Vincent Smith’s goal of providing a painting fun day for the kids of Pahokee came closer to fruition on Tuesday when his Kickstarter campaign received full funding. Tonight, on the eve of Michigan’s pro day, he issued the following statement to thank those who donated.

This is truly a kid worth rooting for. Stay tuned for more updates on his project.

Vincent Smith's project has been fully funded, but you can still donate until 4:20pm on Saturday

A couple of weeks ago, I shared the story of how Vincent Smith was trying to use his love for painting to give back to the youth in his hometown of Pahokee, Fla. Yesterday, thanks to the generosity of 88 backers (and counting), his Kickstarter campaign became fully funded, which means he will be able to hold his painting fun day for the middle and elementary school kids of Pahokee.

The day of fun will be held sometime in late March or April – he’s still working to nail down the exact date – and will provide the kids with much-needed painting supplies, painting lessons from Vincent himself, and an autograph session with the former Michigan running back.

Tomorrow, Smith will participate in Michigan’s annual pro day along with the rest of the departing Wolverines who hope to either improve their stock in the upcoming NFL Draft or earn an undrafted free agent spot on a team. Last season, 25 NFL teams sent scouts to the event. Smith hopes to catch on anywhere, but thinks he would fit in nicely with a team like Seattle or Philadelphia (with new head coach Chip Kelly) that doesn’t run a traditional power-type offense. He’s also hoping to run a 4.40 40-yard dash.

Regardless of where he ends up, his roots will remain in Pahokee and his painting fun day will help give hope to the next generation of kids who need a good role model. It’s safe to say that with a good head on his shoulders and a willingness to give back, Vincent will be able to fill that role.

Once the Kickstarter campaign officially ends on Saturday afternoon, we will begin the process of choosing our winners for the autographed Michigan mini helmet and $25 M Den gift card. The winners will be announced on the site and contacted via email.

Maize and Go Blue will also recap the painting fun day after it happens, so stay tuned.

Vincent Smith shows off two of the paintings he created at Michigan, "Patterns" and "Game Day"

Fair or not, his Michigan legacy is likely to be remembered most by the hit he received from Jadeveon Clowney in the Capital One Bowl (edit: Outback Bowl). But that doesn’t define Vincent Smith. Nor do the 1,845 total yards or 17 touchdowns he accounted for over the last four years. Nor does the distinction he holds as the only player in modern Michigan history to score a touchdown rushing, receiving, and passing in the same game.

No, Vincent Smith is much more than that. His backstory has been told several times, from his humble beginnings in Pahokee, Fla., to being known as the toughest player on the team despite his diminutive stature, to his relatively recent passion for painting. Yesterday, he appeared in a Sports Illustrated feature along with Clowney about where they each came from and how it all led up to the hit seen ’round the world.

But this isn’t a story about his past. It’s about how that past has shaped the man he is now and what he wants to do to help mold the next generation of Pahokee youth.

“When I was a kid, lawyers and athletes (who came from Pahokee) came back and spoke to us about succeeding, and that made an impact on me,” Smith said. “So I’ve always wanted to be able to give back like that.”

Earlier this month, Smith set the wheels in motion for his first give-back project, C2C – Vincent Smith Teaches Painting. The idea is to share his love for painting with the middle school and elementary kids of Pahokee by dedicating one day in late March or early April as a painting fun day. Smith will provide the painting materials and his time to provide a day of fun for kids from the impoverished town. He’ll teach them the basics of painting, sign autographs, and leave a lasting impression on the next generation of Pahokee youth.

Smith wants to give back to the youth of Pahokee

The project, which is being funded through the crowd-sourcing site Kickstarter, ends on March 16 – the same day the the Wolverines begin spring practice without Smith – and is currently about $800 short of its goal. If the project does not meet its goal by March 16, it will go unfulfilled and Vincent won’t get a chance to make a lasting impression on a generation of youth in need of an inspirational and tangible role model.

Time certainly isn’t easy to come by for Smith as he’s busy preparing for April’s NFL Draft. He trains five days a week in West Palm Beach and Boca Raton with fellow Pahokeean and Wolverine Brandin Hawthorne and others such as the Honey Badger, Tyrann Mattheu. He will participate in Michigan’s Pro Day on  March 14th – just two days before his campaign expires – where he hopes to make enough of an impression on NFL scouts to warrant a draft pick or at least a free agent deal. And that’s what makes this project so selfless.

Despite being hard at work chasing his dreams, Smith wants to make sure he gives hope to the youth of Pahokee who could be next in the long line of football stars to come from the Muck. But in the same way he discovered art as a student at Michigan, Smith wants to show that success can be found – and safe and constructive fun can be had – in ways other than football.

“I could always run a football camp or something like that, but I want to switch it up,” Smith said. “I like to give back to the community and this is a way to show kids there are outlets other than football.”

Smith will forever be a part of the Michigan football fraternity, and as a part of the 2009 class that featured Taylor Lewan and Denard Robinson, he helped guide the program through some rough times and set the foundation for the future. Now, he’s trying to do the same for the youth of Pahokee.

As a Michigan fan base that has cheered him on the last four years, let’s send him off with a going away present by opening our wallets to help him help others. Whether it’s $1 or $100, please consider becoming a “backer” of this project. There are rewards for you as well, such as H.O.P.E. wristbands, limited edition prints of his paintings, and more based on your level of donation.

If the project reaches its goal, everyone that becomes a backer between now and the end of the campaign will be entered into a random drawing for a $25 gift card to the M Den and a Michigan mini helmet signed by Vincent Smith, courtesy of Maize and Go Blue*.

In a sports culture full of self-absorbed players that take out $300,000 loans for their own birthday party and struggle to cope with fame, wealth, and life after football, Vincent Smith is a breath of fresh air. He’s truly invested in perpetuating the cycle of giving back to the community that gave back to him when he was a kid. It’s a story about hope and future, and there don’t seem to be enough of those these days.

*One winner will be randomly selected after March 16. Campaign must reach its goal. Winner will be contacted via email. Donation amount has no effect on chance of winning. If you have any questions, contact Vincent via the Kickstarter page or email maizeandgoblue@yahoo.com.

Yesterday we profiled Michigan’s impressive offensive line haul and today we’re taking a look at the guys they’ll be paving the running lanes for. While none of these backs are highly coveted backs, it’s a nice diverse group that fills needs. Norfleet was a late target but picked up the Michigan offer he had always wanted and surprised most Michigan fans with a commitment on National Signing Day. Houma fills a big need at fullback as Brady Hoke intends to get Michigan back to the pro style offense of old. Johnson is an under the radar guy from Michigan’s backyard who will have his work cut out for him the next four or five years. Collectively, the group has an average star rating of 3.1 and position rating of 42nd.

Come back on Monday to learn more about the receivers and tight ends in this year’s class.

If you look up the color pink in Wikipedia, it is described as “commonly used for Valentine’s Day and Easter, pink is sometimes referred to as “the color of love.” This week, when Michigan travels to Iowa City, the Wolverines will dress in the Hawkeyes’ pink visitors locker room.

#13 Michigan v. Iowa
	Saturday Nov. 5 12 p.m. ET ESPN
7-1 (3-1)	Record	5-3 (2-2)
Western Michigan 34-10 Notre Dame 35-31 Eastern Michigan 31-3 San Diego State 28-7 Minnesota 58-0 Northwestern 42-24 Purdue 36-14	Wins	Tennessee Tech 34-7 Pittsburgh 31-27 Louisiana-Monroe 45-17 Northwestern 41-31 Indiana 45-24
#23 Michigan State 14-28	Losses	Iowa State 41-44 OT Penn State 3-13 Minnesota 21-22
34.8	Scoring Offense	32.6
245.4	Rushing YPG	159.1
195.9	Passing YPG	243.5
441.2	Total Offense	402.6
14.6	Scoring Defense	23.1
138.2	Rush Defense YPG	163.6
194.6	Pass Defense YPG	238.6
332.9	Total Defense YPG	402.2
20	Takeaways	12
14	Giveaways	9
15/10	Sacks By/Allowed	12/17
49-of-96 (51%)	Third-down Conv.	40-of-92 (43%)
6-for-8 (75%)	Field Goals	12-for-16 (75%)
32.7	Net Punt Avg.	40.1

Senior defensive end Ryan Van Bergen had the best quote of the week so far, saying “I love the pink locker room. I’ve never had an issue with the pink locker room. I think it gives it nice decor, the feng shui really feels good before the game. It warms you up, it’s very welcoming.

