Notre Dame Football: Pre-Spring Opponent Preview: Michigan

As spring practices commence around the nation, I’ll be looking at each of Notre Dame’s 12 opponents in the 2012 season and addressing some key questions and some potential breakout players.

This installment features Brady Hoke and the Michigan Wolverines, who won a BCS bowl last year for the first time since 1999 as part of an 11-2 season. They take the field for the first time on March 17, with their spring game coming on April 14.

Later this week, we’ll look at Pittsburgh and new coach Paul Chryst, as well as the Irish’s opening opponent, Navy.

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Game Information

Date: September 22

Location: Notre Dame Stadium (Notre Dame, IN)

Last Meeting: Michigan 35, Notre Dame 31 (2011)

Last Meeting at Notre Dame: Michigan 28, Notre Dame 24 (2010)

Current Streak: Michigan: 3

2011 Recap

Record: 11-2 (6-2 Big Ten)

Bowl: Sugar Bowl (def. Virginia Tech, 23-20, in overtime)

Leading Passer: Denard Robinson (Jr.): 142-for-258, 2,173 yards, 20 TD, 15 INT

Leading Rusher: Denard Robinson (Jr.): 221 rushes, 1176 yards, 16 TD

Leading Receiver: Junior Hemingway (Sr.): 34 catches, 699 yards, 4 TD

Quarterback

Denard Robinson and Al Borges’ pro-style offense seemed like anything but a perfect match. However, both put their egos aside and were able to find common ground. Everything wasn’t always perfect, especially in the red zone, but the Wolverines amassed 11 wins with a quarterback designed for a completely opposite offensive style.

Robinson returns for his final season in Ann Arbor, and expectations are sky-high. His legs will always be his greatest weapon. Borges’ system prevented the Heisman Trophy candidate from taking as many big hits as in 2010, when a promising season skidded off-course thanks in part to Robinson struggling to stay healthy.

As a passer, Robinson is still well below-average. His receivers (and some Notre Dame cornerbacks) often had to bail him out last season. With less-than-ideal size and arm strength, the Wolverines will have to make do with Robinson in the passing game. Forcing defenses to account for his mobility frequently helps mask his shortcomings as a passer.

Running Backs

The Wolverines preferred runner is, of course, Robinson. However, Michigan got a surprising 1,000-yard season from sophomore Fitz Toussaint last season. His strength makes him a better fit in Borges’ offense than the smaller scat backs designed for former coach Rich Rodriguez’s spread scheme.

Michigan uses 5’6” Vincent Smith as its third-down back, and fullback Stephen Hopkins will get an occasional carry. He only had one catch last season, but the Wolverines would like to utilize him more in the passing game going forward.

Depth is less of an issue at Michigan than at most schools, with Robinson getting so many carries. Behind Toussaint and Smith are sophomore Thomas Rawls and redshirt freshman Justice Hayes, who originally committed to Notre Dame before flipping to Michigan. Toussaint, if given enough touches, could be an All-Big Ten performer.

Receivers

Michigan suffers a significant loss with the departure of Junior Hemingway. It’s not the equivalent of losing Michael Floyd, but Hemingway was Robinson’s favorite target and was at his best when the team needed him most.       

Notre Dame fans last saw Jeremy Gallon sprinting down the sideline uncovered en route to a 64-yard gain that led to Michigan’s game-winning touchdown last September. The rising junior is the Wolverines’ leading returning receiver with 453 yards a year ago.

Senior Roy Roundtree is of a similar mold to Gallon. Both are smaller receivers who work best in the slot. True freshman Amara Darboh could see early playing time early as a bigger and more physical receiver than Gallon and Roundtree. The unit is lacking a true No. 1, and a third option to Roundtree and Gallon must emerge.

Offensive Line

Last year’s unit, built more for the spread, did not have the size of most Big Ten offensive lines. They performed admirably, however, adjusting well to a pro-style system with a running quarterback.

