After a thorough domination on defense in a 33-17 win over
the Florida Gators on Sept. 2, the No. 8 Michigan Wolverines look to continue
to establish their identity as the Cincinnati Bearcats come calling on Saturday
(Noon ET, ABC) at Michigan Stadium in the first meeting ever between the schools.
Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight gets an opportunity to
redeem himself in the home opener at Michigan Stadium after back-to-back
interception passes for touchdowns and being benched in favor of John O’Korn in the
Florida game.
The benching lit a fire under Speight and came back into the
game and finished with 11-of-25 for 181 yards through the air and a touchdown. Speight will be the starter against Cincinnati, but expect O’Korn to see some playing
time according to Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
“There’s always things to improve on and if you can’t handle
that type of situation where things go wrong, then the quarterback position is
the wrong spot to be playing in,” Harbaugh said in Monday’s press conference.
“I thought [Wilton] handled it really well and sometimes that can break players.”
Any doubt of Michigan’s defense being a weakness would be
answered as linebacker Devin Bush led the way with a team-high seven tackles
(three for loss) and two sacks against Florida.
With Kenny Allen no longer the primary field goal option due
to graduation, freshman placekicker Quinn Nordin did not miss a beat with four makes (two from 50-plus yards out) against Florida. Nordin will be counted on to deliver for the
Wolverines on Saturday in his debut home game.
Familiarity rings as first-year Cincinnati coach Luke
Fickell worked in the same capacity and in other positions at Ohio State the
previous 18 years and knows a lot about the rivalry with Michigan, which could
serve as a rallying cry.
Expect things to be more of a challenge for the Bearcats as
they transition from a 26-14 win against the Austin Peay Governors on Aug. 31
to a daunting Wolverines defense, which did not yield a touchdown to the Gators
offense.
Cincinnati quarterback Hayden Moore fared well going
17-of-28 passing for three TD’s in the Austin Peay win, but could be in for a daunting
challenge as Michigan’s secondary could have a field day if it can corral the
short pass strategy. Cincinnati’s offense could be forced to expand in order to
keep Michigan's defense on alert at all times.
The Bearcats held the ball for 22:19 of the 60 minutes
against the Governors and could face an uphill climb against Michigan if
similar numbers are produced. Long drives and keen playcalling could be
necessary in order to keep Michigan’s offense away from the field for long
periods.
On the other side of the ball, the Bearcats forced a fumble
and an interception against Austin Peay and will need more impact plays in
order to hang with the Wolverines for four quarters.
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Follow Geno Green on Twitter @TheGenoGreen.
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