“I think more teams should go with the pink,” he continued. “I have no problem with it. I think it’s a great touch. It’s better than the off-white jail-cell look. So, I say paint ‘em up.”

Whether Van Bergen was joking, being serious, or just playing reverse psychology, the fact remains that a win in Kinnick Stadium for the first time since 2005 will have Michigan fans across the country feeling the love for Coach Brady Hoke.

Michigan’s last win in Iowa City was a 23-20 overtime thriller in 2005, ending the Hawkeyes’ 22-game home winning streak. The last time Michigan visited Iowa, it fell two points short of an upset of the 12th-ranked Hawkeyes when Denard Robinson’s comeback attempt was picked off.

This time, Michigan is the ranked team entering the matchup while Iowa limps in with its tail between its legs after losing to Minnesota, which still ranks eighth-to-last in the nation in points per game.

Prior to last week, I was cautious about the Hawkeyes, who really haven’t beaten a good team all season, but played Penn State tough in Happy Valley. After last Saturday, I’m convinced that the Hawkeyes just aren’t very good. But does that mean Michigan should breeze to victory? Let’s look at the position-by-position matchups:

Quarterbacks:

James Vandenberg is the Big Ten’s second-best passer, trailing just Russell Wilson of Wisconsin. He completes 62.2 percent of his passes for 239.8 yards per game and 17 touchdowns to just four interceptions. In other words, he’s efficient like Iowa quarterbacks typically are.

Against Pittsburgh in Week 3, Vandenberg threw for 399 yards and three touchdowns. Against Penn State, however, he completed just 50 percent of his passes for 169 yards and two interceptions. So he is vulnerable. He’s in his first year as a starter, taking over for the departed Ricky Stanzi.

Everyone knows who Denard Robinson is by now and he can look back to that 2009 loss as his coming out party. He played well in last year’s loss as well, completing 13-of-18 passes for 96 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and rushing 18 times for 105 yards.

So far this season, he’s in the middle of the pack among Big Ten signal-callers, but leads the nation in quarterback rushing yards per game, and ranks fifth in the conference in rushing. He has been held under 100 yards rushing in three of the past four games, however, last week can be attributed largely to the emergence of Fitz Toussaint.

Edge: Michigan

Running Backs:

Marcus Coker leads the Big Ten in rushing (photo by Tom Olmscheid, AP)

Iowa features one of the nation’s best in Marcus Coker. Just a sophomore, Coker is the nation’s ninth-ranked rusher (and Big Ten’s best), averaging 121 yards per game. He has racked up 10 touchdowns, including two in each of the last three games. Last week, he lit up Minnesota for 252 yards on 32 carries (7.9 yards per).

For the Hawkeyes, Coker is pretty much a one-man show. Freshman De’Andre Johnson is the second leading rusher with just 79 yards on 18 carries, while Vandenberg has the second most carries on the team with 52. Nobody else has more than nine.

For Michigan, the moment fans have been waiting for all season occurred last week: a running back emerged. Toussaint carried 20 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns, none more impressive than the 59-yard romp in which he took a pitch from Devin Gardner, rushed left, then cut back across the field to the right, splitting a pair of defensive backs, and sped to the end zone. If he hadn’t already, he’s now the leader in the clubhouse as far as running backs are concerned in Ann Arbor.

Vincent Smith averages 6.5 yards per carry and is a solid change-of-pace back, but not an every down back like Toussaint, while Michael Shaw adds the speed to get to the edge when needed. It’s becoming a nice three-way punch for the Wolverines.

Edge: Even

Receivers and Tight Ends:

Just like at the running back position, Iowa has one of the league’s best at receiver. Marvin McNutt is a senior who has been around the block and is having his best season yet. The tall, lanky McNutt has 48 receptions for 858 yards, good for second in the Big Ten and 12th nationally. His nine touchdowns as tops in the conference. His best game of the season was a six-catch, 184-yard, three touchdown performance against Indiana two weeks ago in which he set the school’s career receiving touchdown record.

Unfortunately for Michigan, he’s not the only receiver the Hawkeyes have. Keenan Davis and Kevonte Martin-Manley are both dangerous, with seven touchdowns between them. Davis caught 10 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown against Pittsburgh and also eclipsed 100 yards against Northwestern. He missed last week’s game with a sprained ankle, but should return tomorrow. Martin-Manley is the slot guy who had to move outside in Davis’ absence and caught five passes for 35 yards.

Michigan has a handful of talented receivers, but the passing game has yet to take off, partly due to the running game and partly due to Robinson’s struggles through the air, as evidenced by his 12 interceptions. Junior Hemingway is the most dangerous at getting behind the secondary, having two 100-plus-yard receiving games, but in the last two games has caught just five passes for 59 yards.

Perhaps the most featured receiver in the offense as the season progresses is diminutive sophomore Jeremy Gallon. In five of Michigan’s eight games so far, he has a reception of at least 24 yards, including each of the last three. In the last four games, he has 15 receptions for an average of 60 yards per game.

Even so, Iowa has the best overall receiver and a better passer to throw to them.

Edge: Iowa

Marvin McNutt is the Big Ten's second-leading receiver (photo by Brian Ray, AP)

Offensive Line:

Iowa traditionally has a good offensive line, but it has been good but not great this season. It is a unit filled with upperclassmen and led by left tackle Riley Reiff, a likely first round selection in next year’s NFL Draft. Despite one of the nation’s top individual running backs, Iowa’s line has paved the way for the nation’s 60th-best rush offense and allows just over two sacks per game, good for 73rd nationally.

Michigan’s line has paved the way for the nation’s ninth-best rush offense, averaging 253.3 yards per game, and is 33rd nationally in sacks allowed with 10 through the first eight games. Seven of those were against Michigan State. David Molk is the unquestioned leader at center and left tackle Taylor Lewan has been solid all season.

Edge: Michigan

Defensive Line:

Iowa averages about a sack and a half per game and gives up 163 yards rushing per game. To be fair, the Hawkeyes are still stinging from the loss of three starters to the NFL, including first-rounder Adrian Clayborn and fourth-rounder Christian Ballard. The leader of the unit is senior defensive end Broderick Binns who has three sacks, 6.5 tackles-for-loss, and a forced fumble. Tackle Mike Daniels is experienced and leads the team with four sacks.

Michigan’s line has done well all season with the exception of the lone loss, to Michigan State. Mike Martin is always a beast in the middle, but he recorded his first two sacks of the season last week against Purdue, including one in the end zone for a safety. End Craig Roh has three sacks and seven tackles-for-loss, while Ryan Van Bergen has had a quiet, but efficient season so far.

Edge: Michigan

Linebackers:

Sophomore James Morris leads the Hawkeyes (and the Big Ten) with 11 tackles per game, while fellow sophomore Christian Kirksey ranks sixth in the Big Ten with 9.5 per game. They’re an active unit, but have struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks, which should result in a big game for Robinson.

Last week, Michigan replaced Brandin Hawthorne with true freshman Desmond Morgan at weak-side linebacker. The results were mixed, but Morgan is a heady player who goes full-speed. Middle linebacker Kenny Demens has been up and down and redshirt freshman Jake Ryan, while still making some mistakes, seems to improve each game. He had a couple of great plays last week, including a one-handed take-down of the Purdue running back in the backfield.

Edge: Even

Secondary:

Iowa’s secondary is probably its most experienced unit, led by strong safety Jordan Bernstein. The senior is third on the team in tackles with 45 and has a sack. Cornerback Shaun Prater has an interception returned for a touchdown while fellow corner, Micah Hyde, has three picks and six pass break-ups on the season (which leads the Big Ten). While experienced, the unit still ranks 81st nationally in pass defense, giving up 238.6 yards per game through the air – 44 yards more than Michigan allows.

Michigan has made some changes to its starting secondary, moving Troy Woolfolk to safety to fill Jordan Kovacs’ spot while he’s out with an injury. The rise of freshman corner Blake Countess has allowed Woolfolk to make the move. Countess saw limited action early in the season, but has four pass break-ups and a forced fumble and looks to be Michigan’s best corner already. Safety Thomas Gordon has done a good job and is typically a solid tackler and doesn’t get beat deep. Michigan’s pass defense ranks 26th nationally, giving up just 196.3 yards per game.

