Michigan Wolverines vs Bowling Green Falcons Football Preview

In case some of you sports fans out there do not watch ESPN religiously like I do, Denard Robinson is everywhere. This kid has emerged on the football field, but his impact goes far beyond. Michigan has not had positive press coverage showcasing the bright points of this young Rich Rodriguez run program in his three years with the Wolverines. ESPN ran another SportsCenter segment on the epitome of a duel threat quarterback just this morning; Sportsnation (which I attended the filming of in Ann Arbor) says Robinson is a “more legit Heisman contender” than Terrelle Pryor. I have had some friends at other colleges contact me to say, “Michigan is one-dimensional” or “one man cannot run a team”. Well, Denard Robinson is doing that and more. Denard Robinson is resurrecting a storied program from the ashes of despair to the national scene.

This Saturday, the Michigan Wolverines welcome the MAC conference’s Bowling Green Falcons. Now the MAC does have its reputation as a very weak conference, but after Michigan’s narrow victory over FCS UMass, who knows if this will truly be an easy win? Michigan needs to establish defense! The pass defense has been full of holes and the run defense has had a tough time slowing down every running back they have faced. But, luckily the man who does not tie his shoes has all 111,000 plus fans of the Big House on his shoulders.

Bowling Green has a very good wide receiver in Kaman Jordan. Jordan actually leads the nation in receptions which is definitely good news for Bowling Green. With Michigan’s pass defense still extremely shaky, Jordan may be catching the ball quite a lot come Saturday. But, the man to watch is always Denard Robinson who just electrifies the crowd and has propelled himself as a Heisman frontrunner (you all saw the pose from the Notre Dame game…). Hopefully the sophomore can rest those untied shoes a little bit this game and Michigan can get out to a fast start and never look back. I am still eager to see freshman Devin Gardner take some snaps as quarterback and showcase his throwing arm I spoke about in the UMass preview. Bowling Green’s starting quarterback is injured so a younger player (Aaron Pankratz or Kellen Pagel) is about to make his first start. Bowling Green should be a push over for Michigan. But, the Wolverines need to display some top 25 caliber football on the defensive side of the ball. A top 25 team should definitely smother a small conference team (cough, cough… Virginia Tech).

So as usual, watch Denard Robinson and the offense and then watch Devin Gardner take some snaps.

Prediction: Bowling Green Falcons 17, Michigan Wolverines 42

Go Blue!

By: Lee Schechter
Big Ten Fans Michigan Wolverines Correspondent