#11 Michigan Vs. #23 Michigan State: Preview

Last Year the Spartans got to hoist Paul Bunyan, The Wolverines hope to change that.
(Photo annarbor.com)

There is no love lost in this instate rivalry between the Wolverines and the Spartans. Michigan and dynamic quarter back Denard Robinson head into East Lansing looking to take back the Paul Bunyan trophy which has been in the Michigan State camp for the past three years. It will be coach Brady Hoke's first opportunity to take back the trophy as former Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez went 0-3 against the Spartans including two losses in Michigan Stadium. Spartan coach Mark Dantonio has not shied away from the importance of the rivalry between the two schools stating, "From day one when we walked in here, we pointed towards that. There were others who said that we couldn't (beat Michigan). So, we wanted to make a point. I think we've made the point and we'll go on from there." Sparty looks to continue the Wolverine woes on their home field as they press to win their fourth consecutive in the rivalry. All this to say, the winner of this game will have an inside track to the Big Ten championship game at the end of the season.

Much of the focus this week is going to be on quarter back play. Looking to stop the skid against the Spartans is Denard Robinson, one of the most electric players in the country. Robinson is not only the leading passer on the team, but he also leads the Wolverines in rushing with 720 to this point in the season. Last week in a win against Northwestern, Robinson rushed for 117 yards and passed for 337 as Michigan rattled off 28 unanswered points in the second half to win after trailing by 10 at the half. While Robinson accounted for 4 scores; two rushing and two passing, it also must be noted that he was picked off three times by the Northwestern defense. Not only is Robinson tough to defend because of his running ability, he also likes to spread the ball around. Last week, Robinson completed passes to 9 different receivers. Junior Hemingway lead all receivers with 5 receptions for 124 yards. Holding onto the ball is going to be a major factor in this game if Michigan wants to win because Michigan State boasts one of the most challenging defenses statistically in the NCAA. Last week, the Spartans won a tight one against Ohio State but limited the Buckeyes to only 7 points and 178 total yards from scrimmage.

That defense forced Robinson into three interceptions, and limited him to only 86 yards rushing last year as the Spartans won 34-17. If Robinson can get out of the pocket and run and keep the State defense honest he could have a big day, but he can't do it alone. The offensive line is going to have to give him time to throw when he does, and finish their blocks when he takes off. On the other side of the ball, Kirk Cousins looks to repeat his success from last season where he threw for 284 yards and a touch down in Michigan stadium. Cousins is an accurate passer whose favorite target is clearly Senior wide out, B.J. Cunningham. To this point in the season, Cunningham has accounted for 38 receptions for 582 yards. He has added two scores on the year for the Spartans. It will be interesting to see if Michigan keys on Cunningham, and tries to force Cousins through his progressions to his other targets on the field. If they can make him check down, they could get pressure and either force an errant pass or get the sack.

This heated rivalry could come down to the last second as this game often does and something has to give in the battle between a prolific offense and a stingy defense. If Robinson can cut loose, it could be a long day for Sparty's faithful, but if they can shut him down Paul Bunyan will stay in East Lansing another year.

Michigan will win if:                                   State will win if:
Robinson finds a groove                                Shut down Robinson
Receivers are effective                                   Force Turnovers
No mistakes                                                 Hold on to the ball

Wisconsin Survives Early Charge, Dominate Nebraska

Russell Wilson throws on the run against conference newcomer, Nebraska. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)

For Nebraska, it was their first chance to make a statement. They were matched against a talented Wisconsin team in a hostile environment. Coming out of the gates they looked like a team that could finally give the Badgers some trouble but Wisconsin responded to adversity, walking away with this one 48-17. Much could be made to this point about the level of competition Wisconsin has faced, beating their previous four foes by a combined score of 194-34.

In Nebraska's first game in the Big Ten they also provided the Badgers with their first deficit of the season when Taylor Martinez ran it in from 1 yard out to open the scoring, then again early on in the second quarter when Rex Burkhead punched it in to put the Huskers up a score early in the second. It was all Wisconsin from there.

