Wisconsin 2-0 (outscored both opponents 110-0) But??
They beat South Florida and Central Michigan. Let's take a look at both teams.
South Florida is 1-2 with a win over South Carolina State and they lost to Georgia Tech who was just beaten at home by the Citadel out of Charleston, SC.
Central Michigan has beaten Albany and Akron (who is 0-3).
Yes it will be tough for Michigan in Madison and everyone is really down after the Army game in which Michigan WON but I have a feeling that Michigan is going to step up to the plate this week after being ripped by fans, the local and national media. Gattis has much to prove going into this game and his ability as an OC has been questioned nationally for the past week. I feel he is going to unleash his offense this week. Defensively, Michigan will be better than you think against Wisconsin. Go Blue!
September 15th, 2019 at 11:48 PM ^
They'll need to be a better job of handling the blitz than they did against Army. Both of Shea's fumbles against Army came as a result of missed blitz pickups.
September 16th, 2019 at 7:39 AM ^
NEED MOAR DONG FOREST!!!!
September 15th, 2019 at 10:38 PM ^
There is no way we win this game. Unpossible.
September 15th, 2019 at 11:09 PM ^
Wisconsin fail home game? That’s unpossible.
September 15th, 2019 at 11:13 PM ^
I saw what you did there, at yeast, and appreciate the stubble humor.
September 15th, 2019 at 10:39 PM ^
ok, to boil it down to specific predictions, in case people don't have time to read your paragraph:
1 - Michigan is going to "step up to the plate"
2 - Gattis is going to "unleash his offense"
3 - Michigan defense is going to be "better than we think"
Check back on this thread next week to see if "scfanblue" was right!
September 15th, 2019 at 11:11 PM ^
I don't get "defense is going to be better than we think" issue. The defense has given up six scoring drives in two games. Four of those came on short fields after turnovers (longest drive was 60 yards), one came in OT and one came in garbage time. I have no problem with the way the defense has played up to this point.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:29 AM ^
Part of the problem is people seem to be holding them to a standard of a top 5 defense. Are we a top 5? Probably not. But we’re certainly in the 15-20 range at worst at this point.
September 15th, 2019 at 11:55 PM ^
What exactly are you thinking the offense is going to be? It seems to me that a lot of people think it's going to be Michigan throwing the ball all over the yard.
September 16th, 2019 at 7:34 AM ^
I didn't have time to read his paragraph but I did find time to read through all the comments, including this one. Thanks.
September 15th, 2019 at 10:47 PM ^
Biggest question in this game is D-line depth.
September 15th, 2019 at 10:49 PM ^
Don Brown has effectively shut down Chryst's offense since he's been here. Hopefully he continues to do the same on Saturday.
September 15th, 2019 at 11:01 PM ^
outside of GERG, michigan has consistently shut down the wisconsin offenses.
September 15th, 2019 at 11:46 PM ^
We still suck in Madison
September 15th, 2019 at 11:56 PM ^
Not the defense. Brown shut them the hell down in 2017. Wisconsin had 174 total yards of offense in Madison before Peters got injured at the end of the third quarter. After that, it was clear that we weren't' scoring again and the team crumbled.
September 15th, 2019 at 11:53 PM ^
Didn’t year before last
September 15th, 2019 at 11:58 PM ^
See my post above. 325 total yards and 9-19 passing. Half of their yards came in the 4Q after Peters went down and the outcome became unavoidable.
September 16th, 2019 at 1:49 AM ^
It’s actually the common outcome for Don Brown defenses against very good teams. We play 3 great quarters, the opponent hangs around and in the 4th we wilt as they mount a comeback.
Look at nearly every game we’ve lost since he got here. The D gets gassed, our small lead evaporates and we lose late.
The exceptions are PSU 2017 and OSU 2018 where we just had a train run on us.
September 16th, 2019 at 8:56 AM ^
Correct. Sadly, the defense has had chances to seal wins against OSU several times and has not been able to...then there is that Iowa game too-OMG. This has been a significant issue-no killer instinct in crunch-time.
September 16th, 2019 at 9:26 AM ^
The defense didn't give up a touchdown in the second half in that Iowa game. They gave up 6 points in the second half and 14 points total. Is that really on Brown?
September 16th, 2019 at 9:15 AM ^
Maybe put some of that onus on the offenses that haven't really helped the defense one solitary bit in those games. But go ahead, piss on the guy that has coached 3 of the last 5 #1 defenses in the nation, and had the other two finish in the top 10.
I'm sure you're right, though, the problems are all Don Brown. That guy needs to go!
September 16th, 2019 at 9:15 AM ^
To be fair, Harbaugh has a tendency to try to run out the clock in the 4th qtr with 6 minutes left in the game as if we have Jake Long and Mike Hart on this team. That's how the JT was short game came down that one play. Despite Speight's turnovers, it never should have come to that.
September 16th, 2019 at 9:21 AM ^
The defense gassing late in the game isn't really a Don Brown thing as much as it's a human thing. When the offense craps the bed and the defense has to stay on the field for the entire game, they get tired and make errors. It's a pretty common thing for elite defenses to give up some points late in the game when an offense is bad, or when a backbreaking play seals the outcome for the other team. Ask any MSU fan how the team with an absolutely murderous defense in 2012 lost 6 games.
September 16th, 2019 at 3:57 PM ^
Don Brown didn't shut down Jonathan Taylor last year.