Edge: Michigan

Special Teams:

Iowa has a pretty good kicker in Mike Meyer (no, not that one), but he did miss 24- and 43-yarders last week. He’s still 12-of-16, with a long of 50. Punter Eric Guthrie averages 42 yards per punt, which ranks fifth in the Big Ten.

Michigan’s Brendan Gibbons has been surprisingly solid this season, connecting on 6-of-8 field goals, including two last week. His long is just 38 yards, so don’t count on anything long. Punter Will Hagerup is averaging just 34.8 yards per punt, but has done a good job of placing inside the 20.

Edge: Even

Coaching:

Kinnick Stadium is a tough place to win, but Michigan is 15-5-1 there all-time

Kirk Ferentz isn’t flashy. He’s in the same mold as Lloyd Carr and generally fields tough teams that are susceptible to playing down to opponents (re: last week). However, they’re always tough in the friendly confines of Kinnick Stadium.

Brady Hoke has won over nearly everybody in Ann Arbor since replacing Rich Rodriguez. His even-keeled demeanor and trust of his coordinators are a refreshing change on the sidelines and if he can beat Iowa on the road, he’ll already have fans believing Michigan is back.

Edge: Michigan

Intangibles:

While Van Bergen insists he doesn’t mind the pink locker rooms, the intimidating Kinnick Stadium is another factor in and of itself. Iowa is always stingy at home. The good news for Michigan is that Denard already played there in his freshman season, so he shouldn’t be intimidated.

The natural grass playing surface was replaced with Field Turf in 2009, when Michigan last played there, so the Wolverines won’t have to worry about having its speed advantage negated. The weather forecast looks good: mid-to-high 50s and sunny, so it shouldn’t be a factor.

Edge: Even

Iowa runs a pretty straight-forward pro-style offense. Coker is a load and McNutt will be a handful, but if there’s anything Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison knows how to do, it’s gameplan. It’s easy to see how his defense could struggle a bit against spread running offenses such as Northwestern’s in the first half, but Iowa’s isn’t anything out of the ordinary.

They use Coker to set up a lot of play-action and if you give Vandenberg time to throw he can be deadly. Minnesota succeeded last week when blitzing off the edge, so expect Mattison to dial up some well-timed blitzes. Coker runs almost exclusively up the middle.

When Michigan has the ball, it should be able to move fairly well. Minnesota’s anemic offense scored 22, Iowa State’s 79th-ranked scoring offense scored 44, and Indiana’s 89th-ranked scoring offense scored 24 against the Hawkeyes. Iowa gives up over 400 yards per game and the best offense it has faced all season is Northwestern.

Minnesota got 101 yards on 5.1 yards per carry out of Duane Bennett last week, along with 61 yards from quarterback Marqueis Gray. Penn State’s Silas Redd racked up 142 yards on 5.1 yards per carry four weeks ago. Look for a lot of Toussaint early, but also a lot of designed runs for Denard. After the running game gets going, Michigan should open it up a little bit against Iowa’s 81st-ranked pass defense.

Expect Offensive Coordinator Al Borges to do just enough to win without needing to divulge much of the remaining play book that could be used against Nebraska and Ohio State at seasons’ end. It will be a close game early, but Michigan will be too much for the Hawkeyes to keep up with. Michigan should have this one under control in the fourth quarter.

Michigan 38 – Iowa 27

Good to Know:

Michigan leads the all-time series 40-12-4, including 16-5-1 at Iowa

Michigan’s three October wins were more than the las three Octobers combined (two)

In each of the last five games, Michigan scored a touchdown on its opening possession

Denard Robinson leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in yards per completion (16.74)

Michigan ranks first in the nation in red zone defense, giving up scores on just 15-of-25 chances (60 percent)

Michigan has outscored its opponents 135-49 in the second half and 229-68 from the second through fourth quarters

Fitz Toussaint’s 170 rushing yards were the most by a Michigan running back in a conference game since Mike Hart’s 195 yards against Minnesota in 2006

Michigan’s offense ranks 2nd in the Big Ten and 7th nationally in third down conversions (51 percent)

Michigan has committed just 34 penalties through eight games, which ranks 1st in the Big Ten and 9th nationally

Record Watch:

With 2 passing touchdowns, Denard Robinson will tie Brian Griese (1994-97) for 8th place on Michigan’s career list. With 4, he will tie Tom Brady (1996-99) for 7th With 104 passing yards, Denard will pass Rick Leach (1975-78) for 9th in career passing yards. With 203, he can pass Brian Griese (1994-97) for 8th With 23 rushing yards, Denard will pass Gordon Bell (1973-75) for 9th on Michigan’s career rushing list With 1 rushing touchdown, Denard will move into a tie with Tom Harmon (1938-40) and Billy Taylor (1969-71) for 7th place. With 2, he will reach Steve Smith (1980-83) for 6th With 50 receiving yards, Junior Hemingway could move into the top 20 in career receiving yards, passing Ralph Clayton (1976-79), John Kolesar (1985-88), and Adrian Arrington (2004-07)

It was only a week off, but it feels like forever since Michigan last played a game. The sting of defeat still looms on the mind, and if it does for me, I can assure you it’s magnified tenfold for the players and coaches. Fortunately, the bye week is over and Purdue comes to town for Michigan’s homecoming weekend.

#18 Michigan v. Purdue
	Saturday Oct. 29 12 p.m. ET ESPN2
6-1 (2-1)	Record	4-3 (2-1)
Western Michigan 34-10 Notre Dame 35-31 Eastern Michigan 31-3 San Diego State 28-7 Minnesota 58-0 Northwestern 42-24	Wins	Middle Tennessee 27-24 SE Missouri State 59-0 Minnesota 45-17 #23 Illinois 21-14
#23 Michigan State 14-28	Losses	Rice 22-24 Notre Dame 10-38 Penn State 18-23
34.6	Scoring Offense	28.9
232.0	Rushing YPG	195.0
195.9	Passing YPG	192.0
427.9	Total Offense	387.0
14.7	Scoring Defense	20.0
145.3	Rush Defense YPG	145.3
190.7	Pass Defense YPG	206.4
336.0	Total Defense YPG	351.7
19	Takeaways	8
12	Giveaways	8
11/9	Sacks By/Allowed	10/16
42-of-83 (51%)	Third-down Conv.	41-of-102 (40%)
4-for-6 (67.7%)	Field Goals	9-for-14 (64.3%)
33.1	Net Punt Avg.	41.7

Unfortunately, it’s not the Purdue we all expected. The Boilermakers began the season as the Purdue of old, barely surviving Middle Tennessee, losing to Rice, and getting throttled by Notre Dame, but since then has been playing better. Last week, the Boilers upset 23rd-ranked Illinois, and the week before that, went toe-to-toe with Penn State in Happy Valley.

Is Purdue really enough to give Michigan fits on Saturday, or will it be the same old Purdue that Michigan fans usually take for granted? Let’s break down the matchpus.

Quarterbacks:

Caleb TerBush has grabbed firm control of the quarterback position after not really even being a factor heading into the season. Last year’s starter Rob Henry tore his ACL in August and Robert Marve has played sparingly after recovering from his own torn ACL in 2010.

TerBush has completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,127 yards (161/game), eight touchdowns and four interceptions. He also averages about eight rushes per game, but just 2.4 yards per carry. He had perhaps his best performance of the season in last week’s win, throwing for 178 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Denard Robinson struggled two weeks ago against Michigan State, completing just 9-of-24 passes and rushing for just 42 yards on 18 carries, but he’s still the most dangerous player on the field. As I profiled at the beginning of the week, he’s on pace to be one of the greatest quarterbacks in Michigan history and should be able to add to that total this week.

Edge: Michigan

Running Backs:

Ralph Bolden is Purdue’s go-to back with 398 yards on 4.9 yards per carry and three touchdowns. He’s had just one 100-yard rushing game, and ran well against Penn State two weeks ago, but gained just 28 yards on 12 carries last week and has three games with a less than three yards per carry average. Fellow junior Akeem Shavers hasn’t gotten as many carries but has scored five touchdowns.

