Before I get into the game, one quick recruiting note. According to the Sun-Sentinel, WR Jehu Chesson is scheduled to visit for the Purdue game, which would make things very interesting because most Michigan fans are already assuming Amara Darboh will be the 2nd receiver, assuming Payton picks UM. However! Since I tweeted the Chesson visit yesterday, I've had a couple people telling me this visit probably won't happen, and looking back on the Sun-Sentinel article, there are no quotes, so don't be surprised if he doesn't show. Onto the game:
I know Purdue had a nice win against Illinois last weekend, but I really don't see them as a major threat here. Firstly, the game is at the Big House and secondly Michigan's players should be eager to prove themselves after a pretty poor showing in East Lansing.
Michigan needs to get the running game going early, and I think they'll be able to that against a Purdue front seven that doesn't really have any standout players. In the passing game, Denard will have to watch out for Purdue's CBs, who are pretty good; especially Ricardo Allen. But coming off a bye week, Michigan has had plenty of time to work on their timings etc, so I expect Denard to come out throwing well.
On offense, the Boilermakers like to run the ball, but they aren't really that good at it; nobody on the team has rushed for over 400 yards. I think Michigan's defense should handle them quite comfortably and hold them under 20 points.
Michigan will get off to a good start and eventually pull away in the 2nd half behind a strong defensive performance from Greg Mattison's crew.
Prediction: Michigan 38 ; Purdue 16
My pre-season pick was Michigan 31-20. Michigan is a little better than I expected so the spread might grow.
ReplyDeleteFactors:
1) the bye week
2) Michigan was never expected to go to the Conference Championship but then it looked like a win over Sparty was going to make it happen.......then. Some teams would come back deflated/defeated. I don't see that with this team because our coaching is too good.
Benji,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the preview. I got UM winning 35-12.
Benji on a sidenote how do you watch the games?
Three-star wide receiver Jehu Chesson has a top-five list, and Northwestern is in the mix. He is one of the top prospects in the U.S. as rated by MaxPreps.
ReplyDeleteThe 6-foot-4 wide receiver from Ladue remains one of the top prospects for football recruiting this fall. Chesson is looking at pass-happy programs like Missouri, Illinois, Michigan and the Wildcats.
Oklahoma State had a recruiter at Saturday's homecoming where Ladue thrashed Affton 48-0.
Chesson stars on the Rams basketball team and is a key member of the track team, anchoring several relays.
Ladue has run off four straight wins and travels for their first district game Thursday night at Duchense in St. Charles.
Chesson has caught 26 passes for 352 yards and just two TDs this season. He averages 13.5 yards per catch. On defense, he has 15 tackles.
Rivals inside the fort update says that Dumb may still be coming to Ann Arbor this weekend, so don't rule it out! They also say Treadwell could just be waiting the go ahead from mom. Him and his mom plan on visiting for the Ohio game. They also said and I quote, "We're still getting positive reports on New Jersey Don Bosco Prep standout cornerback Yuri Wright. As we have maintained, he seems to be the type who will find what he's looking for in Ann Arbor ... The right fit".
ReplyDeleteDowling Catholic star receiver Amara Darboh is expected to make his return from a shoulder injury on Wednesday when the eighth-ranked Maroons open the playoffs against Ames.
ReplyDeleteDarboh hasn’t played since Sept. 23 when he sustained the injury on a first-quarter kickoff return against Southeast Polk. The Maroons suffered a 27-9 defeat that night, but Dowling hasn’t lost in three games without its highly recruited receiver. Darboh has hauled in scholarship offers from schools such as Iowa, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame and Wisconsin.
“He’s been practicing for the past two and a half weeks and we plan to have him back on Wednesday,” coach Tom Wilson said. “He’s looked great. If I didn’t know better, I wouldn’t be able to tell he ever got hurt. I think the time off has allowed his legs to rest a little bit as well.”
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ReplyDeleteWhat, no commitments yet?
ReplyDeleteThat's rarely the case in the immediate aftermath of a big weekend, and Notre Dame has little reason to worry after last Saturday's showcase.
Good news could be on the way soon, however, with four-star wide receiver Jordan Payton. After seeing Notre Dame up-close this past weekend, Payton delayed his originally scheduled Tuesday announcement.
Payton, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound wideout from Oaks Christian (Calif.) High School, is deciding between the Irish and Michigan at the moment.