September 15th, 2019 at 10:50 PM ^
I'm not worried about it. Maybe I will be later in the week.
Truly believe it is a 50/50 game on the road, and the line bears that out.
Win the turnover battle, and we probably win the game.
I'll never stop believing in this program....just can't.
We will find a way.......
September 15th, 2019 at 11:01 PM ^
Wisconsin wilts under pressure. Don Brown shuts down running game. Michigan's defense scores to seal the game.
September 15th, 2019 at 11:54 PM ^
Is M’s O showing up?
September 16th, 2019 at 1:31 AM ^
Paul Chryst had a lot more to do with shutting down their run game than Don Brown did last year. OTOH, Chryst is still HC, so, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
September 15th, 2019 at 11:03 PM ^
Is it really that difficult to make a title that actually explains exactly what the thread is about?
“A look at Wisconsin’s two opponents thus far.” There, that took me about five seconds.
September 16th, 2019 at 8:43 AM ^
Are you and editor or just an asshole?:
September 15th, 2019 at 11:07 PM ^
I think it's gonna be a defensive battle either way. We'll load the box to try and slow down Taylor and make them beat us with their unproven QB and WRs. They're gonna pressure the hell out of us and make Shea uncomfortable. Definitely gonna have to take care of the ball as that very well could be the deciding factor.
September 15th, 2019 at 11:08 PM ^
They've had it pretty easy so far, and we haven't, so that could bode well for an upset. I believe if we beat them it's an upset, btw, because we lose to good teams on the road, and sometimes Iowa. I think the key to us winning is: will we play it smart and open up the offense, calling a healthy amount of easy downfield pass plays to our gigantic elite targets, or will we risk losing by turtling again and throwing rock until the clock runs out?
September 15th, 2019 at 11:12 PM ^
It would be an upset by everyone's definition. The line is Wisconsin -3.
September 16th, 2019 at 9:40 AM ^
Heck, I'd just take hot reads to any WR with a CB 10 yards off instead of bombs
September 15th, 2019 at 11:09 PM ^
I predict, and seriously expect, Michigan to beat Wisconsin by a score of 34-14 on Saturday. Michigan's run stopping ability (2.4 ypc & 3.3 ypc vs MTSU and Army, respectively) will neutralize the Badgers running game, while Michigan's defensive speed will negate the Badgers passing attack.
Offensively, by eliminating turnovers, Michigan will move the ball effectively, and connect on a couple of big plays. I also see Giles Jackson finally breaking one as a kick returner. This will be a STATEMENT game! I think the quirky performances against two quirky teams have caused many to forget, or underestimate, the extremely high level of talent on this Michigan roster.
September 16th, 2019 at 9:00 AM ^
Absolutely a possibility...even a good one.
Michigan fans, however, are putting too much weight on this game. This is one game they can lose and still make the CFP if they run the rest of the table. Here, they cannot lose to ND or OSU and still have a shot.
September 15th, 2019 at 11:16 PM ^
I swear I thought OT season was over
September 15th, 2019 at 11:17 PM ^
It’s very early, but early forecast shows thunderstorms and near 100% chance of rain
would be less than ideal for our strengths
September 16th, 2019 at 7:46 AM ^
Sadly, I'd say it plays right into this team's strength: fumbling the football.
September 16th, 2019 at 9:19 AM ^
I hate you for that forced upvote on a shitty statement.
September 16th, 2019 at 9:20 AM ^
A near 100% chance of rain and thunderstorms predicted for Saturday? There is no way a weather forecast 6 days in advance will publish a 100% chance of rain for a given location. I'm not saying that it's not going to rain - I'm just clarifying that a weather forecast in the Upper Midwest should not have a 100% probability attached to it 6 days in advance.
I just checked the official National Weather Service forecast. They currently claim a 50% chance of rain or thunderstorms. That's still quite a large value this far out, so fans should monitor the forecast as it evolves.
September 16th, 2019 at 9:51 AM ^
Wait. MGoWeather said it will be a gorgeous day!
September 15th, 2019 at 11:24 PM ^
All my my faith comes down to this picture. You can seriously throw a 5 yard pass and have a guy fall down for a first. Our offense doesnt attack and until that changes we are the hunted. I hope it all turns around but those runs into stacked lines arent setting up a future opponent. Ive heard that too many times in the past.
September 16th, 2019 at 5:22 AM ^
MOAR SMOKE ROUTES!!
September 15th, 2019 at 11:57 PM ^
Wisconsin will want revenge from the ugly loss in the Big House last year. That extra motivation is worth something. We better be ready for a dog fight.
Here are our keys to victory in my opinion:
1. Protect the football. If we lose the turnover battle we will have a tough time winning. We need to reverse the trend.
2. Slow down Taylor. We won’t be able to stop their running game, but if we can hold him to less than 120 yards we will be in great shape.
3. Big plays on offense. If we can hit some long passes or if Charbonnet can break a big run, we can play a lot looser on offense and dictate the style of game.
4. Read Option. If we can run it well, we will have a running game. If the QB doesn’t actually read the defensive end, then we are toast. The read option was clutch for us against Wisconsin and Penn Stare last year when Patterson kept it. Hopefully we can bring that back and still keep Patterson healthy.
5. Keep QBs healthy. Whether it’s Patterson or McCaffrey, an injury would be devastating to our season. The offensive line needs to protect them because Wisconsin is going to bring a lot of pressure.