Ten Things I Think Will Happen For Michigan Against Alabama
Michigan sits at 9-3 after a regular season that has definitely been up and down. Through the first few games, it looked like Josh Gattis' new offense was a massive failure. Down the stretch, Shea Patterson looked like an All-American and the offense really started to hum. Still, while the offense was performing well, Michigan lost badly against Ohio State, and also lost its two other toughest games on the road against Wisconsin and Penn State.
All of that makes these guesses tricky, but here are some specific predictions on how the action will look tomorrow.
Player Predictions
Shea Patterson will throw for at least 300 yards
Heading into the final quarter of the season, Patterson had never thrown for 300 yards in a winged helmet but then did in the final three games of the year. I think he does it again against Alabama. The Tide only give up 183.4 yards passing per game, but I think Josh Gattis and Patterson found something down the stretch. With Tarik Black out of the picture, the rest of the receivers know their role and have no negative influences in house. That will make for a tight rotation and a bunch of guys who want to prove themselves against mighty Alabama. Not only that, I think Patterson has to put up big numbers in order for Michigan to stay in the game.
Donovan Peoples-Jones will score a touchdown
Michigan's most gifted athlete got hot over the last three games of the season and will continue that against the Crimson Tide. Against Michigan State, Indiana and Ohio State, Peoples-Jones made 12 catches for 190 yards and scored a touchdown in all three games (it should've been two against the Buckeyes). His growing chemistry with Shea Patterson will be present against Alabama and he'll find his way into the end zone.
Hassan Haskins will lead the team in attempts and rushing yards
Haskins took over as the starting running back down the stretch and got the nod in the final five games. Charbonnet still played, but his carry total was just 27 over the final four contests. Haskins, on the other hand, toted it 54 times over the same stretch. Haskins seemed to have more burst and balance even though Charbonnet was the main touchdown scorer on the ground. Charbonnet set the Michigan freshman record with 11 rushing touchdowns to just four for Haskins. Against Bama, burst, vision and forward lean is going to be extremely important, so Haskins will be the guy.
Josh Uche will sack Mac Jones
Uche leads the Wolverines in sacks with 8.5 and would certainly like to add to that total in his final collegiate game. Alabama's offensive line is very solid but the tackles are huge, hulking figures that could have trouble with a speedy edge guy like Uche. Throw in the fact the he'll likely stunt with Don Brown calling the shots and I see him getting to the quarterback.
Chris Hinton will play more than 50 snaps
With Michael Dwumfour out after some sort of a procedure, the freshman is going to have to step up. The former five-star D-tackle played 38 snaps against Ohio State, while Dwumfour was on the field for 26. With Dwumfour out, and Carlo Kemp potentially dinged up, Hinton is going to have to play a lot of football against the Tide. I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of Mazi Smith either.
Team Predictions
Three Michigan freshmen will catch a pass
Five rookies have caught passes for the Wolverines this year and I think at least three of them will record a grab against Alabama. The most likely candidates are wide receiver Giles Jackson, wide receiver Mike Sainristil and running back Zach Charbonnet, but wide receiver Cornelius Johnson and tight end Erick All have shown that they're capable as well. As I mentioned above, I think Shea Patterson needs to have a big day, which usually means he'll be spreading it around.
Michigan will score first
I really think Alabama is going to struggle with motivation in this "meaningless" game for them, which will allow Michigan to get off to the faster start. Obviously it would help if U-M gets the ball first, but I still think the Wolverines are going to come out of the gate with more urgency and put points on the board first.
Alabama will hold Michigan under 150 yards rushing
Michigan is averaging 149.3 yards rushing per game but didn't come close to that against the three best rush defenses it faced this year in Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State. The Wolverines also fell well short of that mark against Iowa and Penn State. Alabama is No. 35 in the country against the run allowing just 135.08 yards per games and I think their talent will win that battle.
Two of Alabama's wide receivers will score a touchdown
The Crimson Tide have been an explosive offense all season and will certainly look for the big play against Michigan. Alabama is obviously playing tomorrow without star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, but Mac Jones can spin it and he has phenomenal receivers to throw to. The quartet of Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III, Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle have scored 35 touchdowns on the year and I think at least two of them will score against Michigan. We know Don Brown is going to leave his corners on an island, and even though Lavert Hill and Ambry Thomas are future pros as well, Bama's receivers are too explosive to keep in check for 60 minutes.
A Michigan linebacker will be involved in a turnover
Michigan's linebackers have all had some really nice moments this year and I think at least one of them will show up in a big way. Could it be Josh Uche on a strip sack? Maybe Khaleke Hudson or Jordan Glasgow force or recover a fumble. Could Cameron McGrone's speed allow him to undercut a tight end or a running back and make an interception? I see all of those as being possible and I think Michigan will need to force a couple of turnovers to beat Alabama. I'm sure Don Brown and the defensive coaches have put an emphasis on taking the ball away and linebackers probably have the best opportunities to do so.
What do you think of the predictions? Which will happen and which won't? What predictions do you have? Comment below!!!
