Notre Dame/ Denard Robinson 2012

Hello fellow Wolverines,
My name is Kyle Kisling and I am a first time blogger. I am a Michigan man trapped geographically in the corn state of Iowa. Over the past 4 years, blogs like "Maize and Blue Nation" and "Touch the Banner" have really sparked my passion for Michigan football. I think both blogs do a great job of sharing intelligent, informational, and unbiased content and it is always nice to get a break from the analysts at ESPN. I am not saying I do not respect their opinions, but I just get tired of analysts like Lou Holtz who would probably pick Notre Dame over Alabama.. Speaking of Notre Dame, they are the subject of today's post.

Michigan is the clear underdog coming into this game. Notre Dame has recently come off an impressive victory over Michigan State and freshmen QB, Everett Golson, has looked impressive thus far. #11/Notre Dame comes in with a record of 3-0 (Best win: 20-3 over Michigan St.) and #18/Michigan comes in with a record of 2-1 (Best win: UMass 63-13). Considering this is a blog about Michigan football, I am pulling for my boys in Blue. Here are a couple things the wolverines must capitalize on in order to win the game.

#1: Win the battle in the trenches (offensively and defensively). The O-Line needs to step up. We cannot bank on Denard rushing for 200 yards every game. As the Big Ten season starts, teams will load the box and will be able to stop him. In order for our offense to be successful, both Fitz and Denard have to be in sync. While Denard has been successful thus far, Fitz has severely struggled (8 yards against AF & 85 yards against UMass) since his return. If the O-line can open holes for him, this will open up running & passing lanes for Denard. Now onto the D-Line. Against Air Force, we struggled to get them off the field. They were constantly gashing our defense for big runs and that starts with the push our D-line was getting up front. Against UMass, our defense had a much better outing, but still gave up 75 yards to Michael Cox. Notre Dame has a much better O-Line and will gash us all day if our D-Line doesn't get some sort of push.

#2: Take advantage of our strengths. Coming into the season, everyone thought that the WR position was going to be an area of question for the team. From my perspective, it is one of our strongest areas as of now. From watching high school highlights of Devin Gardner on Youtube, I knew the kid was an incredible athlete. I am excited to see him consistently on the field this year because he can do special things anytime he touches the ball. Devin Funchess is a fantastic freshman TE that has burst onto the scene. Kevin Koger was a good TE in his tenure at Michigan, but Funchess has a chance to be a real star. However, these are only 2 of the talented WR's. Jeremy Gallon has been a reliable target and even though he has been in a prolonged slump, Sr. WR Roy Roundtree can make plays when he gets the chance. I bring up the WR's because Notre Dame is replacing 2 members of its secondary with converted WR's. If Al Borges can give Denard simple reads to make easy passes, it could be a long day for the ND defense.

Devin's tightrope TD

Young Funchess

#3: Let Denard do his thing. The first 3 quarters of last years game hurt my eyes. After 45 minutes of play, the offense had scored 7 points (only score on a jump ball to Junior Hemingway). To put it simply, Denard was amazing in the 4th quarter. Sure he threw a couple picks, but he put the team on his back and carried us to a thrilling win. Was a lot of it luck? Maybe. Did ND get complacent with a 24-7 lead? They sure did. However, at the end of the day, a win is a win. Denard has accounted for 969 yards in the two games he has played against ND.. and if our WR's can take advantage of the secondary, things will only get worse as it will open up the running game for Denard.

Can Denard make it 3/3 against ND?

These are the 3 keys Michigan must capitalize on in order to win this game. Michigan will need to be solid in nearly all facets of the game to pull this one off. If they play the first 3 quarters like they did last year, Brian Kelly is not going to let the same mistake happen twice. The game is in South Bend at night this year and I think that will play a huge role.. I love my boys, but I am going to have to pick Notre Dame. I really hope I am wrong and Michigan just ends up blowing them out, but that is highly unlikely. Win or lose though, keep your head high. I think the "Denard era" is only a warm-up for what the future holds in store for this program.

Denard's Predecessor, Shane Morris

Final Prediction: ND: 31 MICH: 21

OH! One last thing before I post this. My friend Andy has his own paracord bracelet business. The business has just started, so be the first to try his product. The wristbands are customized to fit your wrist and are sold at a fair price. For more information on the bracelets, check out his website @ http://andysparacords.com/

andysparacords.com

Thanks for reading and GO BLUE!!