Michigan’s running game has been uninspiring the past couple of weeks after showing signs of promise at the beginning of the season. Fitz Toussaint seemed to be becoming the every down back, but got just two carries for seven yards against Michigan State, while Vincent Smith got just eight for 37 yards.

It’s going to be interesting to see how Brady Hoke and offensive coordinator Al Borges handle the gameplan this week after abandoning the run game with the running backs against State. Purdue’s rush defense ranks 55th nationally, but shut down a pretty good Illinois rushing attack last week. Penn State, however, got 131 yards out of Silas Redd and Notre Dame got 191 from Cierre Wood and 94 from Jonas Gray.

Edge: Even

Receivers and Tight Ends:

Antavian Edison is the leading receiver for the Boilers, averaging 15.6 yards per catch and two touchdowns. He had a big game against Notre Dame, catching seven passes for 105 yards and a touchdown, but hasn’t done much outside of that.

The other go-to guy is Mr. Do-it-all Justin Siller. The former three-star quarterback moved to running back in 2008, was suspended for 2009, and returned as a wide receiver in 2010 before missing most of the season with an injury. He was actually Purdue’s starting quarterback in last year’s matchup with Michigan, but hurt his foot on the first play of the game. This season, he has 28 receptions for 284 yards and a touchdown.

For Michigan, receiver production can only go as far as Denard goes. Junior Hemingway is the obvious leader with 17 receptions for 397 yards and a touchdown. Though not a speedster, he’s a deep threat who has made his living on jump balls with big games against Notre Dame and Northwestern. Jeremy Gallon emerged as the second guy and leads the team in receptions with 18. Roy Roundtree and tight end Kevin Koger also have double-digit receptions and a pair of touchdowns each.

Michigan has the better stable of receivers, but how the offense is run will determine the kind of production they have.

Edge: Michigan

Offensive Line:

Purdue has allowed 16 sacks, which ranks 80th nationally, but the offensive line has seemingly fixed the problems it was having at the beginning of the season. Against Middle Tennessee and Rice to open the season, the Boilers allowed eight sacks. In the last five games, it has given up eight combined, including just one to Illinois’ very good pass rush last week.

In addition, the line has paved the way for the nation’s 26th-ranked rush offense. The Boilers have a good left tackle in Dennis Kelly and a solid and experienced guard in Peters Drey, an honorable mention All-Big Ten performer last season.

Michigan’s offensive line has struggled against more physical defensive lines the past few seasons and that was no different against Michigan State two weeks ago. After allowing just two sacks through the first six games, it allowed seven against the Spartans, and managed just 82 yards rushing.

Edge: Purdue

Defensive Line:

Purdue’s defensive line hasn’t been quite as good after losing First-Team All-American Ryan Kerrigan to the Washington Redskins, but it’s not a bad unit by any stretch. The Boilers have recorded 10 sacks, which ranks 93rd nationally, and allow 145 yards rushing per game, the same as Michigan allows. Tackle Kawann Short leads the team in sacks with 3.5 and tackles-for-loss with 9.5. He’s a guy who shifted to the end position against Penn State but is more of a run stopper than a pass rusher.

Michigan’s line has struggled to pressure the quarterback against good offensive lines, recording no sacks against Notre Dame and Michigan State. Bigger offensive lines tend to neutralize Mike Martin, Ryan Van Bergen, and Craig Roh simply because of a lack of size. Personnel wise, Michigan’s and Purdue’s lines are probably pretty even, but the Wolverines will have trouble getting to TerBush and getting much push against Purdue’s bigger offensive line.

Edge: Purdue

Linebackers:

Dwayne Beckford and Joe Holland are two fairly talented linebackers for the Boilers and are the team’s leading tacklers. The pair combined for 22 tackles against Illinois last week and helped keep Illini quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase in check.

Michigan’s linebackers haven’t progressed as much as expected throughout the season. Kenny Demens and Brandin Hawthorne have been slow to react and freshman Jake Ryan continues to struggle containing the edge.

Edge: Purdue

Defensive Backs:

Corner Ricardo Allen is just a sophomore but he already has six career interceptions for the Boilers, including one last week. The other, Josh Johnson is bigger and more physical, but neither was able to stop Notre Dame’s Michael Floyd in Week 4. But then again, who can? Purdue is allowing 206 passing yards per game, which is a respectable 36th nationally.

Michigan’s secondary has been much better than the past couple of seasons. Freshman Blake Countess has basically taken Troy Woolfolk’s spot due to nagging injuries and has fared well. Safety Jordan Kovacs is the leader while fellow safety Thomas Gordon has a knack for making big plays. Michigan gives up just 192 yards through the air.

Edge: Push

Special Teams:

Purdue has the nation’s fourth-best net punt average. Sophomore punter Cody Webster averages 46.6 yards per punt. Kicker Carson Wiggs has hit 9-of-14 field goals with a long of 53. The Boilers also have the nation’s 15th-best kick return game, giving the offense good starting field position.

Michigan’s punting has been pretty poor, with a net average of 33.1, which is near the bottom nationally. Some of that is attributed to a series of field position punts in the Michigan State game. Kicker Brendon Gibbons has hit 4-of-6 field goals with a long of just 38.

Edge: Purdue

Coaching:

Purdue Head Coach Danny Hope is 1-1 against Michigan since taking over for Joe Tiller. In 2009, he took advantage of Michigan’s decline and captured Purdue’s first win in Ann Arbor in 43 years. Last year, Purdue kept it close in an ugly game. He seems to be a good fit at a school like Purdue where he’s going to get the most out of the talent he has and keep them playing hard.

Brady Hoke suffered his first loss at Michigan two weeks ago, effectively ending his honeymoon. Now he can get down to coaching and staying out of the spotlight. For all the praise we gave Al Borges through the first six games, his gameplan was subpar at best against MSU. I’m wiling to bet he gets back to running the football against Purdue. Greg Mattison has Michigan’s defense ranked eighth nationally in points allowed and 36th in total defense. Those are dramatic improvements from the past few years.

Edge: Michigan

Intangibles:

Saturday will be homecoming in Ann Arbor but unfortunately Mother Nature thinks she went to Michigan. The current forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-40s with a rain or snow shower, meaning the game could come down to which team can run the ball the best.

Michigan lost to Purdue last time the Boilers visited Ann Arbor and you can be sure that Hoke has declared that unacceptable. It’s a must-win for Michigan if it wants any shot of climbing back into the Big Ten race. A home game in poor weather conditions should favor Michigan.

Edge: Michigan

This game does scare me a little bit. Purdue is playing well and looked good against Illinois last week. The Boilers run an offense somewhat similar to Northwestern and try to control the tempo early with some no-huddle. That worked for Northwestern in the first half against Michigan. It’s a shotgun spread offense with lots of zone read and receiver screens that could keep Michigan’s defense on its heels for the first half or so. Hope likes to mix around running backs and receivers and use Justin Siller in the Wildcat every now and then.

However, depending on what the weather brings, that could be neutralized a bit, either forcing Purdue into a more conservative rushing attack or causing turnovers.

The Purdue defense did a great job of stopping Illinois’ powerful offense last week. The Illini are about as similar to Michigan as any team in the Big Ten, so that doesn’t bode well. But Denard Robinson is better than Scheelhaase and Michigan will look to establish a rushing game early.

I look for Purdue to hang around for a half and into the third quarter before Mattison adjusts to stop the Boiler offense and Michigan wins a closer than wanted game.

Prediction: Michigan 33 – Purdue 24

Good to Know:

Michigan leads the all-time series 42-14, including 20-5 in the last 25 meetings. However, Purdue has won two of the last three

Michigan is 83-27 all-time in homecoming games

Michigan has forced as many turnovers (19) in the first seven games as it did all season in 2010. The Wolverines rank first in the Big Ten and eighth nationally in turnovers forced

Michigan has outscored opponents 121-42 in the second half this season and 200-61 from the second quarter on

Record Watch:

With one passing touchdown, Denard Robinson will pass Jim Harbaugh (1983-86) for sole possession of 9th on Michigan’s career list. With two, he will tie Brian Griese (1994-97) for 8th With 274 passing yards, Denard will pass Rick Leach (1975-78) for 9th in career passing yards. With 373, he can pass Brian Griese (1994-97) for 8th With 86 rushing yards, Denard will pass Gordon Bell (1973-75) for 9th on Michigan’s career rushing list With one rushing touchdown, Denard will move into a tie with Butch Woolfolk (1978-81) for 9th in career rushing touchdowns. With two, he will reach Tom Harmon (1938-40) and Billy Taylor (1969-71) for 7th With 66 receiving yards, Junior Hemingway could move into the top 20 in career receiving yards, passing Ralph Clayton (1976-79), John Kolesar (1985-88), and Adrian Arrington (2004-07)

On a day in which the forecast called for 30-plus mile per hour winds, one would think the run game would take front and center. However, someone forgot to tell that to offensive coordinator Al Borges as Michigan threw it up 31 times, while rushing it 36. Some of those run plays were originally called pass, so that disparity should be weighted a little more pass.

