Let’s play a game: I list the stats and you guess Notre Dame 2007 or Michigan 2008.
- Lost 323 of 512 rushing attempts, 1507 of 2100 rushing yards, 148 of 165 rushing yards per game and 14 of 20 rushing TDs from the previous season.
- Lost 147 of 225 receptions, 2106 of 2862 receiving yards, 20 of 25 receiving TDs and 170.6/220.2 receiving yards per game from the previous season.
- Lost 320.2 of 385.1 offensive yards per game and 287.4 of 483.3 all-purpose yards from the previous season.
- Returns only 3 offensive starters from the previous year.
While this depletion of firepower may call to mind the glut of departures ND struggled through last year, every one of those stats belong to this year’s Michigan team. The above list shows the experience crunch in which this year’s Wolverine’s are mired. A closer look at the two teams reveals even more similarities.
Passing:
This is obvious. Both teams had/have huge questions at QB. ND lost Quinn, and Michigan loses both quarterbacks with any experience. Learning a new system under Rodriguez will be challenging for their new quarterback be it Threet, Cone, Sheridan or Feagin -- not exactly a murderer’s row of potential starters. Then again, since ND started Demetrius Jones against Ga Tech, we’ve got little room to talk.
Rushing:
Both teams lost their leading rushers. While Michigan was more a running team in 2007 than ND was in 2006, the injury to Hart allowed the Wolverines to get valuable playing time from Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown, although Brown was prone to fumbling. Plus Kevin "I’m good to drive" Grady will return eventually after MAYBE serving a suspension for his DUI incident. Also, Sam McGuffie’s YouTube highlights have been declared an acceptable substitute for Viagra in the city of Ann Arbor.
Before 2007, Notre Dame lost Darius Walker and the 60% of the rushing yards he provided in 2006. James Aldridge only got a handful of carries and the rushing attack sputtered to the 116th ground game in the nation.
Yes, RichRod’s new spread attack should open up more running lanes and Michigan has better prepared backs than ND did last year, but an offensive line with only 16 career starts between them might make it difficult for the Wolverines to match last season’s 2100+ rushing yards.
Receiving:
Replacing Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington’s assault (get it) on opposing teams' defensive backfields will be a tough task for Greg Mathews Jr., Junior Hemingway, Andre Criswell, Toney Clemons, LaTerryal Savoy Jr., etc. Mathews is the only one with real experience along with returning starting TE Carson Butler. New recruits and returning TE Mike Massey fill out this crew.
ND had to replace the Shark and Rhema "I’ll catch it if you promise I’m not gonna get tackled" McKnight. Big shoes to fill along with the capable hands of Darius Walker. Duval Kamara stepped up as a freshman, and Robby Parris led all receivers with 361 yards only surpassed by John Carlson’s 372.
Eerily similar situations here: Both teams lost their top two receivers and returned experience TEs to inexperienced QBs. The Wolverines will definitely have fewer yards than last year having to replace 72% of their receiving yards and a new less pass-oriented offense.
Other Notes:
Notre Dame lost 95% of their total offense from 2006 to 2007. Michigan loses 86% of their total offense this year. Notre Dame returned two starters to its offensive line. Michigan returns one. ND returned John Carlson. Michigan returns the Butler/Massey combo. None of Michigan’s new offensive recruits (save McGuffie) look ready to contribute on a larger scale than any of ND’s did last year. Notre Dame wasted the spring/summer installing a spread offense for Demetrius until Jimmy was ready. Michigan is learning a brand new spread offense as well (Granted RichRod is a master of the spread and Charlie was throwing a stop-gap together).
All things taken into consideration, Michigan’s offense this year may look depressingly similar to ND’s last year for Wolverine fans. The bright spots for Rodriguez’s new team are experience at RB and TE and McGuffie. Then again ND had bright spots in experience at TE and Clausen before last season started too. I am not saying the Irish will win this game. Just listing how scary these similarites are.
God I can't wait for the season to start......
Gipper
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