College Football Breakdowns: Michigan vs. Notre Dame
Quarterbacks
Shea Patterson (MICH) - 166/260 2259 Yds 17 TD 9 INT .. 47 Att, -16 Yds, 1 TD (7 Gm @ Ole Miss)
Brandon Wimbush (ND) - 136/275 1870 Yds 16 TD 6 INT .. 140 Att, 804 Yds, 14 TD
Shea Patterson is eligible to play after transferring from Ole Miss and will be a huge upgrade at Quarterback for the Wolverines (Article on Patterson here). Coach Harbaugh has praised redshirt freshman Dylan McCaffrey and has said McCaffrey has made some serious strides this offseason. I don't think McCaffrey will get the start and believe Harbaugh is just blowing smoke making Notre Dame have an alternate gameplan to counter a McCaffrey start.
Brandon Wimbush is the likely starter for the Irish. Last year he struggled with accuracy, but his dual-threat ability made up for that inefficiency. He has backup Ian Book is breathing down his neck and could very well take over the starting job down the road. Freshman Phil Jurkovec may see some action in the first four games, but will likely redshirt due to the new Redshirt rule which allows players to appear in four games before they redshirt.
Advantage: Michigan
Running Backs
Karan Higdon (MICH) 164 Att, 994 Yds, 11 TD .. 8 Rec, 131 Yds
Chris Evans (MICH) 135 Att, 685 Yds, 6 TD .. 16 Rec, 157 Yds, 1 TD
Dexter Williams (ND) 39 Att, 360 Yds, 4 TD .. 2 Rec, 13 Yds, 1 TD
Tony Jones (ND) 44 Att, 232 Yds, 3 TD .. 6 Rec, 12 Yds
Josh Adams surprisingly leaving for the NFL Draft early is a huge hit for the Irish's run game. Adams ran for 1430 yards and nine touchdowns last season. They will likely replace him by a committee including Dexter Williams and Tony Jones, but the production will likely dip. Michigan returns Karan Higdon and Chris Evans, who are poised to have an improved year with Quarterback stability.
Advantage: Michigan
Receivers
WR Tarik Black (MICH) 11 Rec, 149 Yds, 1 TD
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones (MICH) 22 Rec, 277 Yds
WR Grant Perry (MICH) 25 Rec, 307 Yds, 1 TD
TE Zach Gentry (MICH) 17 Rec, 303 Yds, 2 TD
TE Sean McKeon (MICH) 31 Rec, 301 Yds, 3 TD
WR Chase Claypool (ND) 29 Rec, 402 Yds, 2 TD
WR Miles Boykin (ND) 12 Rec, 253 Yds, 2 TD
WR Chris Finke (ND) 6 Rec, 102 Yds
TE Alize Mack (ND) 19 Rec, 166 Yds, 1 TD
TE Nic Weishar (ND) 9 Rec, 52 Yds, 2 TD
Another surprise NFL Draft early entry was Eqanimeous St Brown, Notre Dame's leading receiver from last season. He only had 33 receptions for 515 yards and four touchdowns and was selected in the sixth round by the Green Bay Packers. He will be missed, but I believe Chase Claypool will step up to be that number one guy. Notre Dame's also loses Kevin Stephenson, the team's third receiver. TE Alize Mack is a guy I look to have a breakout season for the Irish. Durham Smythe emerged last season at Tight End and ended up being a fourth round draft choice. Mack is a guy who I can see having a much improved year as he was very highly touted coming out of high school (#1 TE '14).
Michigan returns its entire receiving core and gets back arguably their best receiver in redshirt freshman Tarik Black. Black balled out in Michigan's first three games before being out for the season due to injury and receiving a medical redshirt. Donovan Peoples-Jones should improve in his sophomore season as his route running as a freshman wasn't always sharp. Both guys have really high ceilings and should improve with Patterson at quarterback. Also, new wide receivers coach Jim McElwain will have a big impact in his first year at Michigan.
Offensive Line
LT Juwann Bushell-Beatty (MICH) - 7 Starts at RT last season, 12 games total
LG Ben Bredeson (MICH) - 2nd Team All-Big Ten last season
C Cesar Ruiz (MICH) - Started last five games at RG last season, 10 games total
RG Michael Onwenu (MICH) - 9 Starts (8 RG, 1 LG) last season, 12 games total
RT Jon Runyan (MICH) - 1 Start last season, 9 games total
LT Liam Eichenberg (ND) - Appeared in five games last season
LG Alex Bars (ND) - 2nd Team All-Independent last season
C Sam Mustipher (ND) - 2-time 2nd Team All-Independent
RG Tommy Kraemer (ND) - 12 Starts at RT last season
RT Robert Hainsey (ND) - 13 games as a true freshman last season
Notre Dame loses All-Americans Mike McGlinchey and Quentin Nelson from last season, which will be tough to replace. However, Notre Dame has had four offensive lineman drafted in the first round in the last five years. Robert Hainsey split time last season with Tommy Kraemer to have some game experience for starting this season, which will really help. OL Coach Harry Hiestand left for the Chicago Bears, which is sure to be felt. Overall, though this Notre Dame line is still going to be very solid, even if it is down a few notches from last season.
