Michigan Football: Northwestern Q&A with Inside NU
We’re only a few days away from Michigan football‘s biggest game of the season to date against No. 13 Northwestern, so it’s time to start looking at this matchup.
Michigan Wolverines
We start with a Q&A with
of SB Nation’s
.
Enjoy.
Q: Michigan’s defense has defended everything so well this season, especially on the ground. So who’s more important in this one: Justin Jackson or Clayton Thorson?
A: Per usual, Clayton Thorson’s play will likely determine if Northwestern will win or lose. If he’s solid, they have a great chance to win. If he turns it over, Northwestern will have trouble winning. But Thorson is never going to light it up statistically or even throw the ball more than 25+ times very often. Hence. I’m going with workhorse back Justin Jackson on this one. In all likelihood Jackson is going to see 30+ touches in this game– he leads the nation in rush attempts– and if he can have some success early, that will limit how much Clayton Thorson has to do. There’s no question Thorson will have a say in this game, but if Jackson is constantly getting yards, Thorson’s role will be minimized greatly and the Wildcats will be set up for success.
Q: Which defense has the advantage in this game?
A: This one’s really a toss up. These are two of the best– if not the two best– defenses in the nation. I’ll give the slight edge to Michigan in this one, as they excel against both the run and the pass. Northwestern’s unit has been phenomenal against the pass, but they have had some slight struggles (if you can really identify a struggle on the best scoring defense in the nation) against the run. I like Michigan’s physicality up front, and the Wolverines’ secondary will bait Thorson into at least one pick.
Q: Northwestern likely won’t let Michigan stick to the run game, forcing Jake Rudock to throw. Should Wolverines fans be worried about Matthew Harris at corner?
A: Michigan fans should be worried about both cornerbacks and both safeties. Defensive back is Northwestern’s deepest position. Harris already has three picks this year, taking one of them back for a touchdown, but VanHoose has been just as solid with the exception of an unusually poor showing against Ball State. He was an All-Big Ten second teamer last year, and even though he has yet to record an interception this year, he is usually very reliable in coverage. Traveon Henry and Godwin Igwebuike make up the safety tandem. Igwebuike is a big play maker who has a nose for the ball, and Henry is a good tackler (he used to be a linebacker) who is beginning to look more comfortable in coverage schemes. Also, watch out for tough nickel cornerbacks Marcus McShepard and Keith Watkins II.
Q: What’s one thing Northwestern absolutely has to do in order to win?
A: Northwestern has to win– or at least tie– the turnover battle if it wants to win the game. The only times Northwestern has trailed at halftime this year are against Duke and against Ball State. In both cases, the Wildcats were also losing the turnover battle. When Pat Fitzgerald’s bunch takes care of the ball, they’re very hard to beat.
Q: Final score prediction?
A: I’m taking Northwestern, 16-13. There’s something special about this team. They have a certain mental toughness that has been missing the past two seasons. At halftime, it’s 10-7 in favor of Northwestern. Heading into the fourth, it’s 13-10 and the Wolverines tie it up at 13 about midway through the quarter before Jack Mitchell (who’s great in clutch situations and not quite as great in other situations) comes through with the game-winner. The Wildcats’ luck finally changes on the back of another solid defensive performance.