Week 6 Notes and Predictions

Week 6 of the 2012 season is coming up, and Michigan is back after the long bye week to face Purdue (a bye week seems even longer when it's Michigan not playing). Michigan will be playing yet another tough road game but please keep in mind that they are 3 point favorites in this one. I'm never one to put emphasis on point spreads (not much of a gambler), so I'm not putting much stock into it. However, if we played Savannah St. and were say...56 point favorites...I might then just buy into it for a game or so. Nevertheless, that isn't Purdue. So...on with the predictions:

Michigan at Purdue --Michigan is coming off of the bye week at the most important time. Denard Robinson has taken a hit both locally and nationally for the poor job against Notre Dame. Michigan's defense had a few bright spots a couple weeks ago, and against Purdue they will need to sustain most of that momentum. Purdue doesn't have any dominant players, but they do have a few good ones. A balanced attack against their defensive line and keeping turnovers down is what needs to happen. Needs to. Winner: Michigan

2012 Positional Breakdown: Defensive Line

Out of all the question marks for Michigan's 2012 squad, perhaps the biggest are for the defensive line.  After losing three starters, Michigan is looking for players to fill the roles formerly played by Mike Martin, Ryan Van Bergen, and Will Heininger.  They have returning players at every position on the defensive line with game experience, but only one of the four spots has gotten a serious amount of confidence from fans.  As a result, Michigan's defensive line progress could very likely determine the direction of the defense overall and the team's performance down the stretch.

This is largely because Michigan has All-Big Ten prospects at just about every positional group on the offensive side and is returning just about everybody that started at linebacker or in the secondary last year as well.  Add in the fact that both of the specialists return and Michigan looks like a pretty good squad for 2012, assuming the defensive line can progress.  In my opinion, this is the position group that will determine the type of season Michigan will have in 2012.  Not only because it has the most question marks, but also because of the way it produced in 2011 in route to the Sugar Bowl victory.  Key red zone stops, key stops on 3rd and short, and a plethora of turnovers during the course of the season.  Making up for that is going to be a challenge, so let's start breaking down who has a chance at doing it in 2012.

Recapping 2012 Commit Matthew Godin

There are many offseason questions for Michigan's 2012 team.  How will the team fare against the brutal schedule?  How will Denard Robinson progress?  How will the team respond to the likely loss of Fitz Toussaint?  However, some of the biggest questions have revolved around Michigan's inexperience in the defensive line and how the team was going to replace key seniors Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen.  There are a few upperclassmen set to play, but one of the 2012 recruits that could potentially fill this void is Matthew Godin.

Godin is an impressive athlete that has the potential to play multiple positions on the defensive line.  According to the fall media guide, he weighs 270 lbs, which is pretty impressive for a true freshman.  What should lend more confidence is that he comes from the same high school as Mike Martin, which means he's been going through some intense strength workouts during his time there.  His best characteristic according to the scouting services has been his impressive size, which seems to make sense.  However, there seems to be a consensus among scouting services and Michigan blogs about his raw technique.  If he's going to see the field in 2012 and be productive, he's going to have to take a big step forward with his technique.  The big area that needs work are his hands, according to Scout.