Michigan vs. Hawai'i Date: Sept. 3, 2016 Site: Michigan Stadium (107,601) in Ann Arbor Kickoff: Noon Television: ESPN

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1 SEP 1, 2016 Michigan vs. Hawai'i Date: Sept. 3, 2016 Site: Michigan Stadium (107,601) in Ann Arbor Kickoff: Noon Television: ESPN Radio: Michigan Sports Network (950 AM in the Detroit area, Sirius/XM channel 81) with Dan Dierdorf, Jim Brandstatter and sideline reporter Doug Karsch, a regular contributor to TheWolverine.com. Series Facts: Michigan has a record in season openers Both previous contests in the series came at Aloha Stadium in Hawai i U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh led the No. 4 Wolverines to a win in 1986, while the 1998 squad posted a victory Both previous years Michigan has played Hawai i, they won the Big Ten title. Opponent Preview: Hawai'i Has Many Challenges To Overcome Ryan Tice Editor A pair of former star quarterbacks who have returned to lead their alma mater will face off in Saturday s season opener for Michigan, when the Wolverines and former signal-caller Jim Harbaugh welcome Hawai i to The Big House. Before the main event begins, Harbaugh and Nick Rolovich who worked together at a satellite camp this summer may even engage in a pregame quarterback battle. Both were asked about it by the media this week and seemed open to showing off the arms that set so many records at their respective schools. I like him, I like him for college football, Rolovich said of Harbaugh. I think when we finally got together at the camps, he said, This guy might be a little crazy, too. I figured he would be [open to the pregame challenge], but the main thing is our guys being ready to play. I don t want it to become a distraction, I just thought it was a good way to promote our program and our mindset. Saturday will be the second game of the season for the Rainbow Warriors, who started their campaign with a loss to California in Australia, where the game was played at noon Saturday local time (Friday night on the American calendar). Hawai i is no stranger to long-distance travel, but Honolulu Star-Advertiser columnist Dave Reardon called back-to-back trips to Australia and Ann Arbor unprecedented, even for the team that could accurately rename their mascot the Road Warriors. After traveling 10,166 miles to open the college football season down under a 10.5-hour flight each way Hawai i takes to the air for its second-longest road trip of the season, an 8,946-mile journey to Detroit. Those two trips alone will account for more than 41 percent of the estimated 46,568 miles the program will fly this season for seven road games. To go four times zones west and then immediately the next week to go five time zones east, that s pretty crazy, Reardon explained. The noon eastern kickoff also means that when the game starts, it will be 6 a.m. in Hawai i. The reality is if they start looking for excuses, they ll find them, Rolovich said about his players. And I hope they don t watch the news because we have to look at it as an opportunity to go to Michigan, play a great team and a coach that is good for college football, I think. It s the Magellan mindset, we re ready to go explore the world, we ve got to embrace it. I think guys are looking forward to it. This is a team who some people talk about being ready to compete for the national championship. It s an incredible challenge, an incredible opportunity. Despite whatever similarities the two coaches might share, their teams couldn t be in more different places. Hawai i is in year one under Rolovich, a first-time head coach who was an assistant at his alma mater from before directing the offense at Nevada from The squad he took over went 3-9 last year, while Michigan is looking to build off of its 10- win debut under Harbaugh. The UH coach appears to have no problems taking chances he opened the college football season with a failed surprise onsides kick attempt and brought a horde of former teammates with him to fill out the coaching staff and help return the school to the glory days experienced under offensive mastermind June Jones, his former coach. Reardon, who covered Rolovich as a player, was not surprised by the unorthodox way the coach decided to kick off or not the college football season. THE WOLVERINE THEWOLVERINE.COM

