Recapping: Northwestern

Devin Gardner did it again.

We were all counting on Denard Robinson to make his return to the field on Saturday against Northwestern, but that didn't turn out to be the case. Instead, we had to once again out our faith in backup Devin Gardner, making the second start at QB of his career.

This game had a little bit more pressure packed into it, though, as the Wildcats are a rising team in the Big Ten and were still breathing in the Legends Division race.  Still, Gardner went out and made his greatest contribution to the Wolverines in his 3 years of wearing a winged helmet. He threw for nearly 300 yards and 2 TDs, adding 47 yards on the ground with another 2 TDs.

Preview And Prediction: Purdue

Welcome back! The bye week is always the roughest part of the season for fans, but we dragged through it once again to enter conference play. This year, the Wolverines will open things up on the road against an underrated Purdue team that is off to a 3-1 start.

The past is in the past, so we should probably leave it at that. Denard Robinson has promised more of himself for the rest of this season, and I don't have a reason to not believe him. As for the other woes, hopefully a week off gave Brady Hoke and his staff enough time to sharpen things up.

Remember, Brady Hoke said he wants to win the Big Ten Championship. Two losses in the non-conference schedule does not count for a single thing from this point on.

Without further adieu, here are the top keys for both teams on Saturday.

The New Michigan Defense

Photo Credit: AnnArbor.com

Does anybody remember what the Michigan defense from 2008-2011 looked like? Let me rephrase that. Does anybody want to remember what they looked like?

A win for the Wolverines usually meant reaching up into the 40’s, and it would still be a tight game. If teams wanted to run the ball, they ran the ball with ease. If teams wanted to go through the air, they went through the air with ease. If the opposing coach wanted to play his 7-year old son, he could have done it and probably would have been successful. There was simply no resistance.

Now, let me ask this question: who is still shocked at the Wolverines' defense in 2011? Teams had a tough time doing anything to get points up on the board. The defensive line, led by Mike Martin, consistently came up with huge stops throughout the season, and, while it does still need some work, the secondary progressed in leaps. Of course, this was all with the same players who could only prove they played defense by the little position letter next to their name. So what changed?

We can talk technique and talent until the start of next season, but it all begins with heart, desire, and passion. When Brady Hoke came to Michigan in early 2011, he installed a new mind set before a new defense. Greg Mattison did the exact same thing when he was hired as Michigan’s Defensive Coordinator.

The very best part of Michigan’s defense in 2011 was their ability to make adjustments. I can’t remember a game when the 2^nd half was not better than the 1^st. Take the game against Northwestern for example. The Wildcats walked into the locker room at half time with a 10-point lead, 24-14. The final score of that game: Michigan won 42-24. Northwestern did not score a single point in the second half.

Situational defense was another huge part of the success in 2011. In the Sugar Bowl, Virginia Tech had a number of opportunities to bust the game wide open, especially with a seemingly handicapped Michigan offense. However, guys like Mike Martin and Ryan Van Burgen shut the door on the Hokies when it was most needed. Michigan does not win the Allstate Sugar Bowl without the stellar performance from Michigan's defense.

The Wolverines have some holes to fill on defense this off-season, but there is a lot to build off for next season with one of college football's best stories from last year.  Michigan's defense is finally back.

Willie Henry Commits To Michigan

Finally!  Michigan has some good news on the recruiting front.  After what had seemed like the longest "dry" stretch for recruiting in recent Wolverines' history, they finally have a new commitment.  Although he is new to the scene and was only offered a scholarship recently, he should be a solid addition to this year's class.  Willie Henry, a defensive tackle from Cleveland, is rated as a 3* recruit and has been praised by many in the recruiting world.

Last week, I talked about how I believed Caleb Stacey's de-commitment made Jordan Diamond the most important recruit for the 2012 recruiting class.  Although I still believe that, it does nothing to decrease the significance of Henry's decision.  Obviously, Ondre Pipkins is the recruit on the defensive line that will get the most attention, but bringing in a player like Henry is crucial for building a strong program.

Why is Henry a great addition?  Right now, there are several places on the team that lack significant depth.  The biggest areas are offensive and defensive line.  Although there are some great players and some solid incoming recruits for these areas, they still don't have great depth.  The cause of these problems is debatable, but they do exist and recruits like Henry will help to fill that void and ensure success for Michigan in the long term.

Another important factor is that Greg Mattison and Brady Hoke both seem awfully high on what is a standard 3* defensive lineman.  Nothing against Henry or any other 3*, but he didn't receive a lot of attention until late in the recruiting process.  One can debate the reason for this, but, to me, it shows that Hoke and Mattison really believe this kid can play and after what they've done with last year's defense, I have pretty high confidence that they can turn almost any defensive recruit into a great player (not saying Henry isn't good).

Henry is rated as 6'2" and weighing 270 lbs.  He will probably have to bulk up a little more if he really wants to compete against the big offensive lines, but there's no reason to believe he won't.  This is even supported by Scout's online rankings of Henry, which cite his only area for improvement as "size."  Frankly, if a player is an incoming freshman and their only problem is size, a fan or coach can't complain.  Along with this, he will probably red-shirt during his freshman year, which means he'll be a lot bigger when he actually sees the field in 2013.

There's certainly going to be a lot of drama and action over the next few days, but I'm very excited at what Henry brings to this class.  Sure, I would have loved to get guys like Joshua Garnett or Armani Reeves, but that doesn't take anything away from what Henry will bring to the field.  This class is sure to finish great and among the elite in the nation.


Photo Credit: Bill