Michigan loses two-time All-Big Ten LT Mason Cole and starting C Patrick Kugler. I would say the line is a weakness in comparison to the rest of this team. One backup to watch is Grant Newsome, who was a legit NFL prospect before a severe knee injury in 2016 and missed the entire 2017 season.
Advantage: Notre Dame
Defensive Line
DE Rashan Gary (MICH) - 58 TKL, 11.5 TFL, 5.5 SK, 1 FF
DT Bryan Mone (MICH) - 5 Starts, 7 TKL, 1 TFL
NT Aubrey Solomon (MICH) - 16 TKL, 2 TFL
DE Chase Winovich (MICH) - 73 TKL, 19 TFL, 8.5 SK, 2 FF, 2 FR
DE Khalid Kareem (ND) - 20 TKL, 5.5 TFL, 3 SK, 1 FF
NG Jonathan Bonner (ND) - 30 TKL, 3.5 TFL, 2 SK
DT Jerry Tillery (ND) - 56 TKL, 9 TFL, 4.5 SK, 1 FF
DE Daelin Hayes (ND) - 30 TKL, 6.5 TFL, 3 SK, 2 FR
Michigan does lose 1st Team All-American Mo Hurst, but this will be a very good defensive line. Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich team up to be one of the best defensive end tandems in the nation. Aubrey Solomon is highly touted and has some experience playing as a true freshman last season. Bryan Mone started five games last season and is experienced as well. This defensive line looks to be very solid and will give Notre Dame's O-Line everything it can handle.
Notre Dame returns its entire starting defensive front from last season. Jerry Tillery was sixth on the team in tackles and leads this front four. This group will improve and I believe this is the best group they've had in five years. However, Michigan's front four is slightly better due to the outstanding forces at both ends.
Advantage: Michigan
Linebackers
WLB Devin Gil (MICH) - 5 TKL
MLB Devin Bush (MICH) - 95 TKL, 10 TFL, 5.5 SK, 1 INT
SLB Khaleke Hudson (MICH) - 77 TKL, 16 TFL, 7.5 SK, 2 INT, 2 FF
WLB Drue Tranquill (ND) - 85 TKL, 10.5 TFL, 1.5 SK, 1 INT, 3 FR, 1 FF
MLB Te'Von Coney (ND) - 116 TKL, 11.5 TFL, 3 SK, 1 FR, 1 FF
ROV Asmar Bilal (ND) - 17 TKL, 1.5 TFL
Both linebacker groups have absolute studs who cover a ton of the field. From Michigan, Devin Bush and Khaleke Hudson are two of the best in the nation and Notre Dame's Te'Von Coney and Drue Tranquill are also two of the best in the nation. I have both groups in the top 15 in the nation and will have this as a push.
Advantage: Push
Defensive Backs
CB Lavert Hill (MICH) - 24 TKL, 5 TFL, 2 INT
CB David Long (MICH) - 20 TKL, 2 TFL, 0.5 SK, 2 INT
SS Josh Metellus (MICH) - 50 TKL, 0.5 TFL, 1 FF
FS Tyree Kinnel (MICH) - 66 TKL, 4.5 TFL, 1 SK, 2 INT
CB Troy Pride (ND) - 22 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 INT
CB Julian Love (ND) - 68 TKL, 1 TFL, 3 INT
SS Jalen Elliot (ND) - 43 TKL
FS Nick Coleman (ND) - 43 TKL, 1 TFL
Michigan boasts the top overall secondary unit in the country in my rankings. They are extremely deep at the position and add Utah starting safety Casey Hughes to the mix, who most likely won't be a starter here. They lose Mike McCray, but I think this unit will be even better this year.
Notre Dame's Julian Love is one of the top corners in the nation and I have him as a 1st Round Pick next year in the NFL Draft. Notre Dame returns its entire secondary and will improve from last season. Both teams have top ten secondaries, but Michigan is a little deeper.
Advantage: Michigan
Game Breakdown
This matchup line opened at Michigan -1.5 and has been bet to Michigan -2. My power rankings has this matchup favoring Michigan by three points on the road. This will be a defensive showcase as we will see two of the best defensives in the nation. Both teams will struggle through the air, especially Brandon Wimbush. If he does not improve on his control issues from last season, this could be a long day for him. Notre Dame's run game does not scare me either, unless Michigan struggles with the dual threat ability of Wimbush. I think Michigan will pound out the run game, wear down Notre Dame's defense and eek out a close win.
Prediction: Michigan 16-10
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