The anchor of the unit, center David Molk, departs, as does right tackle Mark Huyge. Left tackle Taylor Lewan is developing into a star after a second team All-Big Ten season and does a tremendous job protecting Robinson’s blind side.

Michael Schofield started 10 games at guard last season after a position switch from tackle. He is likely to stay at guard, but could ultimately move back to fill the void at right tackle. The center position remains a concern, with competition for the starting role expected to continue into the fall.

Defensive Line

Probably the biggest question mark for the 2012 Wolverines will be the defensive front. Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen were one of the best pairs of tackles in the country a year ago, but both must be replaced, as does end Will Heininger.

Craig Roh had a solid season at rush end, but must continue to thrive despite transitioning to strongside end. The emergence of sophomore Frank Clark late in the season as a rush end prompted the switch of Roh.

On the inside, Will Campbell has yet to live up to high expectations coming out of high school and now gets a final to chance as a senior at nose tackle. Former end Jibreel Black will likely fill the other tackle spot. With a number of position switches and three quality starters departing, the defensive line is the most unsettled group heading into the spring.

Linebackers

While all three starters return from last year, the linebacking corps is still a work in progress. Jake Ryan burst onto the scene on the strong side last season after an injury knocked projected starter Cam Gordon out of the lineup. His key tackle on a 3rd-and-short against Notre Dame prevented the Irish from getting a first down and potentially running out the clock.

Kenny Demens returns in the middle. He’s a good leader, but can be inconsistent at times and misses too many tackles. Freshman Desmond Morgan was a surprise starter late in the season, but displayed great potential on the weak side with 63 tackles.

Depth remains a concern, as all three positions have concerns. Gordon could push Ryan for his old job, but at the very least, will be part of the rotation. With the emergence of Morgan, junior Mike Jones should move from the weak side to the middle to back up Demens.

Defensive Backs

Despite having no players on the first or second All-Big Ten teams, the Wolverines finished 16th in the FBS in pass defense a year ago, improving 96 spots from its 2010 ranking of 112th.

J.T. Floyd emerged as one of the Big Ten’s best cornerbacks last season. He’ll return for a third season as a starter. True freshman Blake Countess finished on a low note with a poor performance in the Sugar Bowl, but the Wolverines got much more than they expected from him overall last season after Troy Woolfolk switched to safety.

Woolfolk’s departures leaves a vacancy at free safety, but Thomas Gordon saw action in 12 games last year. Strong safety Jordan Kovacs will be the emotional leader of the defense as a fifth-year senior. The continued development of Countess and Gordon will determine if this year’s unit can match the production of the 2011 group.

Special Teams

Brendan Gibbons had a fine redshirt freshman season, missing only one extra point and converting 13-of-17 field goal attempts. One of those 13 was the overtime game winner in the Sugar Bowl, after which he famously quipped that he thinks about brunettes to calm his nerves prior to a kick.

The Wolverines split punting duties last season between freshman Matt Wile and sophomore Will Hagerup. Wile played in the first four games while Haferup was suspended, but Hagerup regained his starting role for Big Ten play. Both will compete for the starting role heading into the fall, but Wile’s numbers were better last season.

Gallon was the primary punt returner last season, averaging just over 10 yards per return, or approximately 10 yards more than Notre Dame averaged. Gallon and Smith will likely share kick return duties after the loss of Martavious Odoms.

Outlook

Everything went right for the Wolverines in Brady Hoke’s first season, as the team had a knack for making the big play. The progress of Greg Mattison’s defense after three miserable seasons under Greg Robinson was truly remarkable.

The limited ability of Robinson raises a red flag about whether this team can win the Big Ten. The schedule is much tougher, as the Wolverines face the No. 3 (Notre Dame), No. 4 (Nebraska), No. 5 (Ohio State) and No. 6 (Alabama) all-time winningest programs this season, all away from home.

Expect a top 10 preseason ranking for Michigan, but the team may take a step back this season if they don’t catch as many breaks. Despite losing the last three meetings, Notre Dame has led each game with 30 seconds remaining. Playing at home, this is as close to a must-win as Notre Dame will face all season.