MICHIGAN (8-5, 6-2)
Last year was a season of near misses for the Michigan football team. The Wolverines just missed beating rivals Notre Dame and Ohio State and just missed representing the Legends Division in the Big Ten Championship game by losing to Nebraska. With some strong recruiting classes under his belt, third-year coach Brady Hoke hopes to turn those near misses into hits in 2013.
OFFENSE: The Wolverines lost one of the most dynamic players in their history when quarterback Denard Robinson was drafted into the NFL by the Jacksonville Jaguars in April. Replacing him will be red-shirt junior Devin Gardner, who may be just as dynamic, but who is a little larger, weighing in at 210 pounds. The two quarterbacks posted comparable stats In 2012 – Robinson threw for 1,319 yards and nine touchdowns and Gardner threw for 1,219 yards and 11 TDs. But what Hoke and his offensive staff will miss most about Robinson is his running. Last year, Robinson ran for 1,266 yards and scored seven times on the ground. What’s nice for Gardner is that red-shirt senior left tackle Taylor Lewan decided to come back for his last year in Ann Arbor, instead of going to the NFL, where he would have most likely been a first-round selection.
DEFENSE: The Michigan defense should be on solid ground, even though the unit lost five players to graduation. The defense has at least two players returning at each level (line, linebacker, and defensive backfield), including red-shirt junior linebacker Jake Ryan, who led the team in tackles with 88 and in sacks with 4.5. Special teams should also be solid, as kicker Brendan Gibbons and share-time punters Will Hagerup and Matt Wile return.
OUR TAKE: There is no reason that the Wolverines can’t make a strong push to post double digit wins and make it to the Big Ten Championship game. Michigan hosts its three biggest games this year (Notre Dame, Nebraska, and Ohio State), and only has one road game until almost mid-October. That sets up for some good momentum.
COACH’S COMMENT: “I like our football team. I usually don’t say that. I said it after the spring. I will continue to say it, because I like how they’ve handled themselves on the field and off the field so far this summer. I like their work ethic and how they’ve represented Michigan in a lot of ways,” Hoke said at Big Ten Media Day.
SCHEDULE:
8/31 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 3:30 p.m.
9/7 NOTRE DAME 8: 00 p.m.
9/14 AKRON 3:30 p.m.
9/21 Connecticut TBA
10/5 MINNESOTA 3:30 p.m.
10/12 Penn State 5:00 p.m.
10/19 INDIANA 3:30 p.m.
11/2 Michigan State TBA
11/9 NEBRASKA TBA
11/16 Northwestern TBA
11/23 Iowa TBA
11/30 OHIO STATE TBA
12/7 Big Ten Championship Game TBA