Episode 048: Thirteen weeks of Football down, it now all hinges on THE GAME? Are the Bucks Prepared?
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Michigan
The Wolverines were able to fend off a tough Indiana team under a blanket of snow Saturday afternoon. However it was a game that left much to be desired. John O’Korn filled in for the injured Wilton Speight, but it couldn’t have been encouraging for the Michigan faithful. Outside of a few throws and a terrific 3rd and long scramble, O’Korn was largely ineffective and relied on a heavily on De’Veon Smith to power the offense. Will Speight play this week? Harbaugh would like everyone to believe so, but it is doubtful it will happen. He may even enter the game to take a few snaps, but if he has a crack clavicle or even a separated AC joint, one week off will not be enough.
Colorado and West Virginia
Colorado faced their first big test since early in the season. A Mike Leach coached Washington State team was scoring points seemingly at will. However the Buffalos are for real. Their quarterback, Sefo Liufau, is maybe the most underrated signal caller in the nation. He is more athletic than expected and has great poise. With a win this week against Utah, Colorado will seal their spot in the PAC 12 Championship Game.
West Virginia finally lost, and lost in a terrific fashion. Oklahoma has always been the best team in the Big 12, and now it is looking to come to fruition. The Mountaineers ‘ defense has been suspect all season and it finally was exposed big time on a prime time state. Oklahoma has looked much better after starting the season 1-2, but that’s what happens when schools schedule tough non-conference games.
Ohio State v. Michigan State
It was supposed to be easy and a 17-16 win is about as rough as it could get in East Lansing. Sparty did everything we talked about last week. Shifts, motions, unbalanced sets, all to run the same handful of plays. Dantonio knew OSU had the better team, that’s why he wanted to move the pocket for their quarterback and keep the Buckeye defense off balance. The LJ Scott affect wasn’t overrated either, he came to play and we will break down is long screen TD reception from early in the game.
Offensively the Buckeyes struggled late. After a nice opening drive pounding Mike Weber down the field, the Bucks went away from him and then began to struggle. JT didn’t throw the ball particularly well, but I will cut him a small amount of slack due to the wind. He needs to play better, but the offensive line protected him fairly well on four man rushes and only had some issues on blitzes.
The Game
This will be a classic OSU/ Michigan slugfest. Two great defenses, squaring off against offenses that love to run the ball. The X Factor will be Peppers, he will be the guy that can provide the Wolverines explosive gains on offense. For OSU, it will rest with JT Barrett. If he can get his arm going and make a throw or 2 down the field? Game for OSU, if not it will be a long game.
Topics:
Week 12 College Football Wrap Up
Week 13 Preview
The 4th CFP Rankings
Ohio State v. Michigan State: Survive and Advance
Ohio State v. Michigan