GBMWolverine: Michigan Football -- Mississippi State vs. Michigan -- 2011 Gator Bowl -- Predictions

Posted at 6:00am — 12/31/2010

GBMWolverine: Michigan Football — Mississippi State vs. Michigan — 2011 Gator Bowl — Predictions

The last game for this Michigan football season is nearly here. The GBMWolverine staff have made their predictions, their comments and we want to hear your predictions and comments on our message board. So please tell us what you think will happen in the Gator Bowl against Mississippi State Saturday.

CoachBt:

A very intriguing match up. Michigan 7-5 with loses to three top ten teams. Mississippi State with all 4 losses to top fifteen teams.

Michigan a dynamic offensive team with a below average defense. Mississippi State a very good defense with an average offense. Michigan a team that relies more on speed and athletic ability, Mississippi State a team with speed that also combines superior size.

Bowl games can be won or lost during preparation. Prepping for a bowl game can be tricky and games can be lost if you are not really careful with your conditioning. Both teams also have to be weary of finishing with huge rivalry games that sometimes are bigger than the bowl games.

Bowl games can also resemble early season games were execution and timing can be just a bit off. Do all the distractions hurt focus or do they actual motivate our guys to go out and prove something?

This is a real tough call with head and heart pulling in opposite directions again.

Expect a Illinois/Michigan type of game is possible … again.

Head wins this one: D*MN I hope I am wrong!

Mississippi State 38 — Michigan 35

Doc4Blu:
Many of the bowl games this year have been blowout bore games. The match-ups are/were bad blamed here on automatic conference tie-ins that have made money but have not provided good competition.

It is the belief here that the Mississippi State/Michigan match-up could be a very good game. One never knows who shows up, what team loses momentum from the end of the season, the effect of known or unknown distractions, or random early bad breaks that take the starch out of a team.

Both teams have much to gain and will play hard. Mississippi State has played in games of this stature; remember the Jackie Sherrill era, but not yearly. Michigan, after a magnificent run of thirty plus years being in a bowl, is back after a two-year hiatus. So, everyone should be pumped and ready to go full speed.

I do not like the match-ups in this game, on the surface they favor Mississippi State: a team that can run with power against a team that has not stopped a power running game. A team with a big and mobile defensive line is going against a team that has not succeeded well in the base running game against strong defensive lines, not counting the quarterback of course.

Running the ball and stopping the run will be mission number one in the Gator Bowl. Michigan will almost certainly need to change up and hit some passes early and keep the box manageable. Mississippi State is tough enough with seven in the box and Michigan must hit the outs, passes in the flat (probably a pipe dream to expect a nice screen package for this game), the quick hooks in the zone, and the one or two opportunities a game Michigan seems to have on the out and ups, scrambles, or straight fly pattern, where defenders must freeze when Denard is rolling out and approaching the line.

Each team will have two or three trick plays prepared, but many times such plays are not used until desperation time. Gallon threw a lot of passes in high school for long gains or touchdowns on sweeps, or even in the pocket; that is one possibility. Michigan has not used what I used to call 28 sweep backside qb pass. I love this play and it almost always works. The qb tosses and runs to the backside down the sideline on a wheel pattern along the boundary, the running back (or slot) turns and throws backside. We have not seen a flea-flicker in this neck of the woods for quite some time. So, we will see if anything along the LSU and Boise line occurs Saturday.

Michigan needs to pay attention to field position as giving a strong running team like Mississippi State a short field is a recipe for getting behind. The Bulldogs can go on long grinding drives without any help. That pooch punt may be a better option than going for 4th and five from the 40-yard line. If Michigan falls more than one score behind, even early, the game will be an uphill climb.

Pace becomes an issue, will Mississippi slow the pace down and Michigan speed it up? Turnovers and kicking are season long issues. Mississippi State hits hard, the guys better protect the ball or it will be rolling on the carpet.

Both teams can win this game and it is hard to predict what factor will control the final outcome. Could it be the best player on the field, Denard Robinson having a big day? Could be, but remember that Mississippi State covered Cam Newton pretty well. Could it be the inability of Michigan to again stop a strong running game? Or will turnovers and a key play determine the final result? To me the wild card is the play of quarterback Chris Relf. The perception has been passed around that Relf cannot throw; he is adequate enough to hurt a porous defense and hits the outs and finds the seam in the middle quite well. Michigan has not defended the out well at all, especially the deep post-corner move between the corner and safety. Relf is a load and is a good enough runner that Michigan better account for him in running situations and not give him easy yardage on passing scrambles. Relf and Ballard both run very hard and weak arm tackles will result in big runs. One way or another, we will all see if the Michigan scheme and execution has improved.

Another factor I am considering is this: Dan Mullen, the mastermind of the great Florida offenses of the past few years leads a roster of highly regarded young coaches (for the most part) who have demonstrated excellent results, both at past institutions and at Mississippi State. There are many big time programs that would like to have this staff. I assume the good folks in Starkville opened up the purse strings for the assistants. That is step one to competing in the SEC.

All things being considered the prediction becomes: Yes, indeed, I am hoping to be wrong.

Mississippi State 27 — Michigan 20

ErocWolverine:

Well a lot of speculation going on for this game in regards to Coach Rod’s future.

Will the Michigan players come out and play like the Michigan team of old did when most people didn’t believe they had a chance against Florida Gators in Lloyd Carr’s final game in which Michigan beat the Gators in front of a home crowd.

The Cowbells will be dominating the bowl game and Michigan has prepared for this game along with the preparation of the Mississippi State team.

Mississippi State resembles some Big Ten teams in what they like to do on offense with pounding the ball.

To me, this game comes down to if Michigan can get a lead and expand on it early and force Mississippi State out of their element and force them into passing a lot. In most of their losses they had to try and play from behind and force them out of their element.

Denard is reportedly healthy and with Tate Forcier ineligible for the bowl game they will need Denard to stay healthy and stay in the game. Will Michigan be able to run the ball without Denard and rely on the running backs? That could be a big deciding factor in this game.

The Michigan defense can they keep making progress with the extra bowl practices or will we keep seeing a lot of mistakes of poor tackling, poor angles, and mis-communication of the teammates on the field.

Would really like Michigan to win this game and feel good in the off-season with all the turmoil that has went on in this season and since the Ohio State game and the future of the Michigan football program, but think Michigan can’t hold on in the end. Think this is the end of Coach Rod on the Michigan sidelines as well.

Mississippi State 38 — Michigan 14

MaizeMan:

Mississippi State 24 — Michigan 31

WerlsWolverine:

I don’t know why I am picking us to win, but I have absolutely zer0% faith in our defensive coaching staff and game-plan.

Just hoping the Bulldawgs have a bad game and we can take advantage of it.

Sorry to say I am more interested in what will happen in the following days than this game.

Mississippi State 31 — Michigan 35

Yostmeister:

I’d like to see the Wolverines end on a high note.

Either way it shouldn’t impact a coaching decision.

Mississippi State is a formidable opponent and has bottled up some high profile athletes this season on defense.

Offensively, I don’t see anything real special, but that hasn’t mattered this season against the Michigan defense.

The Bulldogs will pull away in the second half.

Mississippi State 38 — Michigan 21.

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