The Michigan Daily breaks down South Carolina's upcoming Outback Bowl matchup against Michigan
1) With four losses in the regular season against teams that ended up ranked, where is Michigan's confidence level heading into the Outback Bowl against USC?
Michigan’s 8-4 record is a disappointment, to be sure, coming on the heels of a 10-2 campaign in Michigan coach Brady Hoke’s debut season in Ann Arbor. But it’s also important to note that those four losses came against No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 23 Nebraska — four opponents that combined for a 46-4 record this fall. The Wolverines could win the ‘best loss’ category three times over, but the flip side of that coin is that Michigan’s best win is an overtime comeback victory over 9-3 Northwestern — the only over-.500 team Michigan beat all season. So, in short, the Wolverines had a rather mediocre season, by their own metrics, but it had the chance to make much more of a schedule packed with the nation’s best teams, and they very nearly pulled out wins against Ohio State and Notre Dame.
The confidence level shouldn’t be a problem. Michigan is a stronger team now that Devin Gardner replaced Denard Robinson as quarterback, believe it or not. If Michigan can use both Robinson and Gardner on offense at the same time, which it failed to do against Ohio State, it is an offense that will be very, very tough to stop.
2) What is Denard Robinson's status for the game?
Robinson injured his ulnar nerve late in the second quarter of a loss to Nebraska and didn’t return for three weeks, missing the rest of the game in Lincoln as well as ensuing matchups with Minnesota and Northwestern. He returned for the final home game of his career, a rout against Iowa, and played well in both that game and the regular-season finale against Ohio State. The cause for concern, though, is that Robinson didn’t attempt a pass in either of those games. When he was at quarterback, he ran, which created a rather one-dimensional offense that the Buckeyes exploited.
Michigan has been working for the last month to bulk up the playbook to have Gardner and Robinson in at the same time more frequently. There has been no update on whether he can throw well or whether the nerve injury is still lingering, but based on what we’ve seen the last two months, don’t expect to see Robinson as the primary quarterback, though he should still be a terror lining up at running back or wide receiver.
3) How does Michigan's pass protection stack up against Jadeveon Clowney and the rest of South Carolina's defensive line?
Michigan’s offensive line, led by redshirt junior tackle Taylor Lewan, entered the season with high expectations, but after being run roughshod over by Alabama in Week 1, things haven’t been as rosy as expected. While Lewan was given All-American recognition and he and fifth-year senior right guard Patrick Omameh were named to the All-Big Ten first team, the Wolverines struggled to control the line of scrimmage all season. The protection in the passing game wasn’t bad, with a few exceptions, but the non-Denard Robinson running game never got moving all season. Lewan and Clowney should be going head-to-head in what will be one of the best matchups of the bowl season, but the true impact will be seen in whether Michigan can establish a running game, or whether Gardner will still have precious time in the pocket for an aerial attack against that Gamecock front.
4) How much has the Wolverine defense improved since Week 1 against Alabama?
Markedly. After the Crimson Tide made quick work of Michigan to the tune of a 41-14 blowout in the Cowboys Classic season opener on Sept. 1, the Wolverines finished the season allowing just 18.8 points per game — good for a No. 16 rank nationally. It’s not a front seven that will scare anyone, with a relatively weak pressure coming from the linemen, but it’s been effective. The strength of the defense for much of the season was the secondary, anchored by fifth-year senior safety Jordan Kovacs. Michigan finished second in the NCAA with just 155.2 passing yards allowed per game. (Keep in mind, though, that rushing is still the Big Ten’s calling card, and Michigan did play Air Force, whose triple-option offense does nothing but run.)
The secondary did it all without star sophomore cornerback Blake Countess, who was injured on punt coverage against Alabama and was knocked out for the season. And last week it was dealt another blow, with the announcement that fifth-year senior cornerback J.T. Floyd — the team’s No. 1 cornerback — would be suspended for the Outback Bowl for a violation of team rules.
5) Prediction time - who ya got?
South Carolina 31, Michigan 24