Michigan Football: 4 Intriguing Spring Game Matchups to Watch

The basketball matchup in Atlanta Monday night between Mitch McGary and Gorgui Dieng might carry more marquee value, but a few battles at Michigan's spring football game Saturday will help shape the team's personality this fall.

Who can forget Jake Ryan's performance in 2010, where he introduced himself to Michigan fans by running back an errant Devin Gardner pass for a touchdown.

Several Michigan players might distinguish themselves Saturday, but equally intriguing will be how the individual matchups play out.

Here are four of them:

RB Drake Johnson vs. "Mike" Desmond Morgan

Both redshirt freshman Drake Johnson (6'0", 212 lbs) and junior Desmond Morgan (6'1", 227 lbs) have impressed the coaches this spring.

Johnson's combination of pure speed and power are perfectly suited for Michigan's new downhill rushing attack. “As soon as he hits the pile, the pile generally moves backwards,” head coach Brady Hoke said in a recent press conference (via mgoblog.com) 

Morgan, who was expected to share the weak-side linebacking duties with sophomore James Ross III, instead moved to the middle ("Mike"), where he is expected to beat out sophomore Joe Bolden.

“Well I think you want to play your best players. Desmond’s a little thicker, a little bigger. Gives you a little more at the MIKE," Hoke added.

With 81 tackles in 2012, Morgan should provide quite a challenge for Johnson when the two meet at the line of scrimmage.

C Jack Miller vs. NT Quinton Washington

Redshirt sophomore Jack Miller (6'4", 291 lbs) was expected to win the starting center job a year ago but eventually gave way to Elliott Mealer. This spring, Miller is trying to fight off Graham Glasgow and Joey Burzynski, with the possibility of facing a challenge from true freshman Patrick Kugler this fall.

This Saturday, Miller will be going head to head with redshirt senior nose tackle Quinton Washington (6'4", 305 lbs).

A fifth-year senior from St. Stephen, SC, Washington finished the 2012 season with 32 tackles, but only three TFLs and one sack.

Washington, himself, expects improvement in the line play this year primarily due to familiarity of the system.

“We all know the plays," Washington told Angelique S. Chengelis of The Detroit News. "We came out to spring ball, we knew the plays and at the beginning of spring ball we hit the first day—we didn't have to just go through drills."

LT Taylor Lewan vs. RE Frank Clark

Nothing needs to be said about redshirt senior Taylor Lewan, the All-American tackle who could be playing in the NFL this fall.

Junior Frank Clark, on the other hand, has the potential to be Michigan's premier pass-rusher in 2013. When Clark (6'2", 277 lbs) tries to outfight Lewan (6'8", 308 lbs) on Saturday, we will see if his added weight (up 15 pounds from 2012) can help break the logjam at rush end.

“I’m going against the best in Taylor Lewan" Clark told Adam Rittenberg of ESPN. "When you're going against the best offensive lineman in the nation—and that’s how I feel about Taylor—there’s nothing else in the world that can challenge you more. There’s no other person who’s going to challenge you more.” 

WR Jeremy Gallon vs. CB Raymon Taylor

Redshirt senior Jeremy Gallon (5'8" 187 lbs) is trying to prove he's Michigan's go-to receiver. Despite leading last year's team with 49 receptions, he was often perceived to play second-fiddle to Roy Roundtree in 2012 in addition to Junior Hemingway in 2011.

With the return of (pending) redshirt sophomore Blake Countess to field corner this fall, junior Ramon Taylor (5'10", 186 lbs) will move to the boundary side.

Taylor, who had a tough go of it against South Carolina's Ace Sanders in the Outback Bowl, must step it up a notch to be considered in Countess' league as a true cover corner.