The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/859588
SEPTEMBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 51 step up and perform, and they've done a great job recruiting so I definitely see that happening." Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo: "I think maybe talent-wise they're in the discussion, but it's changed a little bit. The East [division in the Big Ten] is one of the hardest conferences in the country. In college football, or in any sport, you can only control half of the equation. … It's hard to have a quick rise in the Big Ten East, but you look at Urban [Meyer at Ohio State] and he won a national title in his third year, [Penn State head coach] James [Franklin] won a Big Ten cham- pionship in his third year — year three for Harbaugh, that's the expectation. Nobody wants to hear how young they are — they just want to know, if James overcame less than 85 scholar- ships and if Urban did what he did, why can't Jim? "Competing for the Big Ten East right until the last game of the season is a fair expectation. I'd say Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State — anything less than competing for the Big Ten East during the last week of the season would be a disappointment." OPPOSING PLAYERS BREAK DOWN U-M Several opposing players gave their thoughts on Michigan and Harbaugh — both with and without their names attached — and here is a look at what several of them had to say about the Wolverines: Minnesota redshirt junior running back Rodney Smith on playing at Michigan this season: "It'll be my first time going to The Big House, because I didn't get a chance to go my redshirt year, so it'll be exciting. I know the en- tire team is looking forward to it. "It's a historic environment and sta- dium, and they have a great team." Rutgers fifth-year senior offensive tackle Dorian Miller on heading to The Big House this season: "Growing up, those are the things you dream about. I was a kid playing NCAA and thinking about the times I would play in a place like that. "Any time I get to go to those blue- blood schools and play those teams, it's definitely a great opportunity." Anonymous player on whether or not it's annoying constantly seeing Jim Harbaugh in the media spotlight: "Not at all. He may always be in the media — Nick Saban is always in the media, too. None of that really bothers me." Anonymous player on going up against Michigan's defense: "They had a hard-nosed defense, and physi- cal. They had a sticky defense. "It was one of the best defenses I've faced since I've been in college. You had to earn everything against them." Anonymous player on the most in- timidating place to play in the Big Ten: "I'll give two answers — Penn State and Michigan. When we were at Michigan, it was third down at the 20 going in, and while we were watching film later on, it was literally shaking. "That just left a lasting impression on me, because I've never seen film shake. It's a film camera, so it's just a stationary camera, but it was shaking." Wisconsin redshirt junior line- backer T.J. Edwards on facing Speight last season: "He was very good. He's a bigger body, so even when you had an open shot at him, you really had to fight to get him down and even had to get some help. "I think he grew throughout the year and played well under pressure — he threw a great pass to beat us." Maryland fifth-year senior line- backer Jermaine Carter on fac- ing Michigan's offense last year: "I thought they executed at a high level. They were well prepared, but we just have to be more prepared next season. "I wouldn't go as far as saying they were one of the best offenses we saw, but they did a great job. It wasn't an offense where they were spreading it out or were fast tempo. "They slowed the game down, but did a great job of executing. We had too many mental lapses in that game, and we had a lot of freshmen out there." Purdue fifth-year senior linebacker Danny Ezechukwu on Harbaugh and facing Michigan this year: "The kind of pro-style approach they have will make them a really strong team. I feel like it's going to be different in the way they attack you and play you, espe- cially under Jim Harbaugh. "He's extreme, from what I've seen — no nonsense and he wants to get after it all game long. There's no let up with him — it's football all the time, and he's another guy who just really loves the game. "I'm looking forward to seeing the strengths of their team and how physi- cal they are. It's going to be a hard- fought game." Penn State senior linebacker Jason Cabinda on last year's game against Michigan: "Before the game, we saw on film they were a big, physical team. They want to run the ball down your throat and then get you on play-action pass — that's their bread and butter. "They had a lot of threats — [former tight end] Jake Butt and [former wide- out] Jehu Chesson, and some good backs like Chris Evans and Ty Isaac. They had a big physical offensive line and an experienced quarterback who was playing really well at the time. "Their defense was very talented, es- pecially with a versatile guy like Jabrill Peppers who could do it all." ❏ Opposing defenses will have their hands full trying to slow down sophomore running back Chris Evans. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL