Game #12 – University of Michigan

This doesn’t feel right, writing a preview post during Thanksgiving weekend, but here we are in this brave new world. Next season we’ll be writing meaningful regular season posts in December. This ain’t your dad’s Big Ten anymore.

So the University of Michigan Wolverines roll into the Horseshoe tomorrow, with hopes of a colossal upset that would solidify Rich Rodriguez’s job for the foreseeable future and officially declare that Michigan is “back” and that the rivalry means something again. The upstart Wolverines, behind Mr. Do-Everything Denard Robinson, are looking for the first victory over Ohio State in forever and know what this could do for their program.

Yeah, that won’t be happening this year.

But being an Ohio State blogger with some free time this weekend, I still need to put forward something resembling a preview. So let’s get Denarded in here.

For brevity’s sake, I’m not going to dwell on the match-ups too much for this game. We already know what we’re getting with Ohio State’s offense going up against Michigan’s defense. (I’m calling it a “defense” here only in the academic sense: they have 11 players on the field, each occupying a position that could be considered a defender. How much “defensing” they actually do is debatable).

We know that Pryor will manage the game effectively, with weapons like Boom Herron and Dane Sanzenbacher at his disposal. I don’t expect anything flashy or out of the ordinary. Straight-ahead, snot-bubble, smash-mouth football. Expect the offense to come out throwing early and then finishing off the day with a steady dose of Herron, Saine and Hall. I also look for Pryor to make a play or two with his legs. But against this defense, I don’t think there will be much resistance.

What I’m interested in and what this game boils down to, for me, is Denard Robinson versus the Ohio State Defense. As many know, I am one of those Ohio State fans that wants Michigan to be successful eleven out of their twelve games. I didn’t actually root for them as I watched their games this season, but I was pleasantly surprised to see them find success early on. As I watched Denard shred defenses (starting with UConn) all season long, I couldn’t help but wonder what he would do against the Silver Bullets. Well, we don’t have to wait much longer.

I am anxious to see what the game plan will be. Will he get his 350+ against a defense that is giving up 241 yards again? As was mentioned in the comments earlier, that is an unstoppable force/immovable object situation. Problem is, that “unstoppable force” is a little six foot, buck-eight-five sophomore quarterback. He will be hit hard and hit often. How long will it last?

In the end, he may not even make it to the end of the game. Hines and Rolle will see to that.

Finally, I wish only for the best for the outgoing seniors. Heyward, Homan, Rolle, Hines and others have played and given us four great years of football. We wish them the best and hope they will be the next class of seniors that have never tasted bitter defeat at the hands of the Michigan Wolverines.

I don’t see this one ever being in doubt.

OSU 38
Michigan 14