Keith Marshall's weekend visit to Notre Dame helped the Fighting Irish on two fronts.
ReplyDelete“I had a great time at Notre Dame,” the nation's second-highest rated tailback told ESPN.com in a text message. “The game day atmosphere was electric, and I also like how academics is taken very seriously.”
Academics should play a key role in the recruitment of Marshall, who has a 4.3 grade-point average at Raleigh (N.C.) Millbrook.
Offensive lineman Zach Banner (Lakewood, Wash./Lakes) took his third official visit of the year to Notre Dame this past weekend. The big tackle has previously visited Michigan and Oklahoma.
ReplyDelete“I had a great time, Notre Dame is a very good school,” Banner said. “The tradition really sets it apart from other places and the game atmosphere was incredible. They have a good team and I think they’re definitely headed in the right direction.
“I like the coaching staff a lot and I fit in well with the guys on the team. Academically, you can’t go wrong and a degree from Notre Dame allows you a ton of options after football. There was some serious talent in the stands and a highlight of the visit was hanging out with all my boys who I consider friends now.”
Two-way lineman Kenny Lacy (Phoenix, Ariz./Mountain Pointe) is just a junior but already one of the top prospects in the state. The ESPNU 150 Watch List member picked up his second scholarship offer earlier this week. This one coming from Michigan.
ReplyDeleteLacy is talented athlete who excels in football as well as on the hardwood. At 6-foot-5, 255 pounds, he has a natural tackle frame but said he would like to start out on the defensive side of the ball in college.
“Defensive end is my favorite position,” Lacy said. “I play defensive end and tackle as well as offensive tackle and I like end the best. If I had to play defensive tackle in college, then I would prefer to play on the offensive line but I’ll play wherever I’m needed, it won’t impact my recruitment.”
The nation's No. 5 player Andrus Peat has scheduled only his second official visit. Peat will visit Nebraska on Nov. 26 after being forced to miss his first attempt at a visit.
ReplyDeleteThis week Peat reports he has plans to visit Stanford on November 19 when the Cardinal host the Ducks for a big-time Pac-12 showdown.
Peat said he also wants to visit Florida, Florida State, Auburn, Notre Dame and possibly Texas in the future. Recruits are only allowed five official visits during their recruitment, Peat said he will take more unofficial visits if necessary.
At the moment it appears Stanford, Nebraska and FSU may have the upper hand in his recruitment. Still, with recruiting and all of his official visits remaining, anything can happen between now and February.
Peat is a five-star recruit with a 247Rating of 99.
Josh Garnett is starting to finally open up about his recruitment, and it looks like his first visits will be toward the east and away from the Pac-12. The Puyallup offensive tackle is sure of at least two official visits he wants to take, and one potential official he would like to take.
ReplyDeleteAlthough he has only one official visit set up, there are two other programs in good shape for a potential visit.
"I'm going to Michigan on Nov. 19 when they play Nebraska," Garnett said. "I'm also going to visit Miami at some point also. I'm thinking pretty seriously about visiting Oklahoma too."
Garnett has always been quiet on his recruitment--the only clue being this little tidbit about Stanford--so it's always hard to get a read on where he's favoring right now. But it has to feel good for both Miami and Michigan to at least be involved in the conversation at this point. Pac-12 schools shouldn't consider themselves out of the running, but they'll probably have to wait awhile before they can get a read on where Garnett wants to go. At this point it looks like the race is wide open.
Toledo (Ohio) Central Catholic junior defensive back Jayme Thompson is a new name on the radar to Michigan fans. He'll make his first trip to the Big House this weekend.
ReplyDeleteAfter staying quiet for a few weeks, consensus top-five national power forward prospect Mitch McGary has broken his silence.
ReplyDeleteHe says he'll announce his college commitment next week, and the Michigan basketball program is on his short list.
"I can honestly say that right now I don't know where I"m going so anything you read that says I do isn't true," McGary said Thursday. "At this point, I'm focusing on Florida, Duke and Michigan."
The 6-foot-10, 250-pound McGary is preparing for his final prep season at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, and began his round of official visits in September with a trip to Ann Arbor for the Michigan football team's season-opener against Western Michigan.
McGary writes in his blog that the whole process has been "really stressful" and "it's been hard on my family."
He says he took some time to just be with family and friends to clear his head, and he says he's ready to make his choice.
McGary also said that previous candidates to land his services, North Carolina and Maryland, are now off his list. He also added that he intends to make his decision known through his personal ESPN blog.
