Another ‘warm up’ for the Michigan Wolverines in Champaign

The Michigan Wolverines will face a familiar face today at noon as they head to Champaign, Illinois to take on the Fighting Illini.

The Michigan Wolverines roll into Champaign as 24.5 point favorites.  It’s a Michigan team that has yet to find an identity on offense. Shea Patterson hasn’t done anything this season to impress anyone.  The senior quarterback has actually regressed under the so-called quarterback guru’s watchful eye.

Jim Harbaugh is against the ropes.  It’s time for the former Wolverines quarterback to either start punching back or fall to the mat and receive the loss.  Although he’s piled up wins as the Michigan coach, impressive victories have been few and far between.  The ten win seasons only look good on paper, but when you see all the achievements over mid-level schools and losses to the Ohio States, Notre Dames of the world, you understand the win total is skewed.

As the spread, today indicates, this should be a walk in the park for the Michigan Wolverines today.  I hope Brandon Peters can play today.  I can’t help but wonder if Peters would be a better option in this Michigan Josh Gattis offense.

More from Detroit Jock City

• Tigers Sign Manager A.J. Hinch to Long-Term Extension
• Lions vs. Bears Week 14 Opening Odds Disrespect Detroit
• Former Tigers Celebrate Jim Leyland Hall of Fame Call
• This Pistons Team Could be the Worst in Detroit Sports History
• 4 Free Agents Tigers Should Sign During Winter Meetings

I understand Peters didn’t exactly fare well with the Wolverines, but he’s a pro-style quarterback with a strong arm.  Peters graduated from the University of Michigan and had one year of eligibility remaining.  With Harbaugh deciding to go with Patterson, Peters sought an alternative route.

With the abundance of playmaking wide receivers and Patterson’s inability to deliver the football with any type of regularity begs the question as to if Peters would be a better option. Peters is in the midst of a career year, statistically completing 59% of his passing attempts.  He’s thrown 797 yards and 10 touchdowns throughout his first five games of the season.

It’s long-time former Chicago Bears head coach who leads Ilinois today.  Smith hasn’t found much success since his days with the Bears.  This is his fourth season in Ilinois, and he’s owned a record of 11-30.  How much longer will he be employed?  My guess would be not much longer.

Christian McCaffery is likely to miss his third straight game due to a concussion he suffered against the Wisconsin Badgers.  If McCaffery were healthy, he would have had the opportunity to unseat Patterson, but the injury couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Today should be a walk in the park for Michigan.  It’s a perfect time to unleash a few wrinkles on offense without showing to much.  I’d like to see Patterson drop back and throw the football 45 times because quite frankly, I’m not convinced he can consistently deliver the football on time and accurate.

It would also be a perfect opportunity to run out Joe Milton.  Milton hasn’t received near enough time on the field to get himself into a rhythm.  He’s got a strong arm, strongest on the team.   He’s a dual-threat quarterback who can gain yards when the play breaks down.  I’d like to see Milton for the entire duration of a football game before completely ruling him out as the team’s best option under center.

Rather than experimenting today, expect the same old Michigan Wolverines to show up today.  Expect a heavy dose of Zach Charbonnet and Christian Turner on the ground.  Patterson will likely play the whole way, managing the football game and bleeding the clock.  The Wolverines could unleash the passing game today, allowing their four dynamic wide-outs each to play a prominent role.

It’s another warm-up game for the Wolverines who lock up with Penn State and Notre Dame over the next two weeks. Michigan should win this game 45-14.  That 14 is if Peters plays.  If he isn’t able to go due to the upper-body injury suffered last week, Ilinois will be hard-pressed to score more than 10.