Wolverines have dual-threat quarterback, stingy defense
2012 overall record: 8-4
Conference record: 6-2
Record vs. USC: 1-1
Coach: Brady Hoke
Record: 66-56 (10 years)
Record at Michigan: 19-6 (2 years)
Season overview: Michigan finished the season second behind Nebraska in the Legends division of the Big 10. All four of its losses this season have come against teams that finished the season in the top 25. The Wolverines started the season with a 41-14 loss against No. 2 Alabama, and they recovered with two home wins before losing 13-6 at then–No. 11 Notre Dame. Their third loss came against the Cornhuskers in their eighth game.
The Wolverines’ final game of the regular season was at rival Ohio State. Michigan had a one-point advantage at halftime but surrendered two second-half field goals to fall 26-21. The team committed three turnovers in the second half, two of which resulted in scoring drives for the Buckeyes.
Offense: Michigan’s offense, led by senior quarterback Denard Robinson, relies primarily on the run to put up points. Robinson injured his right elbow in the first half of the loss against Nebraska and missed the next two weeks, and he lined up at running back in his first game back on the field. Robinson is a run-first quarterback who has not attempted more than 29 passes in any of his starts this season.
Junior quarterback Devin Gardner played well as his backup, with a particularly impressive performance against Iowa in which he accounted for six touchdowns in a 42-17 win. Michigan has averaged 30 points per game as an offense.
Robinson is the team’s rushing leader with an average of nearly 117 yards per game. Junior Fitzgerald Toussaint was the team’s primary running back for most of the season, starting nine games, until he broke his left leg in the Nov. 17 game against Iowa. He required surgery after the game and will not play in the Outback Bowl.
The team has two primary threats at wide receiver in junior Jeremy Gallon and senior Roy Roundtree. They have averaged 57 and 46 receiving yards per game, respectively, and each has broken 100 receiving yards in a game once this season.
Defense: The Wolverines’ defense has allowed fewer than 19 points per game this season. Redshirt sophomore Jake Ryan, who has started all 12 games as an outside linebacker, is tied for the team lead with four sacks, and he leads the team with 84 tackles. Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, who left the Baltimore Ravens to accept the position at Michigan in January 2011, has a track record of building units that stop the run well.
The defensive line has been a question mark all season, with three first-time starters who were exposed against Alabama. But Michigan’s defense had one of its strongest performances of the year against Ohio State, sacking quarterback Braxton Miller four times.
Outback Bowl history: Michigan has appeared in the Outback Bowl four times, with a record of 3-1. The Wolverines’ most recent appearance was in 2003, when they defeated Florida 38-30.