"Obviously, I've got some great options," McGary wrote. "But this next week I'll really be doing a lot of thinking about what the perfect situation for me will be."
Though they are still only juniors in high school, several class of 2013 prospects already have been offered scholarships to play Division 1 football and the Michigan Wolverines are recruiting numerous players that fall into that category. Below is a look at the prospects that will be some of the most highly recruited players in Michigan over the next 18 months.
ReplyDeleteOffensive lineman Cameron Dillard of Canton High School:The 6-foot-3, 285-pound lineman is having a strong junior season for Canton High School and is getting multiple Big Ten looks. He already has been offered by Eastern Michigan. Dillard has made huge strides over the past year and could be highly recruited this spring.
Running back Gerald Holmes of Flint Carman-Ainsworth:Holmes recently picked up his first scholarship offer from the Toledo Rockets. Standing at 6-foot-1, 200-pounds Holmes is also a bigger running back. He performed well this past summer at the Spartan Camp. He’s been hearing from Iowa, Michigan and Illinois.
Offensive lineman Nate Jeppesen of Portage Central High School:The 6-foot-4, 265-pound prospect was offered by Central Michigan and Western Michigan after strong camp performances this past summer. The Spartans had him on campus over the summer and are taking a close look at him as a possible guard prospect for the class of 2013.
Defensive back Jourdan Lewis of Detroit Cass Tech High School:Lewis is the next in a line of talented defensive backs to come out of Cass Tech. He already has a Toledo offer. Michigan State has had little success recruiting Cass Tech and if Lewis is offered by the University of Michigan, look for his recruitment to end.
Defensive end Luke MacLean of Grand Blanc High School:The Michigan State staff views the 6-foot-4, 240-pound MacLean as an athletic defensive end in the mold of current Spartan Marcus Rush. MacLean has been offered by Buffalo and was in East Lansing the last two weekends. He will visit Michigan this weekend.
Offensive tackle Riley Norman of Cadillac High School: Norman is a massive offensive tackle that measures in at 6-foot-7, 315-pounds. The Spartans pulled the trigger early on a scholarship offer for Norman and want him to be an anchor on the offensive line. Norman could come in and challenge for playing time after a redshirt.
Linebacker Jon Reschke of Birmingham Brother Rice High School:The son of a former Spartan player, Michigan State views the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Reschke as a middle-linebacker prospect that can come in and eventually replace current standout Max Bullough. The Spartans offered him back in July after he excelled in camp.
Athlete Wyatt Shallman of Detroit Catholic Central High School:A big athlete at 6-foot-4, 245-pounds, the Spartan staff would like to see Shallman on campus so they can evaluate him and determine what position he projects best at. Michigan and Cincinnati have already offered him.
6'9" 310 lbs, LT - Zach Banner is the son of former NFL All-Pro Lincoln Kennedy and one of the top left tackle prospects in the country. He lives in the state of Washington and had talked about his fondness for OU, but was never really believed to be a serious candidate for the Sooners. However, things have changed pretty considerably in the favor of OU. In a recent interview discussing the recruiting process, Banner dropped this little gem.
ReplyDelete"Oklahoma was my best visit, followed by Michigan and then Notre Dame," Banner said. "It's not that the Notre Dame visit was bad, I loved it there, I'm just not sure if socially I fit in that well. They're still on my list but just going off of the visits and where I thought I fit in the best, it would be Oklahoma on top right now."
Obviously in the game of recruiting, A LOT can change between now and signing day but the fact that OU is currently the favorite for an out of state, elite left tackle prospect is very, very exciting. Especially when you consider that the visit to Michigan he's talking about took place during that crazy UM/ND game. So the atmosphere had to be insane which means OU holding the distinction of his "best visit" says a lot about his experience in Norman.
Jer89, I pay for something called ESPN Player. It's designed for people overseas (I think), and its fairly good quality streams. If a game is on the big ten network, I go to firstrowsports.tv
ReplyDeleteI am glad you get to watch the games. I have a hard enough time finding the game in the states. I live in Florida so it is hard to find UM in a sea of Gators, Noles and Canes.
ReplyDeletejer89, u mite wnna checkout espn3.com,fyi/go blue!!