Michigan is not a passing team – not even close. It might be in the future, but not right now. Why Borges would try to air it out so much is beyond me, but I don’t like to question those who are far more experienced than myself.

#11 Michigan 14 – # 23 Michigan State 28
	Final Stats
14	Final Score	28
6-1 (2-1)	Record	5-1 (2-0)
250	Total Yards	333
82	Net Rushing Yards	211
168	Net Passing Yards	120
20	First Downs	16
1	Turnovers	2
5-40	Penalties – Yards	13-124
7-223	Punts – Yards	5-205
29:27	Time of Possession	30:33
3-of-15	Third Down Conversions	7-of-14
2-for-4	Fourth Down Conversions	0-for-0
0-0	Sacks By – Yards	7-62
0-for-0	Field Goals	0-for-0
2-for-2	PATs	4-for-4
1-for-2	Red Zone Scores – Chances	3-for-3

But in this game, the offensive game plan didn’t seem to put Michigan in position to win as it struggled all day, falling 28-14 to Michigan State.

Michigan took the ball first and Devin Gardner came in on the second play. A fake jet sweep to Denard and Gardner kept it and ran for the first down. A couple plays later, MSU blitzed and Vincent Smith made it pay with a 26 yard gain, getting inside MSU territory.

After a delay of game Michigan failed to convert a 3rd-and-long and lined up for the kick. Drew Dileo, the holder, took the snap and took off, getting a great block by kicker Brendan Gibbons on his way to picking up the first down.

On 2nd-and-6, Jerel Worthy grabbed Denard and looked to have him in the backfield for a loss, but Shoelace broke free and worked his magic, weaving in and out on his way to the end zone from 15 yards out.

MSU took its first drive and despite a huge drop by Keshawn Martin that would have gone for six, MSU still managed to get inside the 10. A pitch to running back Edwin Baker led to MSU’s first points of the day as he waltzed in virtually untouched. After being rather suspect coming into the game, MSU’s offensive line was dominating at the point of attack.

The Wolverines couldn’t get anything going on its next few drives as MSU kept stuffing the run and not giving the receivers any space. Fortunately for Michigan, State couldn’t do much either as it had several dropped passes that would have led to scores or first downs. This was shaping up to be an epic defensive battle.

Michigan looked like it was going to get its offense going after starting inside its own five-yard line and Junior Hemingway grabbed a high pass and took it out to the 35-yard line. But the offense fizzled, failing to convert a 3rd-and-4.

MSU continued its inability to score as well though. Dropped passes were killing the Spartans on offense and flags for late hits and other various penalties were killing them on defense, but Michigan could not capitalize.

Much like last year, MSU was keeping Denard in check, not allowing any running lanes and forcing him to pass the ball – not exactly his forte.

After halftime, MSU started at its own 45 after a bad kick, and wasted no time in capitalizing. The Spartans marched down the field almost unimpeded with Kirk Cousins hitting Martin for a short touchdown on 3rd-and-goal.

MSU stuffed Smith behind the line on first down and then a pass to Roundtree on second sailed over his head. On third down, Denard scrambled around but could not get way. MSU was all over him like white on rice. Fortunately, there was a late hit penalty that gave Michigan a first down. I wouldn’t call MSU a ‘dirty’ team per se, but it sure looked like one today – a lot of late hits and personal fouls. Michigan couldn’t capitalize on the mistake as Denard was sacked on first down and then hit with a holding call on third.

Michigan broke out the all whites for the first time since the mid-1970s (photo by MGoBlue.com)

MSU started at its own 20 and handed off to Baker, who busted a huge gain. Luckily for Michigan, Thomas Gordon (this kid always seems to make plays) knocked the ball out and true freshman linebacker Desmond Morgan recovered it. This was supposed to be one of those momentum swinging plays we’ve seen throughout the year that gets Michigan in gear and they go into beast mode. Not today though, as Michigan went three-and-out, with another Denard sack on third down.

After a 15-yard penalty on Michigan, MSU took over at its own 39 – great position again – and once again capitalized, moving the ball well through the air and with Martin visiting the end zone again on a 2nd-and-8 pass where he made a couple defenders miss. Michigan just could not get enough pressure on Cousins to hurry him and force bad throws.

Michigan had nothing going on its next drive, but got bailed out once again with another MSU personal foul on a 3rd-and-7 play that went incomplete. Denard took a jet sweep and ran for a first, and then hit Roundtree a couple plays later for another first down. Gardner came in on 3rd-and-11 and fumbled the snap for a loss of about 8. In case you weren’t watching the game, this was Michigan’s seventh straight possession that ended with a punt. I guess punting is better than turning it over, but still, seven straight possessions is a long time for Michigan to not get something going. Flashbacks to 2009 and ’10 come to mind at this point, but I have faith in Brady Hoke so I just shrugged it off as bad luck or the weather.

Michigan’s defense forced MSU into a 4th-and-18 after a great punt put them inside its own 15. Jeremy Gallon returned it to inside the 35 and on the first play Denard hit Roundtree in stride, who then broke a tackle and took it to the house to pull within seven at 21-14. Just under ten minutes remained, which was plenty of time to complete the comeback.

MSU ran a bit of trickery, giving an end around to Martin and Michigan didn’t see it. He ran for a good gain before J.T. Floyd punched the ball out and Jordan Kovacs recovered it (Kovacs > Rudy, just saying). Here we go again: a turnover and Michigan is looking to score again and tie this game up.

After getting into a 3rd-and-13, Denard hit Kevin Koger for a huge gain, but came up just shy. Hoke elected to go for it on 4th-and-short. Denard handed off to Smith, or so everyone in Lansing thought, but pulled it out at the last second and ran for the first down himself. The crowd didn’t realize it until after Denard got up. They cheered so loud thinking they stuffed Smith on fourth down only to see Shoelace get up past the marker with the ball. This team just seems to find a way to win, right?

After Denard hit Gallon just shy of the marker, Michigan was forced to go for it again on 4th-and-inches. This time, MSU was having nothing of it and sacked Denard for a big loss.

Unfortunately, this was a familiar sight on Saturday (photo by MSUspartans.com)

MSU didn’t do much though, going three-and-out and punting right back to the Wolverines.

Michigan was still in good shape when it took over at its own 33 with all three timeouts left and just over under five minutes to play. MSU blitzed up the middle and Denard threw a bad pass that was picked off by Isaiah Lewis and taken back for six, putting Sparty up 28-14. There was not a lot of time left and it looked as though that was the nail in the coffin.

It turned out it was as Devin Gardner scrambled around the entire field on 4th-and-22, but was eventually taken down. MSU ran out the clock and took home the ugliest trophy in all of sports, the Paul Bunyan trophy, for the fourth straight year. The game wasn’t really as close as the score indicated as MSU dominated pretty much every possession up front and once again kept the most electrifying player in the land in check.

Of course, there’s going to be talk of Michigan starting out well and then collapsing late in the season like the past two years, but I won’t have any of that. Yeah, Michigan got beat, but Brady Hoke is not Rich Rodriguez. He knows what Michigan football is all about, and he won’t let these kids get down on themselves.

“I expect them to act like a Michigan football team, and that means they’re going to come to work,” Hoke said after the game when asked how he thinks the players will react to the loss.

He WILL have them prepared to come out and play when they take the field against Purdue after the bye week. And come on, let’s face it, as great as we thought it would be did any of us really think Michigan would run the table in the B1G Ten?

