The Michigan Insider

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Previewing Michigan's bounce-back efforts against Rutgers Sep 26, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, we continue to discuss the news and notes of the week while previewing Michigan's matchup against Rutgers.

First, we break down the premise that Michigan is playing itself following its shell-shocking loss at Wisconsin last week, and how critical of a bounce-back week it is for the Wolverines. We discuss what sort of things Michigan can show to indicate that it is continuing to take steps forward both internally and externally, and what that looks like on offense, defense and special teams.

We also break down the hurdles Michigan must climb to return to form — schematically and emotionally — and why the next three weeks could end up defining the Wolverines' season.

Finally, we close with our over-under game on offense and defense, looking at how Michigan's offense might approach this game philosophically, why the Wolverines' defense should have a chance to settle in and sort out their personnel against Rutgers and our final predictions for the matchup.

Dissecting Michigan's catastrophic loss at Wisconsin Sep 23, 2019

Show notes

Bucking our traditional postgame format a bit, we devote the entire podcast to tackling some of the key questions that stemmed from the Michigan football team's loss at Wisconsin. Among the questions included:

-Where does the Wolverines' 35-14 loss rank among Jim Harbaugh's 15 losses as Michigan's coach?

-Where do the 2019 Wolverines compare to Jim Harbaugh's other teams at Michigan?

-What is holding Michigan's new offense back the most, and what do we make of Josh Gattis' impact so far?

-How can the Wolverines' offense improve?

-What should the Wolverines do with their quarterback situation?

-Why does Michigan's defense struggle in big games, and what went wrong on that side of the ball Saturday?

-Why did the Wolverines use a 3-3-5 Saturday, and how ominous is it?

-How might a sluggish, down season impact 2020 and 2021 recruiting?

-What is a realistic expectation for the Wolverines' final nine regular-season games this year?

Previewing Michigan's trip to No. 13 Wisconsin Sep 19, 2019

Show notes

After a bye week, we preview the No. 11 Michigan football team's matchup with No. 13 Wisconsin, looking at the key storylines and angles, as well as making predictions for the game.

First, we open with a look into the constant do-or-die rhetoric that surrounds all of Michigan's big games. We note why the Wolverines are an easy target for national pundits and why this game is actually a big matchup without the world necessarily being at stake.

Then, we dive into some of the things we're watching in the contest. We look at how Michigan's defense matches up against Wisconsin, particularly against the Badgers' offensive line and All-American Jonathan Taylor. We also try to dissect Wisconsin's exceptional start on offense, and what it means for Saturday's matchup. Then, we look at what Michigan's offense can do to get going against the Badgers.

Then, we close with our weekly over-under game and our predictions for the matchup, including our first dame result disagreement of the season.

Takeaways from Michigan's win over Army Sep 09, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, we recap the Michigan football team's narrow 24-21, double-overtime victory over Army, handing out two game balls, opining on four lasting takeaways and answering seven questions about the Wolverines.In our game balls, two underclassmen, one on each side of the ball, stood out the most to us to earn recognitions. Listen for more, but both have been highly competitive at positions seen as weaknesses entering the season.In our takeaways, we break down some of our thoughts two days after the game, looking at the test Michigan's defense passed, some of the more concerning components of the Wolverines' offense, what the next two weeks entail for Michigan's coaching staff and what kind of opponent Army is.Finally, we answer questions about the team, addressing Shea Patterson, Josh Uche, Michigan's running backs situation, the play-calling of Josh Gattis, the Wolverines' kicking rotation, short-yardage rushing and defensive line depth.

Michigan-Army preview: What to watch and expect Sep 05, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, we preview Michigan's Week Two matchup against Army.

First, we break down why there is fear over the Wolverines' matchup with a service academy, what makes Army's triple-option, possession-based football so tricky to face and how possible the Black Knights are at pulling off the upset. We then break down how Michigan can counter what Army does offensively, how the Wolverines' coaching staff is more equipped than most to handle Army's offense as well as which defensive players might give Michigan some trouble.