ReplyDeleteBenji,
ReplyDeleteGreat tip on the firstrowsports.tv website...what else are you holding out on...any good stock tips?? :-D
Mich,
ReplyDeleteI use ESPN3 sometime. Thanks
Where’s five-star Mitch McGary leaning? What’s the buzz around the basketball program, and who is looking good in practice? Those notes and more in this ITF EXTRA …
ReplyDeleteStarting with five-star Mitch McGary out of Wolfeboro (N.H.)BrewsterAcademy, Rivals.com No. 3 player nationally…
The 6-10 McGary is stillplanning on deciding next week, though thefamilyisn’t certain whether or not there will be a press conference. That’s up to Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy head coach Jason Smith, and he’s not returning texts at this point.
Yesterday we wouldn’t have been able to give you a gut feeling. Today we can, and we’d say all signs point to Michigan.SourcesatDukeand Floridabothsay the respective staffs at those schools aren’t confident, and while that could change - it wouldn’t be the first time, and it shouldn’t completely stun anyone if McGary ends up somewhere else (this is basketball recruiting) - we are cautiously optimistic U-M is in the driver’s seat.
This would be another sign that John Beilein’s program is on track to become the Final Four contender he envisioned when he took over at Michigan, and the most significant recruit at U-M since the 1990s. A class of McGary, Glenn Robinson III and NickStauskaswould beamong thebest in the country, and the Wolverines are looking good in ’13, as well, with wing Zak Irvin, point guard Derrick Walton, big man Mark Donnal and shooting guard Austin Hatch in the fold (though Hatch seems destined to reclassify to ’14 if and when he makes it back to the court following recovery from a traumatic head injury suffered in a plane crash).
The bottom line: the future of Michigan basketball hasn’t been brighter since the Fab Five played in the early 90s.
QUIT SWITCHING QB'S!
ReplyDeleteThank you "Hail-to-the-Victors".
ReplyDeleteOn a good note: Mike Martin finally woke up. Good shit.
Check out this article.... after reading it I believe Payton will be going to Notre Dame.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.irishsportsdaily.com/recruiting/notre-dame-football-recruiting/5806-could-payton-fulfill-family-dream
What do you expect it is writen by ND writer?
ReplyDeleteThat's true but payton had it posted on his twitter. And I've heard before that ND was top now after his visit. Having ND being his brothers dream school and him being in Jordan's ear about it i'm sure doesn't help things.
ReplyDeleteIf Payton choose ND thats his choice. UM will be just fine in the long run especaily after what Kelly said about his players this week.
ReplyDeletewhat did kelly say about his players?
ReplyDeleteND is a trainwreck... Ive been to south bend, and outside that Campus, its in the middle of nowhere. A real hole. They get stomped by USC, and then their coach starts spouting off stuff and letting his ego get in the way. So Im wondering what made his visit so great... Great cooking at a tailgate?
ReplyDelete@Jer
ReplyDeleteWhat did Kelly say about his players?
Honestly i would rather close out the class with Wright, Darboh, Madris, and another OL or Shaq Thompson. I think Michigan is good with the Rb situation and I believe Darboh, and Madris have more talent than Payton. Plus i would put my money on Treadwell committing '13 at WR.
@cnote- if you read the article Payton talked about academics and the tradition and some speech a coach gave. Which Michigan I believe personally is better than ND in both tradition and academics
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7163847/brian-kelly-notre-dame-fighting-irish-offends-players-apologizes-report-says
ReplyDeleteND hasn't been a relevant football program for about 20 years. I still don't understand how they continue to get such good recruiting classes. There's no allure of winning a conference title and they haven't won a big game in years (and no beating a down USC team last year doesn't count). Kelly basically said all the players at the school recruiting by Weis are garbage and stink compared to the one recruiting class he has brought in. The upperclassmen then blew up twitter talking about it and were pissed. They have 3 losses this year and should have a fourth if MSU could figure out how to play on the road this year. It's ok if he goes there for a stupid excuse like it's his brother's dream. I'm more than fine with Madaris, Powe, Chesson, or Darboh and then hopefully Treadwell next year. However, if he does decide on the block M I won't hate him for it ;-)
ReplyDeleteI hope folks continue keeping the proper perspective. This is year 1 for Hoke. He is trying to build the correct attitude and production of UM football and instilling this in all his players. I like the switching of the QBs, 1. it take the hits away from Denard,2. the D has to account for Denard, 3. most importantly its about getting real live action for Devin while keeping the kid engaged. Last thing we want is DG wanting to transfer, he is sandwiched bw Denard and Shane Morris coming in. Let the coaches coach, we won 36-14 in a game that wasn't as close as the score displays. What hoke is doing is a complete 180 from what RR did and what we are seeing in the mess at ND. we are seeing changes and performing up and exceeding some expectations at the 8th game of the season, lets enjoy this ride and continue to be proud and anxious for what we have now and in the future
ReplyDeleteThis is what Kelly said.
