Ann Arbor – The Michigan Wolverines ran the ball up and down and back and forth all night on the Gophers for their seventh win of the season with a score of 33-10. The weather in Michigan seemed to be anti-football. The MSU game in Lansing had a 3 1/2 hour delay and it looked like this game would face delays too. Officials cleared the field during warm-ups due to lighting and thunder. Ultimately the weather cooperated, causing the game to start 15 minutes late.
Saturday’s game returned a familiar face to the state of Michigan; P.J Fleck, the energetic former coach of WMU, led the Gophers in tonight’s matchup against the Wolverines. On a wet and cold night in the Big House, the young Wolverines brought back memories from the days of Bo’s three yards and a cloud of dust offense. In Brandon Peters first career start at quarterback, Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Tim Drevno were wise not to put too much on him. To help their young quarterback out they established the run game early.
The offensive linemen and running backs put on a show that was Broadway worthy. The game was never in question tonight, as Michigan imposed their will on the Gophers’ defensive front seven. Lightning and thunder struck often tonight inside the Big House. It came in the form of Karan Higdon and Chris Evans as they ran wild. The two would combine for a total of 391 yards and four touchdowns.
Higdon led the team in rushing, putting up a jaw-dropping 200 yards on 16 carries and two TDs. Not to be outdone, Chris Evans went for 191 yards on 13 carries with two TDs. They both had scoring runs over 50 yards. Evans had two. The first came during the 1st quarter when he took 60 yards to the house, followed by his second in the third for 67 yards. Higdon went the distance in the 1st quarter as he dashed for 77 yards for a score.
With the run game humming along, Peters wasn’t relied upon heavily. For the game, Peters went 8/13 for 56 yards. He found tight end Sean McKeon for 30 yards in the 1st quarter for his only TD pass. Peters will be asked to do more through the air going forward, as teams scheme to stop the run game.
Michigan’s defense also put on a show, holding the Gophers to 10 points. The defense recorded 5 sacks with 13 tackles for loss. Viper Khaleke Hudson played lights out, and turned out the lights with some of his hits. Hudson finished the game with 13 total tackles (11 solo), 2 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss and a strip sack that Michigan recovered. By the looks of it Michigan’s defense is all the way back. They will be tested for sure when the Wolverines travel to Camp Randle to take on the Badgers. With a win next week Michigan can begin to move back into consideration for a New Years Six matchup.
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