I still hate Jim Harbaugh, but I hated Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan too.
It was written that Michigan pulverized Northern Illinois, and that is correct. When you show up to play a football game, you cannot look worse. Western Michigan has the rowing experience (PJ Fleck) and Rocky Lombardi, who looked like an all-American against Michigan, transferred after starting at Michigan State. They are not Little League programs.
Washington, representing Seattle and the entire Northwest, is no slouch either even though they have problems. The game was an exercise in statement-making and stubbornness, but it was a thorough victory as well.
Michigan is the #1 rushing team in the country. It has worked against all three and for everyone else on the schedule it is no secret what the first priority is. The question remains concerning what will happen when another team stops it. Penn State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin probably will stop the Michigan running game. Worse, one of the two workhorse running backs may be injured. They are both excellent, with Corum in particular standing-out due to his big play success. Wow, who would have thunk it. Anyway, Indiana, Maryland, and Michigan State may have something to say about the running attack too. Nebraska looked solid if not pretty good against Oklahoma.
A key to the untested-but-better-than-expected defense is the line--Chris Hinton and Mazi Smith in particular. Smith has not looked fat and along with Hinton he has played and the line as a whole has held up. Hutchinson of course helps and the rest are capable if not promising.
Speaking of which, Mike Morris, learn it early and repeat it often, fans are fickle and some will quickly find something else to do if the losses pile up. For those who are a little more attached, it is a little more complex. It has been a long albeit recent history of trying to prove that Michigan football is bigger and stronger and usually it has not worked. The knock against Harbaugh not winning championships or big games is highly correlated: the better teams will stop you.
Corum, with 407 yards (8.5 per carry) in three games is, right now, a difference-maker. The strategy is to do it until they stop you. Number two option? Hassan Haskins. That is the offense and we have no idea what will happen against really good teams on the road. We do know what will happen when Michigan falls behind because Harbaugh is an interminable hardhead. When that happens they will keep running into a concrete wall and the whole team will look bad.
By the time Michigan played Rutgers last year Joe Milton had already fizzled-out. Cade McNamara too has been errorless this year. He was the reason Michigan scored 48 points to win in his coming out party last year. Keep going to him too. With Michigan at home, Rutgers this year probably will provide more of the same kind of experience.
Can the rushing game hold up?
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