If there is a silver lining it would be that MSU has to face a dominant Wisconsin team next week, and then travels to Nebraska the following week. Michigan could still wind up on top of the Legends division after a win against Purdue and two very possible MSU losses. It’s a good time for a Michigan bye week to regroup, get healthy and come back strong for games against Purdue, Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska before the big one against Ohio State to close the season.

There comes a time when you say to yourself enough’s enough. You’ve always dominated and gotten your way, but recently your little brother has snuck up and stolen a few cookies from the cookie jar while you were on a diet. Those cookies always looked so tempting, but you just couldn’t quite muster up the courage to take one. And little brother taunted you with them.

#11 Michigan v. #23 Michigan State
	Saturday Oct. 15 12 p.m. ET ESPN
6-0 (2-0)	Record	4-1 (1-0)
Western Michigan 34-10 Notre Dame 35-31 Eastern Michigan 31-3 San Diego State 28-7 Minnesota 58-0 Northwestern 42-24	Wins	Youngstown St. 28-6 Florida Atlantic 44-0 Central Michigan 45-7 Ohio State 10-7
	Losses	Notre Dame 13-31
38.0	Scoring Offense	28.0
257.0	Rushing YPG	128.8
200.5	Passing YPG	269.2
457.5	Total Offense	398.0
12.5	Scoring Defense	10.2
134.0	Rush Defense YPG	64.0
202.5	Pass Defense YPG	109.4
336.5	Total Defense YPG	173.4
17	Takeaways	10
11	Giveaways	7
11/2	Sacks By/Allowed	14/5
39-of-68 (57%)	Third-down Conv.	25-of-71 (35%)
4-for-6 (67.7%)	Field Goals	7-for-10 (70%)
35.6	Net Punt Avg.	33.7

Then, one day, you’re not quite to where you want to be, but you decide to put a stop to it. By god, those are your cookies. and you’re sick of being taken advantage of. So you hired a new nutritional coach who gives you a great game plan that even includes an indulgence of a few cookies here and there. Little brother comes looking for his cookies and they’re gone. His short stint as the cookie monster is over and he’s relegated back to longing to be you.

Obviously that’s a silly example, but it’s by and large the situation Michigan faces tomorrow. For 103 years, Michigan has dominated the rivalry, winning two-thirds of the meetings. When the Paul Bunyan trophy was introduced in 1953, Michigan State won it, but Michigan has brought old Paul back to Ann Arbor 34 times to MSU’s 22.

In the past three years, however, Little Brother woke up…or, rather, capitalized on an advantageous situation. Rich Rodriguez was brought in to bring Michigan into modernity, and we all know the story. Michigan State swooped in and won all three meetings.

Now, Rodriguez is gone and Brady Hoke has brought a new attitude to Ann Arbor – one that hearkens tradition and values rivalries. He’s already one-for-one, having beaten Notre Dame in Week 2, and now he could become the first Michigan head coach since Bennie Ooosterbaan in 1948 to beat Michigan State in his frist season as head coach. Bo Schembechler lost his first matchup 23-12 in 1969, Gary Moeller lost 28-27 in 1990, and Lloyd Carr lost 28-25 in 1995.

Michigan State enters tomorrow’s matchup 4-1 and ranked 23rd nationally, boasting the nation’s No. 1 ranked total defense. Does Michigan have a chance to end the three-year drought? Let’s take a look at the matchpus.

Quarterbacks:

Kirk Cousins is a senior three-year starter and three-time captain. He has a 20-10 record as MSU’s starting quarterback and has a chance to tie Jeff Smoker (2000-03) for the school record if he beats Michigan tomorrow. So far this season, Cousins has been accurate (67.8 percent) and has thrown for 1,197 yards and six touchdowns.

He’s not much of a runner, so Michigan won’t have to worry about a Northwestern-style offense that it had trouble stopping in the first half last week. He has a decent arm but the offense is more tailored towards short-to-intermediate passes and a power run game. He’s efficient and accurate with outs, slants, curls and the like and has the ability to throw deep every now and then.

He’s likely to be the best quarterback Michigan faces all season, but the Michigan defense has faced its share of good signal-callers so far in Alex Carder, Tommy Rees, Ryan Lindley, and Dan Persa. It gave up a lot of yards to Rees, but got the better of him in the end, and contained the others pretty well. All this to say that while Cousins is good, Michigan and defensive coordinator Greg Mattison certainly won’t be afraid of him.

Denard Robinson is arguably the most dangerous player in the country and the most important player to his team in the Big Ten. He hasn’t always been consistent this season, but he has displayed the ability to win with his legs or his arm. Most people think of him as a running back playing quarterback, but as he showed in the second half against Notre Dame and last week, he can put the ball in the air when needed. It’s just a matter of whether the good-throwing Denard or the back-foot-throwing Denard will show up.

Last year, Michigan State was the first team to bottle him up, holding him to just 86 rushing yards on 21 carries (4.1 yards per) and 215 passing yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. He’s still prone to mistakes when pressured, but he’s not the same player he was a year ago and this isn’t the same offense either. Rest assured Hoke and offensive coordinator Al Borges will have a good plan to neutralize State’s powerful front seven.

Edge: Even

Le'Veon Bell is a good running back behind an underperforming line (photo by Kirk Irwin, Getty Images)

Running Backs:

Michigan State features a pair of good running backs in Le’Veon Bell and Edwin Baker. Bell leads the team with 267 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Baker is close behind in yards with 252 yards on 4.1 yards per carry, but just one touchdown. They’re a punishing duo because they give the Spartans two nearly equal bruisers to rotate in and keep fresh. In addition, junior Larry Caper has been a thorn in Michigan’s side the past two years, scoring the winning touchdown in overtime in 2009, and an eight-yard touchdown last season to break the game open. The big question, however, is whether Michigan State’s underperforming offensive line will be able to rise to the occasion, but more on that in a little bit.

Michigan also has a good stable of backs. Though individually they probably aren’t as talented as pure the Spartan trio, but they work well in Michigan’s offense, giving it plenty of versatility. Fitz Toussaint is the between the tackles back leading all UM running backs with 326 yards on 5.4 yards per carry and four touchdowns. But it’s Vincent Smith who is probably the Wolverines best all-around back. He has just 214 yards, but is averaging a whopping 7.4 yards per carry, is a threat as a receiver (seven catches for 104 and two touchdowns) and is solid at picking up blitzes. Michael Shaw is the speed back who can get to the edge as we saw in the second half of last week’s game.

Michigan’s running game ranks seventh in the nation, averaging 257 yards per game. Much of that is thanks to Robinson, but the backs can get the job done.

Edge: Even

Receivers:

There’s no question who the go-to guy is for the Spartans. Senior B.J. Cunningham has 36 receptions (twice as many as the second-leading receiver) for 582 yards and two touchdowns. He ranks second in the Big Ten in yards per game and receptions per game and he’s a big-bodied NFL-type wideout who is hard to defend. He’s gone over 130 yards in three of the Spartans’ five games so far this season.

Keshawn Martin is the Spartans second-leading receiver with 19 receptions for 177 yards. He’s the slot guy who could terrorize Michigan’s defense tomorrow as it focuses on stopping Cunningham. Last season, he led MSU with six catches for 69 yards against Michigan. Outside of those two, only former quarterback Keith Nichol has more than 100 yards. He’s ok, but about as good a receiver as a former quarterback can be.

Michigan has several talented receivers with a lot of experience. Junior Hemingway is the number one guy and the main deep threat. He has become Michigan’s best jump-ball receiver since Braylon Edwards. His size allows him to outmuscle the defensive back and go up and get the ball. Sophomore Jeremy Gallon has emerged as Michigan’s second receiver and actually leads the Wolverines in receptions with 17. He has shown speed on the edge and an ability to turn a quick screen into yards. Roy Roundtree, last year’s leading receiver (and second-leading receiver in the Big Ten) has been quiet so far in his move to the outside, but is talented enough to demand respect from the defense.

Edge: Even

Offensive Line:

As was discussed above, Michigan State’s offensive line has underwhelmed thus far. With a trio of good running backs, the line has only paved the way for 128.8 rushing yards per game (79th nationally). It mustered just 71 yards on 31 attempts two weeks ago against Ohio State and 29 (!) yards on 23 attempts in a 31-13 loss to Notre Dame. The line is solid in pass protection, allowing a sack per game, but redshirt freshman center Travis Jackson will have his hands full tomorrow with Mike Martin.

