Illinois (7-4, 4-4) at #3 Michigan (11-0, 8-0) Postgame

[Mdot21]

the penultimate to THE GAME and the final home game of the season for the Wolverines. Hard to believe the season is already almost over. Illinois star RB Chase Brown seems to have injured himself badly last week, questionable as to if he'll even play in this one. Michigan opens as 17 point favorites.

Hopefully these guys are locked in and not taking anything for granted and not looking ahead to the huge showdown in Columbus. Has to be ridiculously hard not to- these are 18-21 year old kids after all- and it's shaping up to be #2 vs #3 and the biggest showdown since 2006. Kinda sucks both those years that Michigan actually decides to get their sh*t together happens to be years that game is in Columbus.

[Hawkinole]

Chase Brown was injured in the final minute of the game. No injury update, but from all appearances, it is a serious leg injury. He did not bear weight on his right leg coming off the field.
Illinois came into the Purdue game with several other injuries, and are playing at the 3rd string level at one cornerback position. Illinois was not deep to begin with, and as injuries pile up with a team like Illinois it has a much more devastating effect in conference play than when injuries pile up for teams like Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State.
Michigan has to give effort, but injury to Chase Brown would seem to be devastating for a team that relies so heavily on his skill.

[ELA]

I'll be at this one.  Looked a lot more interesting two weeks ago

[Brutus Buckeye]

Bert's donkey ears have already popped up. Michigan rolls. 

[MrNubbz]

Jim's donkey ears will pop up on the 26th 😎

[Mdot21]

Jim's donkey ears will pop up on the 26th 😎

unfortunately i think you are right. Michigan's red zone issues seem to be getting worked through, but their downfield passing attack remains an achilles heel. IF they were just a touch better there, I'd be more confident in a road win in Columbus. As it stands, think it'll be a close one but OSU pulls away in the 4th. 

[Mdot21]

Bert's donkey ears have already popped up. Michigan rolls.

if Chase Brown is done for the year Illinois is going to have a tough time winning another game imo. He was basically 99% of their entire offense. 

[MrNubbz]

Hope it's not serious

[Temp430]

The theme assigned this week to the media covering Michigan seems to be Michigan's passing game.  Many feel there is a problem with it.  Joel Klatt poses the question is Michigan is harming JJ McCarthy's development by not passing enough?

[FearlessF]

I'd guess Michigan is harming JJ's development.

But it's not the lack of reps or attempts

It's about the "whisperer"!!!

[847badgerfan]

if Chase Brown is done for the year Illinois is going to have a tough time winning another game imo. He was basically 99% of their entire offense.

Well, they do finish with Northwestern. It's in Evanston, but Illinois will fill it up for them.

[Mdot21]

I'd guess Michigan is harming JJ's development.

But it's not the lack of reps or attempts

It's about the "whisperer"!!!

YUP. The problem is his head coach. I think Jeem maybe coaches QBs to be like he was as a player- to his limitations. Well the game and the passing game has evolved DRASTICALLY since Jeem was a player- and he was a decent player but never a great one. JJ can do a lot of things from a physical standpoint that Jeem just couldn't do.

Putting aside the fact that the situational football and play calling SUCKS and is mind boggling for long stretches- Michigan does NOTHING to get McCarthy or any of it's QBs ever really into a rhythm or get them easy completions. Where are the smoke screens to the WR's out wide when the corner is playing 10 yards off? Where are the bubble screens to the slot WRs? Where is the TE screen? Where are the RB screens? SHOOT those were effective STAPLES of Michigan offenses under Lloyd Carr in the 90s and 00s. Where are the goal line fade routes/jump balls in the red zone? Those were STAPLES of Michigan's offense in the 90s and 00s. They are literally non-existent in Harbaugh's offense. I'm not saying you have to do this all the time- but hey can you like maybe try it out ONCE IN A BLUE FKN MOON?

The WR talent is not good enough either. Ronnie Bell is basically a poor man's Steve Breaston. Bell doesn't have the 4.4 speed or crazy open field moves that Breaston had- and he's got all the same issues in terms of being too skinny, not physical enough, can't go up and get tough contested 50/50 jump balls, and struggles tracking the ball and getting open on the deep post and go routes. That's their best WR- that they actually play a lot and try to feature- and it's a huge problem right now for the passing game. Cornelius Johnson is just bad at football and I love Roman Wilson because of his elite 4.3 speed but he can only run the go route- he's been hurt a lot this year- and they aren't really featuring on the deep shots. Most of the deep shots have been to other guys the past 5-6 weeks.

[Mdot21]

as much as I want to sh*t on Jeem it's hard though....this little turn around he's pulled off is impressive and never saw it coming.

Michigan is 22-2 in it's last 24 games under Harbaugh, with the only losses coming by 4 pts on the road to one of it's rivals (MSU) that finished the year ranked #9 and to the National Champs Georgia.

If he beats the Illini, he'll be 23-2 in his last 25 games. That's nothing to sneeze at. And not at all what I thought was possible after that disastrous 2020 COVID season from hell he had.

[FearlessF]

yup, the Wolvies are ballin the past 2 seasons