ReplyDeleteYou can see the players that I recruited here. You know who they are. We’ve had one class of recruiting, kids that I’ve had my hand on. The other guys here are coming along, but it’s a process. It can’t happen over night. They’re getting there. They’re making good progress.”
@ both Akmed and all the lights
ReplyDeletevery well put, both of you
to kind of echo on your commments all of the lights. My wife even made a comment today after watching a few plays. "Wow the coach UM has now is a whole lot better than that other coach they had." I know it doesn't mean much but for a girl who doesn't know much about football to notice a difference in a few plays about how much better Hoke is speaks volumes to me.
So far this year Kelly has.
ReplyDelete1. Verbally abused a player on the field and on t.v
2. Quit on his team
3. Turned on his current players
4. Can't beat Michigan again.
This is what Kelly has done at ND.
Ahh yes he heard a good speech. They must have watched Rudy before the game.
ReplyDeleteHoke's demeanor on the field is encouraging alone. His attitude as to what we should be doing. That 4th and goal that we didnt get, the look on his face after 3rd down was... Run the play... it was a "I expect you to be able to score from there" look.
Defensively you stop them on a 3rd down but Mattison is ticked off... because of 2 offsides penalties. Reiterating that type of defense is NOT acceptable... LOVE IT!
Regardless if Payton or Banner comes or not, I think we are going to have players that fit and can be coached. I think thats more important then the number of stars a player gets.
In terms of comparing ND's tradition and academics to Michigan...
Ill say that tradition wise if you look at former players and wins its not as far apart as you may think. But I still give Michigan the edge. We may not have our own hollywood movie, but the tradition is there. As far as academics..
Not even close.
Iowa and Illinois on the RD here and a better looking Nebraska team at Home.
Oh ya... those toons from down south after that as well. Lets hope Sparty chokes in another game and we run the table.
Go Blue!
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ReplyDeleteDoes anybody have or know where I can find the list of yesterday's recruiting visitors for free? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteKeith,
ReplyDeleteTry going to Touchthebanner.com. Scroll down to recruiting update Oct.30th. There is a list mostly 2013 recruits.
Well I think its safe to say Dunn is not a option anymore he "enjoyed the atmosphere in the shoe " Wisconsin choked again
ReplyDeleteThanks Jer89.
ReplyDelete@akmed
ReplyDeleteYou just have to accept it; Notre Dame is relevant and will continue to be relevant until people just dont care if they are relevant or not. Fact is, just like the Yankees and the Cowboys, Notre Dame is always relevant no matter what their record, even Michigan's AD understands this; thats why they planned the Under the Lights game to be vs Notre Dame, thats why, even though the Under the Lights game was between 2 unranked teams, it was the highest rated college football game EVER on ESPN. People care about Notre Dame, people either absolutely love them or hate them with every bone in their body. So even when Notre Dame is bad, people who hate them will tune in to watch them play because they love to watch them lose.
I dont know how ND continues to recruit at a high level but they do, and they are still very much in play for some of the top recruits in the country in Kiel, Keith Marshall and Shaq Thompson as well as a host of other very good players.
The fact is, Kelly was right about what he said about his players, but he shouldnt have gone to the media about it, just like the players shouldnt have gone to Twitter to complain about it. I think ND is a sleeping giant. If (and thats a very big IF) Kelly can figure it out and fix all the problems that have developed over the last 20 years, it wont take much for ND to be very good again.
Also, I dont know what MSU/ND game you were watching, but ND dominated MSU in all facets of the game. Heck they tried as hard as they could to give the game to MSU and still won. ND could very easily be 7-1 instead of 5-3.
@C-Note:
ReplyDeleteI know Michigan is a very good academic school, but I guess I dont see how its "not even close" when is comes to comparing ND and Mich when it comes to academics?
I only looked at a couple, but most rankings Ive seen have ND ahead of Michigan:
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities
http://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/#p_1_s_arank_
Also, ND consistently has one of the top 3 if not the top grad rates for football every year