury to keep Gary out of this
one.
Harbaugh
hinted
after
last week’s game that he held
Gary out in Michigan’s game
with Maryland against Gary’s
preference. If he does play, it’s
worth monitoring how effective
he’ll be at a level that will
almost certainly be less than 100
percent. Gary’s presence alone
will help draw attention, but
mere “presence” only goes so far.
Regardless of the status of
those
aforementioned,
this
will be a big game for fifth-
year seniors Bryan Mone and
Lawrence Marshall, both of
whom have taken circuitous
routes back into the defensive
tackle rotation. Both will be
counted on to hold their ground
against
Wisconsin’s
mauling
offensive line.
This might be the biggest
game of their seasons (careers?),
individually.
Can
Michigan
shut
down
Taylor
and
Wisconsin’s
run
game?
That
seems
highly
unlikely. But the Wolverines —
with the nation’s sixth-ranked
rush defense — can absolutely
slow it down. And if they do,
it’s not hard to envision this
ending in a victory, maybe even
a comfortable one.
But, that’s a big if.
How far has this offense
come since Notre Dame?
This
entire
article
could
be summarized in that one
sentence: How far has this team
come?
The
signs
have
been
encouraging on many levels from
what appears to be an improving
team. But with that progress
coming against five opponents
with inferior talent, it will be
impossible to know just how far
the Wolverines have come until
they step on the field Saturday
night.
Against the Fighting Irish,
Michigan’s
offense
mustered
just three points until late in the
fourth quarter while scrambling
to mount a comeback. Since
that
game,
the
Wolverines
have averaged 42.4 points per
contest. For the first time since
Sept. 1, though, they will face
a unit comparable to the Notre
Dame defense that controlled
the game.
How far has the offensive line
come? Can the young receivers
gain
separation
consistently?
Will the tight ends continue to
be weapons? Can they convert
red
zone
appearances
into
touchdowns?
Let’s find out.
Can
they
control
the
emotions at night?
I know what you’re thinking. I
can see your eyes rolling.
I, too, generally hate sports
clichés like this one. But it’s
a reality that several players
addressed
this
week:
Night
games — especially at home,
with College Gameday in town
— are different, and thus require
different preparation.
“Big stage, some people get a
little bit too energetic, or some
people get a little bit too down,”
said junior safety Josh Metellus.
“They don’t want to mess up.”
This is just the sixth night
game
in
Michigan
Stadium
history. The crowd will be
amped.
Often
those
heightened
emotions only last for the early
portion of the game before
tapering off. But twice now,
Michigan
has
trailed
by
a
large deficit early, tasked with
climbing back into the game.
Against Notre Dame at night,
the Wolverines trailed, 21-3,
before anyone could catch their
breath.
At Northwestern, Michigan
was ultimately able to overcome
a quick 17-0 deficit, scoring 20
unanswered points.
If a similar start ensues
Saturday, though, it would be
tough to imagine the Wolverines
mounting
a
large
comeback
against a sound Wisconsin team.
Keeping emotions in check will
play a big role in how the game
starts.
Shea Patterson, here’s your
moment
At the risk of hyperbole, this
stretch coming up is why Shea
Patterson came to Michigan.
He’s been vocal about playing
in — and winning — big games.
Here’s his shot under the lights
at Michigan Stadium.
In the 2016 matchup, Wilton
Speight completed a 46-yard
pass to Amara Darboh with
7:56 left to take a 14-7 lead.
The Wolverines beat then-No.
8 Wisconsin by that same score
(with an assist from Jourdan
Lewis’ right arm). It’s hardly
implausible
to
imagine
this
year’s version coming down
to a similar situation. And if it
does, Patterson has given fans
no reason to doubt he’ll come
through.
He’s on pace for over 2,500
passing yards, 26 touchdowns
and a 68.8 completion percentage
over a 13-game season; the
junior quarterback is arguably
in the midst of the best season
by a Michigan quarterback since
Denard Robinson was under
center.
But
fairly
or
otherwise,
Patterson will ultimately be
judged by how he plays in — and
whether he wins — these big
games. He’d be the first to tell
you that.
Prediction: 23-20, Michigan
Well, here you go.
BY THE NUMBERS
Michigan vs. Wisconsin
465
Total yards by Michigan against
Maryland
370
Rushing yards by Wisconsin against
Nebraska
294
Passing yards by Michigan against
Maryland
163
Recieving yards by Wisconsin
against Nebraska
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Junior defensive end Rashan Gary was sidelined with an injury during Michigan’s 42-21 win over Maryland last week.