Staff Roundtable for Michigan Football vs UConn and much more
By Josh LaFond
Michigan football enters its final non-conference game as a college football darling and a contender for the college football playoff. Does our writing staff feel the same?
Led by true sophomore J.J. McCarthy, the passing game appears to be in the midst of hitting its stride. Add in a dynamic run game starring the two-headed monster of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards (lest we forget young frosh CJ Stokes), there’s a lot to like on offense.
On the other side of the ball? Despite being a young “no star” defense, they look every bit the part of a traditional “bend don’t break” Michigan defense that’s reminiscent of Lloyd Carr-era units.
Simply put: the start to this season has been nothing short of picturesque. Off to a 2-0 start, the Wolverines look every bit the model of a true playoff contender.
One that can not only rival Ohio State for Big Ten supremacy but place their claim for a spot in the national title game.
But as we enter the final game of the non-conference slate, does our writing staff at GBMWolverine feel the same about Michigan football?
Let’s find out in this edition of our staff roundtable, previewing the UConn game and much more.
What’s been your biggest surprise so far this season?
Cameron Stokes: For me, I’d say the biggest surprise was how bad Cade looked through two games. Coming out of camp, he was billed as being neck-and-neck with JJ and possibly having a slight lead heading into Week 1.
Unfortunately, Cade’s on-field performance when it mattered left a lot to be desired. Combine that with how well JJ played in both games, and it begs the question: was the QB battle really as close as it was portrayed to be?
Maddie Steinbock: I definitely think the defense was most surprising to me. I knew they were going to be good, but I didn’t expect them to look THIS good. With the loss of guys like Hutchinson and Ojabo, I feel like everyone was expecting the defense to take a major step down, and I have yet to see that so far.
While our opponents have been very weak, I am really looking forward to seeing how they perform against opponents in the Big Ten. I 100% think this defense could be better than last year.
Jared Dettmer: The most surprising thing to me has been the depth on defense, specifically the defensive line. Guys like Mason Graham, Rayshaun Benny, Kenneth Grant, Makari Paige, and even Mike Sainristil, have really bolstered what could have been a thin defense. I think the versatility of a lot of these players will allow the Wolverines to disguise things more against bigger competition, which could lead to more turnovers forced than years past.
Brandon Sysak: The biggest surprise for me so far this season has been the role that Donovan Edwards and C.J. Stokes have had in the rushing attack. Going into the season I expected Blake Corum to get a lion’s share of the rushing attempts but Edwards and Stokes have been solid which makes Michigan’s offense that much better.
Josh LaFond: The games against Colorado State and Hawaii went just about how I thought they would — sans the poor outings from Cade McNamara in both. My biggest surprise is a layup and in harmony with what Cameron said:
I’m very surprised at how quickly J.J. McCarthy seized the starting job. I expected (along with most of the Michigan fan base it seems) that McCarthy would be the eventual winner, but that it might be on into the Big Ten schedule before he did so. It’s encouraging that he’s done it so quickly so that the offense can get rolling with him under center before a road test against a tough Iowa defense in a couple of weeks.
Chris Peterson: Like everyone else, I was surprised at how quickly the Michigan football QB battle sort of dissipated. I still think the Wolverines will need Cade at some point, it’s hard for QBs to make it through every snap during an entire season, but I didn’t expect McCarthy to win so soon.
I figured by the end of the season. That being said, he still has to play well against teams with a pulse to truly win the job. That’s Maryland next week and then at Iowa. That’s the real test.