The Badgers rattled off 34 consecutive points before Brett Maher tacked on a vanity field goal for Nebraska early in the fourth. However, on a day where every thing was going right for the Badgers, Montee Ball answered with his 4 touch down from 15 yards out to tie a career mark for most scores in a game.

While Ball did the heavy lifting, the star of the game was once again Russell Wilson. The NC State transfer threw for 255 yards and two scored of 36 and 46 yards. Wilson also added a score on the ground, once again proving himself as a dynamic running threat from behind center. When asked about Wilson's performance to this point in the season, coach Bret Bielema stated "If there's a better player in college football right now, I'd like to see it,"  He makes a compelling case for his quarter back who has thrown for 1391 yards and 13 touch downs against only 1 interception thus far in the year.

Wilson's fleet footed counter part did not fair so well. After showing promise in the first two drives which resulted in touch downs, Martinez finished the game completing only half of his passes and threw 3 interceptions against a stingy defense that still has not allowed more than 17 points on the season and an average of just over 10 points per game.

If Nebraska takes care of business in their half of the Big Ten, they could meet Wisconsin again in the conference championship game with redemption on their mind. They have a tough road to go however still having to face traditional conference powers Ohio State and must go on the road to the big house and their own multi-tooled quarter back Denard Robinson. For Wisconsin, they have a bye week leading up to a showdown with Indiana, closer to the end of the year, their stiffest challenge on paper would be Illinois, on the road. To this point, Wisconsin appears to be the class of the conference and the road to the Big Ten title goes through Madison. It will be interesting to see if they can maintain their level of play.

Ducks Run Through The Desert, Wildcats

LaMichael James sprints 19 yards for one of his two scores against Arizona.
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Oregon got out to an early lead and rode the efforts of LaMichael James last night in Tucson as the Ducks prevailed 56-31 over the Arizona Wildcats. James lead the rushing attack with a record setting 288 rushing yards, the most since Onterrio Smith set the record against Washington State in 2001. According to James he wasn't even aware how close he was to the record, saying "I was like, 'Oh, hopefully I can stay in the game,'" James also eclipsed former Duck standout Derek Loville's career touchdown mark, scoring his 42nd and 43rd touchdowns on the ground.

Oregon jumped out to a 35-3 lead when Nick Foles started to bring the Wildcats back to make the game competitive at 35-24. "We knew, especially against Nick Foles, that this game never is in hand," Coach Chip Kelly said. "We were aware that we were going to get a great shot from them in the second half, and I thought our offense responded well." With the momentum set on the side of the home team, memories of similar comebacks by Arizona started to well up, mainly 2008 when Oregon jumped out to a 45-17 half time lead, only to hold on 55-45, thanks to a key run by LeGarrette Blount. Darron Thomas calmly lead the Duck offense on a 8 play 75 yard drive that eclipsed a little more than 2 minutes which was capped off by a hard 5 yard run by Thomas himself.

Coach Kelly commented talking about his prolific rushing attack "We're starting to find our rhythm. We've still got some issues up front that we've got to clean up at times, but when our running back's running like that -- it makes us a real tough team to defend from a running standpoint when the quarterback can hit it, Kenjon can hit it, and LaMichael can hit it." The visitors amassed over 400 yards on the ground and when they can move the ball like that, they are very tough to defend.

The Ducks pressured Nick Foles all night who still managed to throw for 398 yards and 3 scores. It was a testament to the caliber of quarterback Foles is, who received little help from a green offensive line and an anemic running game. Late in the game, under duress Foles appeared to be wrapped up for a sack but switched the ball to his off hand and flipped the ball to Keola Antolin who rambled for a big first down. Despite Foles passing numbers, the Wildcats were held under 100 yards on the ground, an issue that has plagued the team all season. Despite his efforts, Arizona has lost 8 of the last 9, all losses to FBS opponents, the only win against Northern Arizona to start the season. The road doesn't get any easier as they have to travel to Los Angeles to play against a USC team who lost their last game against ASU 43-22 and likely looking for retribution. If Mike Stoops doesn't turn this season around he could begin to feel his seat as coach starting to get warmer as the season progresses. Oregon goes into their bye week with a week and a half to prepare for California coming to town. Last season, the Ducks got their biggest test of the regular season scoring only 15 points in Berkley last year.