We then spend the second half of our show playing over-under, looking at how Michigan's running backs, receivers, tight ends, quarterbacks, offensive linemen, linebackers, defensive linemen, kickers and overall defense will do. We also offer our formal score prediction for the matchup and our rationale for why the game might not be as scary as some fans think.

Recapping Michigan's win over Middle Tennessee Sep 02, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, we go in-depth with our thoughts on the Michigan football team’s season-opening win over Middle Tennessee, looking at two standout players, four lasting observations and answering seven listener questions.

In delivering our game balls, we break down the play of Michigan’s top offensive and defensive player, while also looking at three other candidates who stood out.

When looking at our observations, we first take a peek at Michigan’s secondary and running backs corps, and how they may not be the issue areas many thought before the season. We also dissect how concerning some of the Wolverines’ offensive miscues are in the long run, some potential red flags from the offensive line and more.

We close the show answering questions about mesh points, surprising impact players, Lavert Hill returning punts, Michigan’s injuries, power-run games and players we didn’t see a lot from.

Middle Tennessee preview: Five things to watch Aug 29, 2019

Show notes

In our first game preview episode of the season, we take a look at the Michigan football team's matchup against Middle Tennessee.

Given that the Wolverines are heavily favored to beat the Blue Raiders, our five things to watch for are Michigan-specific. First, we discuss how the offense could look and what our approach would be to unveiling the Wolverines' new offense. We also take a look at new starters, and which ones we're the most intrigued to see what they can do.

We then look at Michigan's new defense, and how the Wolverines will be challenged by the Blue Raiders' offense. We look at the pass rush and secondary, and what counts as a victory on Saturday beyond a win. Our final thing to watch includes a look at how we would handle Michigan's freshmen and reserve players and when we would let them take the game over.

Finally, we close with an over-under game about Saturday's matchup and make our predictions for the game.

Prediction special 2019: How will Michigan, the rest of the country fare? Aug 28, 2019

Show notes

In our third annual all-prediction special, Lorenz and Shaw make 40 predictions for the 2019 season about Michigan, its schedule and the 2019 season nationally.First, we look at the Wolverines’ season, predicting who we think will be the team’s leading rusher, leading receiver, leading tackle-for-loss man, who scores the most total touchdown. We also make our predictions for the breakout player, team MVP and top freshmen on both offense and defense. We call our shot on first-team All-Big Ten players, what Michigan's biggest strength and weaknesses will be this season and whether the Wolverines will average 40 points per game and allow 20 points or less per game.Then, we go game-by-game, predicting how well Michigan will do in its 12 regular-season games and where the Wolverines might slip up. We also pick division winners of every Power-Five conference, each conference champion, our Heisman winner and who we expect to play in the College Football Playoff and win the national title.

What we learned in fall camp and Harbaugh press conference reaction Aug 26, 2019

Show notes

Opening the Michigan football team's first game week of the season, we look at Jim Harbaugh's Monday press conference as well as some of our biggest takeaways from fall camp.

We begin by looking at redshirt sophomore right tackle Andrew Stueber's season-ending ACL injury, what it means for the Wolverines' offensive line and where Michigan goes from there. We also discuss Harbaugh announcing that Michigan doesn't have a No. 1 running back, his glowing comments about a number of true freshmen and other key notes.

The second half of our show is devoted to fall camp takeaways, including our thoughts on the 2019 class, the Wolverines' linebackers, Michigan's new-look offense and more.

Five best freshmen in fall camp and listener questions Aug 21, 2019

Show notes

Continuing our fall camp coverage, we open our show with listener questions about the team, then break down our top five freshmen through three weeks of fall camp.

Our questions begin around the team, as we address inquiries on Zach Charbonnet, running back depth, potential additions to the running backs room, receiver depth down the road, defensive backfield depth now, Michigan's new captains and even top tailgating spots in Ann Arbor on game days.

Then, we close the show, looking at the five best freshmen on the team. Some of our ranking has to do with previously held beliefs, but much of it surrounds fall camp risers and newcomers immediately competing for jobs on both offense and defense.

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