Michigan’s line has been an asset all season, helping lead the nation’s seventh-best rushing attack and allowing just two sacks through six games. Center David Molk is the leader of the unit and a mid-season All-American according to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach. Left tackle Taylor Lewan is a beast and the rest of the guys have been solid. The unit has allowed just two sacks all season, bu the big test comes tomorrow.

Edge: Michigan

Defensive Line:

Worthy breaks through the line and sacks Braxton Miller before he can even hand it off

This is probably Michigan State’s biggest strength. The group is led by an NFL-caliber nose tackle in Jerel Worthy who practically lives in the backfield, as you can see in the photo. He’s impossible to single block and likes to jump the snap. How Molk handles Worthy will probably make a difference between good Denard and bad Denard.

The other star of the defensive line is sophomore end William Gholston. He’s always in the backfield as well and has the speed to chase down the running from behind on the backside, as he did a couple times against Ohio State.

Michigan’s defensive line is good too, led by senior Mike Martin. Ryan Van Bergen has blossomed into a good pass rusher and Craig Roh is improving weekly after a slow start. This may be the key matchup of the game – whether or not Michigan’s line can get consistent pressure on Cousins. If not, he’ll pick the defense apart.

Edge: Michigan State

Linebackers:

Sophomores Max Bullough and Denicos Allen are very good linebackers, reminiscent of classic Ohio State linebackers, which makes sense given that MSU Head Coach Mark Dantonio came from OSU. Allen leads the team in sacks (three) and tackles-for-loss (7.5). Bullough got a sack against Ohio State (but then again who didn’t?) and leads the team in tackles with 33.

Michigan’s linebackers have held up surprisingly well, much better than the past few years. It’s not a good unit by any means, but it’s slowly improving. Freshman Jake Ryan is going to be a great player at Michigan in the coming years but right now, he and Kenny Demens struggle to contain on the outside. Northwestern killed them in the first half before Mattison backed them up a step and put Ryan over the slot.

Edge: Michigan State

Secondary:

The Spartans are led by a pair of good safeties in Isaiah Lewis and Trenton Robinson. Robinson was Second-team All-Big Ten a year ago, while Lewis, a Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection last season, has two picks. Sophomore defensive back Darquezze Dennard had his first career interception against Ohio State. The safeties like to creep up to the line of scrimmage and move around a lot before the snap. It’s safe to say one will be pulled up until Michigan proves it can beat them deep.

Michigan’s secondary is at least consistent this season. Freshman Blake Countess has emerged as a playmaker and is getting serious playing time in place of banged up Troy Woolfolk. The safeties Thomas Gordon and Jordan Kovacs are the stars of the secondary. Kovacs leads the team in sacks with three, none more important than the fourth-down sack of Persa last week (regardless of whether it was a facemask or not).

Edge: Even

Special Teams:

Michigan State’s one weakness might be its special teams. Punter Mike Sadler has booted 18 punts for an average of 40.1, but the net is just 33.68, which is 110th nationally. Kicker Dan Conroy has been around forever and is 6-of-9 this season with a long of 50. Redshirt freshman running back Nick Hill is the main kick returner, averaging 26.9 yards per return, while Keshawn Martin is a dangerous punt returner capable of breaking one.

That's right Dantonio. I'm coming to take back my cookies! (photo by the Ann Arbor News)

For Michigan, Will Hagerup has punted just three times since his return from suspension, averaging 37.7 per punt. Kicker Brendan Gibbons is 4-of-6, having had last week’s only attempt blocked. Gallon does a good job with punt returns, averaging 10.7 yards per, which is 23rd nationally.

Edge: Even

Coaches:

Mark Dantonio is a Jim Tressel disciple. Since coming to East Lansing in 2007, he has turned the program around and instilled a toughness and focus on beating Michigan. He has succeeded with that in three of four meetings. He’s a defensive-minded coach, but always seems to prepare special offensive packages just for Michigan.

Brady Hoke has a chance to do something no Michigan coach has done since 1948: beat Michigan State in his first attempt. If he does so, he’ll have Michigan as the front-runner for the Big Ten Legends Division title. His coordinators, Al Borges and Greg Mattison, have been brilliant all season, especially in the second half. Whether you call it coaching or adjustments, the proof is in the pudding as Michigan has outscored its opponents 114-21 in the second half through six games (and 62-7 in the fourth quarter).

While I think Michigan has the better coaches overall, until they can prove they can clear the green and white mid-season hurdle, I can’t give them the edge.

Edge: Push

Intangibles:

Michigan State has the momentum in the series, riding a three-game winning streak over Michigan. The game is in East Lansing and the Spartans will be wearing some ugly shiny South Florida new pro combat uniforms. The weather calls for a windy day which favors running games and Michigan’s running game is seventh in the nation. State’s is just 79th. In this rivalry, the team that won the running game has won 28 of the past 31 meetings. That favors Michigan.

Edge: Even

Spartan fans claim they’ve seen this story before for Michigan: Michigan starts fast, feasting on cupcakes, until State beat them and then it’s all downhill from there. The irony is that’s been the Spartans’ M.O. up until the past couple of seasons. But this isn’t the same team Michigan fielded the past three years. It has some of the same elements, but the offense is much more complex, the defense has actual coaching, and the head coach places a major emphasis on beating rivals. He’ll have the Wolverines focused.

I think it comes down to two factors: the offensive and defensive lines. Can Molk and company keep Worthy and Gholston from invading the backfield and pressuring Denard into back-foot throws? Conversely, can Martin, Van Bergen, and Roh get consistent pressure on Cousins? Michigan State likes to roll the pocket to hide the line’s protection weaknesses and throw a lot of short routes. Look for Mattison to change up the blitzes to try to force Cousins into some bad throws of which he is prone to make.

It’s important for Michigan to get off to a fast start to put pressure on MSU early, but either way, It’s going to come down to the end like most Michigan-Michigan State games do. I have no doubt Michigan will be able to move the ball pretty effectively by using a combination of quick screens and zone-read to neutralize the Spartan pass rush. If Michigan can finish off its drives like it has all season (with the exception of the first half last week) then it should be able to outscore MSU.

Prediction: Michigan 27 – Michigan State 23

Good to Know:

Michigan leads the all-time series 67-31-5 (34-22-2 since the Paul Bunyan trophy was introduced in 1953, and 30-11 since 1970)

Michigan has forced multiple turnovers in all six games this season and has a plus-six turnover margin, which is best in the Big Ten and 14th nationally. The 17 turnovers forced are just two short of last year’s season total

Michigan is 26-of-28 in the red zone so far this season, including touchdowns on 22 (79 percent) of those trips

Junior Hemingway is averaging 26.1 yards per reception, which ranks first in the Big Ten and second in the nation

After going scoreless in the first quarter through the first three games, Michigan has scored touchdowns on its first possession of the game in each of the last three games

Michigan has committed just 24 penalties so far (average of four per game), which ranks first in the Big Ten and tied for eighth nationally

Record Watch:

With one passing touchdown, Denard Robinson will tie Jim Harbaugh (1983-86) for 9th on Michigan’s career list. With three, he will tie Brian Griese (1994-97) for 8th With 38 rushing yards, Denard will pass Tim Biakabatuka (1993-95) for 10th on Michigan’s career rushing list. He can reach 9th and pass Gordon Bell (1973-75) with 128 With one rushing touchdown, Denard will move into a tie with Gordon Bell (1973-75) for 10th in career rushing touchdowns. With two, he will reach Butch Woolfolk (1978-81). And with three, he will tie Tom Harmon (1938-40) and Billy Taylor (1969-71) for 7th With 109 receiving yards, Junior Hemingway could move into the top 20 in career receiving yards, passing Ralph Clayton (1976-79), John Kolesar (1985-88), and Adrian Arrington (2004-07)

Last week, for the second straight week, we all underestimated Michigan. Josh was the closest (for the second consecutive week), predicting a 49-6 victory, while Justin wasn’t far behind, picking 42-17. For the win, Josh wins the awesome singing and dancing gopher and his own un-painted brown jug. He’s now tied with Chris with two apiece, while I’m right behind with one win.

This week, we’ll be vying for Prince’s Purple Rain album and a sweet 2002 Northwestern media guide. I mean, who doesn’t want that to re-live NW’s 3-9 record that year to remind us that we suffered that just a couple years ago?