Mistakes, Wilson bury Beavers in Wisconisn

Jacob Pedersen (48) catches a touchdown pass with Oregon State's Rashaad Reynolds (16) defending during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Oregon State came into Wisconsin with a lot of questions, Saturday and it seems as though they got at least some answers, even if the answers weren't what they wanted to hear. With two quarter backs sharing the reps with the first team through out the week, it seemed as though Coach Mike Riley would be deciding on a starter by throwing them into the fire of Camp Randall Stadium, one of the most raucous in the country. Unfortunately for the visitors, they didn't get enough answers to make it matter on the scoreboard as Wisconsin garnered their first shut out, 35-0 since they shut out Purdue 37-0 in 2009.

The offense had to lean on the experience and abilities of their quarter backs as the running game was only able to net 23 yards on the ground against a stifling defense. It seems as though Coach Riley decided on Sean Mannion to lead his offense as he managed to complete 25 of 38 passes for 244 yards. Former starter Ryan Katz only threw 3 passes as it appears he will be passed up by Mannion on the depth chart. Only time will tell at this point as OSU has two weeks to prepare for their first conference game against UCLA.

On the other side of the ball, Russell Wilson was again sparkling, passing for 3 touchdowns and only missing on 4 passes. The Oregon State interior defensive line held up their end of the bargain early, slowing down the dynamic rushing attack of Montee Ball and James White, but there were no answers for Wilson as he lead the Badgers up and down the field. The Badgers eventually wore down the undermanned Beavers defensive line and Montee Ball broke through for two touchdowns late in the second half to ice the game for the home team.

Wisconsin got help from an unexpected source as the Beavers just couldn't get their special teams on the same page. Johnny Hekker netted -4 yards on a punt to give Wisconsin the ball inside Oregon State's red zone and an eventual touch down when Russell Wilson found Jacob Pederson in the end zone for his first touchdown of the day. With Wisconsin leading 14-0, the Beavers needed a solid drive to get back into the game but Kick Returner Kenyan Parker made a mental mistake, fielding the ball and stepping out of bounds inside their own 5 yard line, creating a tall order for the offense.

The Badgers have one more warm up against Northern Illinois before they get into conference play and they appear to be on the right track. Wilson providing a much needed spark to an offense that seemed to be missing one element to really become unstoppable. Meanwhile, the Beavers seem to find some rhythm on offense. Oregon State was really missing Freshman standout Malcom Agnew who rumbled for 223 yards against Sacramento State, getting a little banged up in the process. Perhaps, the passing threat of Sean Mannion will open up the Beaver offense and give Agnew the much needed lanes to make Oregon State effective.

So what happened?: An editorial

I completely removed myself from my small island in the media circuit for the Oregon Vs. LSU game. Was it wise? Not likely. It was the biggest game of the week and a marquee match up which would have been the game that all other games would have been compared to for the rest of the year. On paper, this was the dream writing match-up. New faces, the biggest stage, the biggest stadium, Top 5 teams, controversy and a national audience. However, I did not feel as though I could write objectively about the game, so I didn't. I still can't. That's why this is falling under an editorial instead of a recap.

Everything was set to go Oregon's way. After one quarter, Oregon had the lead and the momentum. LSU was about to punt to one of the more electric Ducks on the squad. Kirk Herbstreit was commenting on how tired LSU was starting to look on defense. Chip Kelly was poised to put some separation between these two teams.

So what happened?

A perfect storm. One half of the game is scheming and I felt as though Oregon schemed well. The other half of the game is execution and when it came down to it, LSU made plays when they had to and Oregon did not. The scheme had worked, LSU was forced to punt and Kenjon Barner went back to return. Only he didn't execute. Trying to run backwards he was stripped of the football at the 3 yard line by Tyrann Mathieu and even after LaMichael James' score put Oregon back on top they never had control for the remainder of the game.

