Michigan Football: Utah early favorite to spoil Harbaugh’s debut
By Joel Greer
The start of fall camp is still two weeks away, but Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh should be concerned over the season opener at Utah, Thursday, September 3. (The game will be televised by Fox Sports 1 beginning at 8:30pm. ET).
A look back to last year’s 26-10 loss to the Utes illustrated a few of the problems Michigan had all season. A mountain of turnovers and too many sacks halted many of U-M’s drives. Against Utah, Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner tossed a pair of interceptions while getting sacked three times.
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(For the season Gardner and backup Shane Morris accounted for 18 interceptions and 25 sacks).
Add a lost Michigan fumble to the equation and Utah was able to get out of town with a one-sided victory despite being outgained 308 to 286. Michigan’s scoring came from Matt Wile’s 42-yard field goal and a seven-yard pick-six by defensive tackle Willie Henry.
Key players return to Utes
While Harbaugh and his staff have injected new life into the Wolverines, the Utes continue to upset some of the better Pac-12 teams since leaving the Mountain West for the Pac-12 in 2011. Utah has upset UCLA twice, Stanford twice and Southern Cal once.
So last season’s win over Michigan was no fluke, and the Utes will have most of its key players back from its 9-4 (5-4 Pac-10) record a year ago.
Quarterback Travis Wilson, who completed 14 of 20 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown against Michigan, will be back to start his senior year. While Wilson is a pass-first, run-second signal caller, second stringer Kendal Thompson is happy running or passing. Should Wilson falter, expect to see plenty of Thompson.
Utah’s most decorated player is senior running back Devontae Booker, who rushed for 1,512 yards and caught 43 passes a season ago. Booker has been named to the 2015 watch lists for the Walter Camp (player of the year), Doak Walker (top running back) and Maxwell (player of the year) awards.
Utah favored
Utah’s head coach is Kyle Whittingham, who is now in his 11th season. Despite an 85-43 record, Whittingham was close to getting the boot near the end of last season. And if Harbaugh decided to stay in the National Football League, Whittingham would have been considered for the Michigan job.
A few of the oddsmakers (thespread.com and donbest.com) have already made the Wolverines 4.5/5.0 point road dogs.
The line is understandable since Michigan will be breaking in a new quarterback, among other things. Shane Morris, who has logged the only playing time, was thought to have a leg up on the quarterback battle, but Harbaugh just might decide on Iowa grad-transfer Jake Rudock, who started most of two seasons with the Hawkeyes.
Quarterback a question mark
Nov 8, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Jake Rudock (15) drops back for a pass in the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Rudock completed 417 of 691 passes for 4,819 yards, 34 touchdowns and 18 interceptions (13 INTs came in 2013).
Of course, Morris and Rudock are only two of the QBs who have a legitimate shot at the job.
Redshirt freshman Wilton Speight , who spent much of his prep school spare time with QB guru Steve Clarkson in California., just might be the wild card of this group. Early enrollee Alex Malzone could benefit from a season to build up his strength, while true freshman Zach Gentry might surprise everyone.
Despite the dilemma at quarterback, Michigan should be able to run the football, since the offensive line is basically intact and U-M boasts their best group of running backs in years.
Offense also for Peppers?
Defensively, Michigan returns nine starters from a unit that finished a reasonable fifth in Big Ten scoring defense (22.6). The Wolverines will also see plenty of “medical” redshirt freshman Jabrill Peppers, who suffered from nagging injuries much of last season. The nation’s top-rated cornerback recruit in 2014, Peppers has been compared to superstar Charles Woodson who played both ways, leading Michigan to the co-national championship in 1997.
Peppers and his supporting cast could elevate the U-M defense to the same level as Michigan State and Ohio State. He’s expected to start the season at free safety, but will play some nickelback and maybe cornerback, if necessary.
You will also see him on punt returns, kickoff returns and possibly at wide receiver later in the year.
Regardless of who Michigan faces, Peppers might be the best player on the field, and should affect the point spreads.
If the Utah game’s odds remain about the same, wouldn’t it make sense to take the points?
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