Michigan Wolverines:Pre-Kickoff Edition

Brendan Gillespie by Scribe Written on August 29, 2008
Gi03_feature
(Page 3 of 4)

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/football/bal-sp.scheduling24aug24,0,1680163.story

 

Pressure rises on young Wolverines
With few key seniors, these Michigan players must make an immediate impact on the field

http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/annarbornews/index.ssf?/base/sports-2/1219560038311210.xml&coll=2

 

Scouting the Big Ten: Michigan Wolverines

http://www.journal-news.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/college/osu/2008/08/24/ddn082408spbigtenmichigan.html

 

University of Michigan's offensive line tops list of questions heading into season

http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/football/index.ssf/2008/08/university_of_michigans_offens.html

Q: Who will be Michigan's breakout offensive player?

Heuser: Junior tight end Carson Butler. This guy has a world of talent, and the word is that he's finally maturing into a dependable player. In the spread offense's short passing game, Butler's name could be called with frequency.

Carty: Tailback Brandon Minor. Despite all the talk about other backs, Minor has the size and athleticism to make his own yardage (and he'll need to, at times, behind this line).

Pitts: Michael Shaw. Lots of hype about the McGuffie kid, but this freshman has a chance to be real good also.

 

Big Ten football 2008 season overview

http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/football/index.ssf/2008/08/big_ten_football_2008_season_o.html

MICHIGAN
Last year: 9-4
Big Ten: 6-2
Bowl: Capital One Bowl; beat Florida, 41-35.
Coach: Rich Rodriguez (first year at Michigan; 105-62-2 overall, 15 years)

The good stuff: The Wolverines feature a veteran defense, particularly on the line where returning starters Terrance Taylor, Will Johnson, Brandon Graham and Tim Jamison will be hard to handle. Punter Zoltan Mesko and kicker K.C. Lopata are top-notch specialists.

To be determined: Whether an offensive line and backfield decimated by graduation can be successfully filled by inexperienced players.

Camp update: A bunch of freshmen will play based on what they've shown in training camp. Rodriguez said he expects as many as 10 first-year players to see game action early in the season. Some may even start.

Newcomers to watch: A pair of running backs, Sam McGuffie and Michael Shaw. They're fast, shifty and versatile enough to be plugged into a variety of spots in coach Rich Rodriguez's spread offense.

Pivotal players: Quarterbacks Steven Threet and Nick Sheridan, and redshirt junior left tackle Mark Ortmann. Ortmann—who has started twice in his career —will be protecting the blind side of Michigan quarterback tandem.

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written on August 29, 2008 Breaking News

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