One fumble is tough to overcome but with a strong team like Oregon, you expect them to bounce back and get right back in the game. Well, phase two of the perfect storm didn't help. Players on both sides of the ball were dropping like flies from cramps. Unfortunately for Oregon, two of those players were #1 and #2 on the depth chart at running back. Coach Kelly turned the reins over to promising but inexperienced true freshman De'Anthony Thomas, who to that point in the game had been solid. The next two times he touched the ball though, he put it on the carpet and LSU recovered. 4 Oregon turnovers lead to 20 LSU points. Oregon lost by 13. You do the math.

Last season, Oregon was one of the best teams in the country in terms of turnover margin. You wouldn't have been able to tell that by watching Saturday night. They got beat at their own game, and ultimately it was their undoing. 40 points never speaks well of a defense but I feel as though they played well enough to win the game. Give the Ducks three more offensive possessions and take those away from LSU and the score could have been 40-27 the other way. However, as I had mentioned you have to execute. LSU did. Oregon didn't. Congratulations to LSU on a well fought, well executed game.

Looking beyond the box score, Cliff Harris was a huge factor in this game by his absence. Because he wasn't dressed and ready to play, redshirt freshman Terrance Mitchell was given the task of defending Reuben Randle and it was a mismatch from the moment Jarrett Lee found it. This doesn't even take into account his absence in the kick return game. Harris is a dicey player and there's no way to say he doesn't fumble on those kick returns either, but you feel like a little experience in the position would have gone a long way.

Bright spots I saw in the game came from the youth on both sides of the ball. They made their mistakes as one would expect on the biggest stage of their lives but the raw talent from Hronnis Grasu, Terrance Mitchell and De'Anthony Thomas can not be denied. They have the physical tools to be special, special players and I expect them to be difference makers in the games and seasons to come. I look forward to the future.

Coming soon: Preview of Oregon and Nevada

#11 Badgers Blow By Rebels

QB Russell Wilson looks down field against UNLV

Every coaches dream is to have a balanced attack. If that is Bret Bielema's goal than he couldn't be happier about the Badgers season opening trouncing of UNLV last night. Montee Ball and James White combined for 127 yards and 4 TD on the ground Thursday Night as Wisconsin rolled at home 55-17. Montee Ball takes home player of the game honors adding another TD and 67 yards receiving on a night when everything went right for the home team.

Many eyes were on NC State transfer Russell Wilson and how he would perform under the bright lights of Camp Randall stadium and he did not disappoint. After shaking his first quarter jitters overthrowing a couple wide open receivers he went 10-13 for 225 yards and two scores. Last season, Wisconsin rode their tandem of Ball and White all the way to the Rose Bowl and they look primed to do it again. Only, there is a difference maker under center. With 1:14 remaining in the first half, Wilson dropped back to throw, the pocket held and seeing daylight; the veteran signal caller scrambled out of the pocket. 48 yards, and Nick Toon's great down field block later Wilson was in the end zone on a play that felt like it would put it away right then and there. By that point Wisconsin had gone up 34-3 and it wasn't that close.

The added element of a running quarter back could give Wisconsin the edge it needs to return and possibly win the Rose Bowl for this next year. It's never easy breaking in two new starters on the offensive line, but knowing your quarter back has the ability to break free has to be of some comfort to the newest members of one of the NCAA's finest units. Wilson gave them a glowing review; himself, "I don't think I got touched at all today, which is pretty unbelievable. The offensive line did a great job. They're tremendous up there. Got to keep getting better, but they really are special up front."

UNLV scored late to get the game within 35 but by that time Wisconsin was already taking a look at their second stringers. Sophomore Caleb Harring gave a valiant effort against the size and power of Wisconsin's front 7 but at the end of the day the Runnin' Rebels got ran over, around and through.