Michigan Ready For First Road Test At Northwestern
EVANSTON, Ill. The way Denard Robinson was talking, it sounded like Michigan was headed into foreign territory this weekend.
Perfect at home, the 12th-ranked Wolverines will take to the road for the first time this season and try to remain unbeaten when they visit Northwestern on Saturday night. Evanston isn't exactly an exotic location, but the trip is a big one for a team making noise under new coach Brady Hoke.
Question is: Can it win on the road?
"It's going to be a sight to see," Robinson said. "On the road, it's just a different feeling. Everybody's not with you. The fans aren't with you and so you have to go out there and try to get them quieted before they become the 12th man."
It's another challenge for a team that's been answering them so far - albeit at home, with the crowd on its side.
The Wolverines (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) are coming off three straight lopsided wins after a 35-31 thriller over Notre Dame, pounding Eastern Michigan (31-3), San Diego State (28-7) and Minnesota (58-0) and jumping seven spots in the most recent poll.
How good are they? The next two games will be telling. After Northwestern, they visit Michigan State and both could give the Wolverines some trouble.
The Wildcats might (2-2, 0-1) be shaking off losses at Army and Illinois, but they also have quarterback Dan Persa back after he missed the first three games while recuperating from a ruptured right Achilles tendon. They also figure to have the crowd on their side.
"You've got to create your own environment," Michigan tight end Kevin Koger said. "Nobody's going to be with you. The crowd's going to be hostile, they're going to be screaming stuff at us and that's a lot different than fans praising you, patting you on the back. So we just have to stay together and be a lot more focused."
So far, they seem locked in.
Hoke and new coordinator defensive coordinator Greg Mattison worked hard to turn around a defense ranked among the worst, and the Wolverines are making a big leap in that area. A unit that ranked 110th overall last season and gave up about 450 yards per game is allowing about 325 this season and ranks 32nd.
Scoring is down, too. The defense is allowing 10.2 points per game, down from 35.2.
"You can see the physicality they are playing with especially up front on both sides," Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said.
He sees a swagger.
Michigan sees an obstacle.
Never mind that Northwestern has dropped two straight. The Wildcats built an 18-point lead with Persa completing 10 of 14 passes with a career-high four touchdowns before he headed to the sideline with soreness in his right foot following a fourth-quarter hit. He's expected to play this week, but the Wildcats will continue to take a cautious approach with him.
"He's a guy coming off of a major injury," Fitzgerald said. "If he's a little dinged up, we're going to err on the side of being smart. It's a marathon, not a sprint."
One player Northwestern won't have is running back Mike Trumpy. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last week and will miss the rest of the season, but Persa's return is a huge boost.
The Wildcats are trying to win a bowl game for the first time in more than six decades after losing one each of the past three years, and their success largely hinges on their star quarterback, the guy they promoted for the Heisman Trophy.
Whether he's using his arm or his legs, he poses a threat. There's a reason why Robinson -- no slouch himself -- said, "He's probably one of the most amazing quarterbacks in the Big Ten, probably the country."
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