.jpg)
Post DSU Romp and on to Penn State
My little sister is a sophomore at Ball State – so while Michigan was walking all over Delaware State I was attending Ball State’s family weekend and watching the winless Ball State Cardinals get smoked by Bowling Green in Muncie, IN. There simply is nothing like college football on a Saturday in the fall. Even though I was at what was really a terrible football game, I was happy to be in the presence of a couple teams laying it all out on the field. I was happily updating and tracking the game on my phone as Michigan mercilessly scored TD after TD in the first half. Later on Saturday night I fired up the DVR to catch a the highlights of the day – it’s interesting knowing how the box score played out and then watching the game.
Quick on Delaware State
Without getting into all the statistical ins and outs of what happened on Saturday – it was clear that this game is a positive thing for Michigan as a whole. It’s games like these that bring a team together and helps the unity of a 110+ man roster. To see players get actual game playing time in the Big House is something that their families will be talking about for the rest of their life. As Brian over on Mgoblog mentioned, this game moved Michigan up 35 spots in total offense and up 20 spots in total defense. So the game did wonders for Michigan statistically, but that’s about it. The depth chart essentially remains the same for Penn State as there were no serious injuries and no second or third stringer stood out enough to jump a current starter.
Penn State
Last year Michigan proved that they could run the ball in Happy Valley – well it was more Brandon Minor and MINOR RAGE than anything. Nevertheless, Michigan needs to duplicate that effort on the ground for a full 4 quarters this Saturday if they want to beat Penn State. Per RR in Monday’s press conference, Michigan’s starting center David Molk is going to practice and should see time on the field this week. Now, whether or not he will start – not sure yet.
PSU really hasn’t beaten anybody this year, but did control most of that game against Iowa and just completely dominated a decent offensive-minded Minnesota team. Their struggles with the ground game offensively were well documented after their extraordinarily perennially weak non-conference schedule. A few things that I am looking for this coming Saturday:
- When does Denard Robinson get his first snap? I’m guessing second quarter
- Is David Molk going to start? I’m guessing that he will
- Does Troy Woolfolk continue to play strong at the corner position? I’m guessing that he does as he showed he can hang in the Iowa game
- Can the Safeties bring it for an entire game? This could be an issue, I haven’t seen Mike Williams play a complete game yet
- How is time split in the backfield? I’m guessing Minor gets the start – and the remaining carries are split between Brown, Shaw and maybe even Smith
- How will the receivers be involved in the game plan? It seems as though Greg Matthews or Darryl Stonum is due for a big game
Should Michigan get a victory this weekend – they will inch up in the standings, but will need some help down the road from Iowa and Michigan State if they are thinking championship.
Week 7 Big 10 Standings
