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Starting with this week’s game at Wisconsin, one in which neither fans of the Badgers nor Michigan seem to have a whole lot of confidence. Those as close to the Wisconsin team as you can get say this team is “different” than past Paul Chryst squads, probably the worst they’ve seen, not connected and lacking offensively.
The blocking up front has been suspect, to say the least, and quarterback Graham Mertz does not have his teammates’ confidence as a player or a leader.
There’s no ‘elite’ back, either, though there have been times the Badgers have moved the ball on the ground.
“[Chez] Mellusi ran for 121 yards against Penn State,” one Badgers source noted. “Against a smaller [Eastern Michigan] front, they ran for 352 yards. They think they can run the ball Saturday against Michigan’s front.”
We told you two years ago that the Badgers coaches were challenging their line to beat up a Michigan defensive line they called “the worst you’ll face all year” (ouch), according to a person in the pregame locker room. They aren’t going so far this year, but it’s clear they believe they can move the ball on the ground, protect Mertz and let their elite (to date) defense do the rest.
Michigan needs all hands on deck, and that means a healthy Josh Ross. The redshirt junior was begging to go back in during the second half of last week’s game — while we expect him to play, he’s banged up and probably going to stay that way for a while.
But there’s a difference between being ‘hurt’ and ‘injured,’ and unlike some past Michigan stars who were looking for reasons not to practice/play, Ross is desperate to be on the field and lead his teammates into battle … and he will.
