The No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers (10-0, 7-0) will take on the No. 24 Michigan Wolverines (8-2, 5-2) on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium, so to get the inside scoop on the Hawkeyes we asked Andrew Vailliencourt of TheWolverine.com a few questions - and his answers are included below.
It's only been a year since the Badgers last played Michigan, but there are a lot of new faces (to Wisconsin fans, at least) on this Wolverines team after they had 11 players taken in the NFL Draft earlier this year. Who are the key players to know on this year's team that have taken on larger roles since the Badgers made the trip to Ann Arbor last year?
Andrew Vailliencourt: Michigan’s defense lost a lot of talent from last year, but actually may be even better this season. Michigan is led by fifth-year senior defensive tackle Maurice “Mo” Hurst, who Pro Football Focus has graded as the best defensive player in the country through this point of the season. He has a quick first step and finds himself in the backfield on most plays. He’s Michigan’s best player. Helping him on the defensive line is sophomore Rashan Gary, who while doesn’t have the best stats, is one of the most impactful guys on the field. Redshirt junior defensive end Chase Winovich leads the Big Ten in sacks and also tends to end up in the backfield. To put it short, Michigan gets home on a lot of blitzes.
Sophomore Devin Bush Jr. is the team’s best linebacker, he leads the team in tackles with 82. Sophomore cornerback Lavert Hill is the player player in the secondary, but he is doubtful with a concussion. Another sophomore, David Long will fill his place well. He grabbed an interception last week, as did sophomore viper (LB/S hybrid) Khaleke Hudson, who leads the team in tackles for loss (14.5).
The Wolverines are now starting redshirt freshman Brandon Peters at quarterback after using Wilton Speight (before his injury) and John O'Korn earlier in the year. What does Peters bring to the table now that he's Michigan's starter, and how has playing him helped or hurt Michigan's offense so far?
Andrew Vailliencourt: Brandon Peters is the most talented quarterback on the team’s roster. He’s stepped in and done an outstanding job since taking over against Rutgers a few weeks ago. He hasn’t been asked to do a lot, but that’s more due to the success the running game has had. He’s got the arm to make any throw, just doesn’t have a lot of experience. He has turned the ball over yet in his three games — a nice change from Speight and O’Korn. Michigan has had its best three games on offense with Peters under center.
Michigan's defense has been stellar again this season, despite losing eight NFL draft picks from last year's unit. Did you expect them to drop off at all with so many new faces having to step up this year? Or have they just played up to Michigan's high standards after earning starting jobs?
Andrew Vailliencourt: I expected the defense to be good, but I didn’t think they’d be top three in the country good. While Michigan has mostly played a 4-3, it’s pretty similar to Wisconsin’s aggressive, attack style defense. It likes to dictate the way the game is played. Don Brown is the best defensive coordinator in the country, and his ability over the last three years (one at Boston College where he had the No. 1 defense in the country, two at Michigan, last year No. 2 overall defense) to maximize the talent he has is outstanding. The scary part is that all but two starters return next year.
Who do you think is the most under-rated player for the Wolverines on both offense and defense?
Andrew Vailliencourt: It’s tough to pick an underrated player on offense since the production has varied over the course of the year. Junior running back Karan Higdon has been great over the last month or so, including two 200-yard games. He exited last week’s game early with an injury but is expected to play this weekend. Look for sophomore Chris Evans to be heavily involved as well. He’s got big play ability.
On defense, the most underrated is also the best player on the team: Mo Hurst. But if I look somewhere else, Khaleke Hudson could be the guy. Against Minnesota he had 15 tackles, an NCAA record eight tackles for loss, three sacks and forced a fumble. He’s the team’s viper, so he plays both off the edge and drops in coverage. He’s improved a lot as the season has advanced.
Finally, how do you see this game going down? Who wins and why?
Andrew Vailliencourt: I think this is going to be a tight, defensive battle. However, Michigan just matches up really well with the style of play Wisconsin has. Michigan is a great run-defending team, and is much better than it was earlier on offense with Peters at the helm. The key for the Wolverines will be to stop the big plays. If Jonathan Taylor is able to break any huge runs for touchdowns, it could mean trouble, but as of now, I think Michigan will finally get the big win it’s been looking for this season. Michigan 24, Wisconsin 20.
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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.
