Michigan Football: Just Like That, Team is in the Top 25
BYU came to Ann Arbor ranked No. 22. When it left after the game, it also left behind that No. 22 spot. The Michigan Wolverines gladly scooped it up.
This is the first time since Michigan has cracked the AP Top 25 since November 2, 2013. And the last time BYU was shutout? November 23, 2003. That’s 143 straight games.
The BYU game basically could not have gone any better. De’Veon Smith had an amazing 60-yard TD run in which he threw a defender to the ground in one-on-one coverage after emerging from a crowd of players. Amara Darboh had a spectacular one-handed grab, too. Plays like that just show how confident the team is. Everything is going right.
Jake Rudock, despite recording his lowest completion percentage so far this season (56%), threw a season-long 41-yard pass and earned his highest QB rating this season (134.4). His most important number, though, is a zero. That zero comes in the interception column, which had not happened in the first three games. He also threw a touchdown, a total of 194 yards, and ran for 33 yards, another season-high, with 2 TDs.
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I really don’t have much to complain about (first time for everything). The team’s turnover margin is still -2, but I’m so pumped that Michigan is ranked that it’s hard to be that mad. There weren’t any turnovers in the BYU game, so I’ll take that to mean the team is on an upward swing.
If I had to name something I would like to see change, it would be the penalties. Michigan had five against BYU, which totaled 58 yards. Penalties tend to go down as maturity goes up, so I am hopeful the team will settle down and Jim Harbaugh will make it clear to his players that stupid mistakes can be costly.
Other than that, Michigan is looking unstoppable. Even though Smith left the BYU game with an ankle injury, and it is unclear if he will play in the Maryland game next week, Michigan is still heavily favorited. The Terrapins lost badly (45-6) against No. 23 West Virginia on Saturday, so it is only fitting that they lose even worse to No. 22, right?
Next: Michigan Wolverines Enter DJC CFB Top 25