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Michigan football made a statement Saturday night as they dismantled No. 21 Minnesota 49-24. The offense put up six touchdowns against the Golden Gophers defense as quarterback Joe Milton moved the ball with ease and the running backs had lanes to run through multiple times. While Milton only threw one touchdown, the ground game was responsible for six rushing touchdowns from multiple players.
Running backs Hassan Haskin, Zach Charbonnet, and Chris Evans accounted for four of them, while Milton ran one in himself. For Michigan, the offense was able to score with different types of players, which shows the versatility of what the offense can put out there.
The defense had a fumble recovery for a touchdown and held the strong Minnesota passing attack to just 197 yards through the air. 101 of those yards came from just one wide receiver in Rashod Bateman, so if you eliminate him, Michigan held Minnesota to just 96 passing yards. Michigan was able to force two turnovers, and when it comes to turnovers, they could be in for a feast of them next week.
Next up for the Wolverines is the Michigan State Spartans. Michigan State is coming off a disappointing 38-27 loss to Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Not only was losing to Rutgers the main disappointment, but the Spartans turned the football over seven times. Yes, seven turnovers as they fumbled the ball five times, and its starting quarterback Rocky Lombardi threw two interceptions.
Michigan State struggled to move the football against a defense that was ranked 98th last season as they finished with 369 yards of offense with all three touchdowns coming from passes from Lombardi.
The Spartan’s poor play against Rutgers is a sign that their season could be in for a long, tough journey, and Michigan’s huge win could mean they are in for a fight to try and win the Big Ten Championship. The last time these two teams played, Michigan dominated 44-10, and this year it could get even worse.
Last year, Michigan was just starting to find its groove on offense as they were able to get its biggest win over the Spartans since 2002 when they won 49-3. That score from 2002 could be a precursor to what we could see next week.
Michigan was able to put up 49 points against a tougher defense in Minnesota, though they did lose its biggest playmaker to the NFL. The Spartans still have a tough defense as they held Rutgers to 276 yards, but going up against this Wolverine offense will be a whole different animal.
The Wolverines almost had 500 yards last week, and while the Spartans defense will bring a tougher challenge, they don’t have the players to slow down this Wolverine offense. Michigan has too many weapons for the Spartans to try and slow down. Sure, Michigan had a short-field position for most of the game, with Minnesota missing its starting placekicker, but they were able to score on every drive but one.
Michigan State is also going up against a tougher defense as Michigan was ranked 10th last season. If the Spartans turned the football over seven times against a barely a top 100 defense, how will they do when going up against a much meaner, tougher, and stronger defense? Michigan will be able to put the pedal to the metal against this Spartans offense, and Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown should be licking his chops at what he is going up against.
The Wolverines should be able to force multiple turnovers and make it a hassle for the Spartans to play offense. The defensive line will need to put pressure on Lombardi and with the fumbling issues they had last week, the Wolverines will focus on knocking the ball loose and keep creating turnovers to give the ball back to their offense.
Michigan’s offense and defense are in for a huge game against the Spartans as they could easily make last seasons results look like a JV football game. Harbaugh has regained control of the rivalry after trading the first three games; Michigan has won two in a row and will be looking for its third straight win against MSU as he could give the Spartans new head coach Mel Tucker his first loss in the rivalry.
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