A win over Northwestern will give Michigan twice that many wins already and make the Wolverines bowl eligible. So who thinks we can win? Come on everybody, raise your hand now.

The picks:

Is that a high school field? Nope, it's NW's Ryan Field which typically has a pro-Michigan crowd when the Wolverines come to town

Justin (1): After watching Northwestern on tape and reviewing the matchups, I’m not quite as worried about this one as everyone else is. Northwestern is a quality football team, but has some holes defensively, and a quarterback not at full strength.

Dan Persa, last season’s First-team All-Big Ten quarterback, returned from injury last week, but still left the game with soreness. A major part of his game is running the football, but with the foot injury, he’s not going to be quite as dangerous in that aspect.

Compound Persa’s injury with a torn ACL that put starting running back Mike Trumpy out for the rest of the season, and Northwestern isn’t as dangerous offensively as it should be.

Michigan’s defense still isn’t a Michigan defense from the 1990s or early 2000s, but it’s not the all-time worst defense that we saw the past three seasons either. It’s inching closer to the former and will try to pressure Persa into mistakes.

Offensively, Michigan should be able to move the ball. Maybe not quite as well as against Minnesota last week, but at least the way it did against San Diego State two weeks ago. Northwestern gave up 395 rushing yards to Army two weeks ago (on 75 carries) and 391 passing yards to Illinois last week. Whether it’s on the ground or through the air, Michigan will move the football.

The Wildcats will likely stack the box and try to stop the run game, forcing Denard Robinson to beat it with his arm. Look for offensive coordinator Al Borges to get Denard comfortable early with a short passing game before unleashing more of a vertical passing game. But don’t get me wrong; Michigan will still run the football until Northwestern proves it can stop it, which I’m not entirely convinced it can.

It will probably be close in the first half as the two teams feel each other out, but if there’s one thing this new coaching staff has shown it knows how to do, it’s make adjustments. Michigan will take over in the second half and cruise to a sixth-straight win, setting up a huge showdown in East Lansing next Saturday.

Michigan 38 – Northwestern 17

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Josh (2): Northwestern is 2-2 and hasn’t really played anyone good yet. They’ve also been without stud quarterback Dan Persa most of the year. Persa did come back for most of last week’s game against Ilinois and was 10-of-14 for 123 yards, four touchdowns and no picks before he came out with a sore Achilles’.

Northwestern still managed to blow a 28-17 lead heading into the fourth and gave up 21 points to the Illini during the final quarter to end up falling 38-35.

Persa is set to play against Michigan and reports are that he’s “healthy,” whatever that means.

The Wildcats are a completely different team without Persa, not to say backup quarterback Kain Colter is bad, but he doesn’t give them the experience and talent that Persa does.

Assuming Persa plays the whole game, this could be a tough one for Michigan to win – but the key word is “could.” Persa is an accurate passer and can get out of the pocket and make things happen as well. Michigan has struggled to generate consistent pressure with their front four this season, but they have shown marked improvement from week-to-week. Persa will be the first true test for this defense; he is by far the best passer they will have faced and won’t be prone to turnovers and/or bad decisions like Notre Dame’s Tommy Rees was.

Pat Fitzgerald-coached teams have played well against Michigan: 17-3 UM in 2006, 28-16 UM in 2007, 21-14 NW in 2008 (photo by Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images)

However, despite Persa’s ability, he’s not 100 percent and he did aggravate his Achilles’ last week, so getting him moving around might prove to be very bad news for Northwestern. Look for defensive coordinator Greg Mattison to dial up some creative blitzes to get Persa moving around and testing out that Achilles’.

Northwestern’s defense has given up 420 yards per game – 245 passing and 175 rushing. One of those games was against our friends at Army who never pass, but did manage to rack up 381 rushing yards. In two of their other three games, they gave up 325 yards on average against the pass.

Pat Fitzgerald will have his team ready to play and they won’t make many mistakes. They’ve only turned the ball over twice all season, but they will still give up chunks of yardage and Michigan has shown an incredible ability to put points on the board once they’re in the red zone.

Michigan should be able to rack up the rushing yards on a bad run defense, but since Michigan hasn’t shown a consistent ability to pass the ball, NW will probably focus on stopping Denard from running wild. But, they couldn’t stop Army’s one-dimensional attack and gave up a ton. I feel like I’ve made this comparison before, so I don’t see them shutting down Denard, Fitz Toussaint, and Vincent Smith.

Denard is not a horrible passer but he is not a great one either. I’ve actually lost a bit of confidence in his abitlity to pass as the season has worn on, although it could be just the playcalling. However, Denard seems to have gained some confidence in himself with offensive coordinator Al Borges’ creative new playcalling against Minnesota last week.

If Borges can keep calling the short-to-medium range throws, Michigan should be in good shape.

Considering that Northwestern’s number one running back is now out for the year, how well Persa plays will be the determining factor for the outcome of this game. If he plays well, this one could be a barn-burner. If he plays only average, then I don’t think they’ll be able to do enough to beat us. Again, Persa is NOT 100 percent, so that could spell trouble for the Wildcats.

If Michigan can force turnovers AND capitalize on them, they should win this game going away. If they cannot, it could be a long night for the Wolverines.

Western Michigan’s Alex Carder was supposed to pass all over this defense and so was San Diego State’s Ryan Lindley. Persa is much better than both of them, even at less than 100 percent. I think in the end Persa will play well, but Michigan will keep pace, nab a key turnover or two, and win a shootout that comes downto the end.

Michigan 38 – Northwestern 34

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Matt (0): I think this game has me most concerned. Although Northwestern’s record is a mere 2-2, it is Michigan’s first away game, and Dan Persa is the real deal. However, Michigan’s defense is trying extremely hard – and has been rather successful – proving  that they are the real deal as well.

I look for Denard Robinson to be Denard Robinson, running all over the field, tossing a few touchdowns, and tossing a few picks. I also look for Devin Gardner to play a little bit like he did last week, although I think Northwestern will pose more of a threat, so thinking outside of the box won’t happen as much.

Vincent Smith will continue to campaign to be Michigan’s starting running back, and the defense will force two costly turnovers, one in the red zone.

Michigan 38 – Northwestern 24

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Chris (2): After a comfortable September at home, the Wolverines go on the road for the first time this season. There, they will face a Northwestern team coming off of two straight road losses against Army and rival Illinois.

The Wildcats had 16 returning starters to begin the year, but starting quarterback Dan Persa is just now coming back from an Achilles’ tendon tear which he suffered at the end of last season, and starting running back Mike Trumpy is out for the season with a torn ACL.

They won their first two games against inferior opponents Boston College and Eastern Illinois. They are averaging 28.8 points per game offensively behind an offense that has been mostly focused on the running game with Persa out. Now, with Persa in and Trumpy out, that focus may change to the pass.

Defensively, Northwestern is giving up 24.3 points per game, something that bodes well for Michigan’s high-powered, high-scoring offense. I believe that the Michigan offense has the advantage in all position categories, although the Michigan offensive line may face a slight test from the Northwestern front seven consisting of five seniors with starting and/or playing experience.

In this game, I like the fact that Northwestern has never faced Denard Robinson in person, as they did not play the Wolverines in 2009 or 2010. It’s one thing to see Robinson on film; it’s entirely another thing to go against him in person.

In this game, I like Michigan to continue with its strong offensive performance from last week and run the ball effectively. Northwestern will likely put eight men in the box to try to take away the zone-read and rely on their four senior defensive backs to play man-to-man against Michigan’s wide receivers. Despite this, I like Michigan to score enough to win this game.

On defense, this will be a tough test for Michigan. If Persa is more healthy as is being reported, Northwestern will try to spread out the Michigan defense to create good matchups. We will see just how much the Michigan secondary has improved in this game. To counter this, I expect the Michigan defense to try to put a lot of pressure on Persa. Persa is not mobile right now with that tender, repaired Achilles’ tendon, and if the defense can get him uncomfortable, it will take the pressure off the secondary and help Michigan win this game.

I expect Northwestern to come into this game upset-minded and hungry for a win. This game will likely be back-and-forth, but I expect Denard and the offense to be too much for the Northwestern defense to handle for 60 minutes.

Michigan 34 – Northwestern 24