2 He s always been a gambler, the writer noted. There is no shortage of obstacles standing in the way of Rolovich s goal of righting the UH ship, which Reardon noted can be a long process when a program has fallen as far as this one. Hawai i has gone over the last four years with native son Norm Chow being fired in November. Defensive lineman Kennedy Tulimasealii, a returning all-conference pick who was expected to double as the team s top player, was dismissed before the season began. Three more safety Daniel Lewis Jr., linebacker Jerrod Garcia-Williams and tight end Metuisela Unga were suspended for the opener. Garcia-Williams, a veteran of 23 starts, entered the year as the team s most experienced defender, but all three are expected back this weekend. The team is also changing systems on both sides of the ball, most notably going from the pro-style offense that Chow installed to a more wide-open attack that resembles what Rolovich played in under Jones but with more of an emphasis on the running attack. The Rainbow Warriors ran for more yards (248) and touchdowns (three) than they passed for (234 and one) in the opener. Part of it is because I think when you re a first-year head coach with a new team you can t necessarily do what you want, you kind of have to adjust to the personnel, Reardon said. People think of Nick Rolovich as the run-and-shoot guy, but people also forget he spent a couple of years with Chris Ault, who is more of a run-oriented coach with the pistol and had a lot of 1,000-yard rushers at Nevada. So coming into the season, we were expecting a hybrid-type offense. On top of all that, the Mountain West media picked UH to finish last by a wide margin in its annual preseason poll without a single all-conference pick. The team s best chance to land on the postseason All-Mountain West team might be 5-8, 195-pound redshirt junior running back Diocemy Saint Juste, who has returned from an injury redshirt last year to knock returning 1,000-yard rushing Paul Harris down the depth chart. Saint Juste ran for 118 yards and a score in the opener while hauling in two passes for 35 yards. He s one of those fast guys with great change of direction, Reardon said. He s kind of low to the ground so he has a good build for a running back. There s nothing wrong with Paul Harris he s an excellent back too but the coaching staff determined that Saint Juste deserved to start. He didn t do anything in that game the other day to make that look like a bad decision. The first impression [of the 2016 team] was that the offense looked like it was improved, but the defense and special teams still need a lot of work. That means the strongest aspect of the Hawai i squad will be tasked with producing against Michigan s top unit, which is expected to be one of the stingiest in the land. However, Rolovich's culture overhaul begins with his squad living up to its warrior nickname and battling when the deck is so stacked against them because it occurs often. Anything can happen in 60 minutes, the coach said. The ball is a funny shape, it bounces funny sometimes. You go back to Cal in the first game, it was such a clean game by them. There can be some first-game mistakes being made, at least we ve played a game together, we understand each other and understand the mistakes we ve made. If we correct them and play as hard as we can, that s all we can ask for. Offensive Players To Watch Redshirt junior RB Diocemy Saint Juste: The 5-8, 195-pounder redshirted last year after suffering a hamstring injury during fall camp, but announced his return in a big way during the season opener. He gained 118 yards, including an impressive 53-yard touchdown run, on just 14 carries (8.4-yard average) against Cal and seems to have supplanted returning 1,000-yard rusher Paul Harris. Senior WR Marcus Kemp: The 6-4, 200-pounder paced the squad in receiving each of the last two years, hauling in 92 passes for 1,360 yards and five scores during that span. His numbers took a dip in 2015 falling from 797 yards in 2014 to 563 but he did make a few plays against Cal, finishing with four receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown. His 39-yard catch and run that went for a score showed impressive traits for his size while tight-roping the sideline to avoid a last-gasp tackle attempt. Fifth-year senior QB Ikaika Woolsey: The signal-caller Rolovich recruited as an assistant made his 20th career start in the opener and looked about the same as he has for much of his first three years. The 6-1, 215-pounder finished 17-of-34 passing for 234 yards with a touchdown while also throwing an interception, in addition to rushing for 33 yards on six carries. His career completion percentage is exactly 50 percent, while his TD-INT ratio in three-plus years sits at Defensive Players To Watch Redshirt sophomore LB Jahlani Tavai: The 6-4, 235-pounder tied for the team lead with 12 tackles and one takedown behind the line of scrimmage in the season opener after moving from outside linebacker, where he started 11 games last year, to the middle. His older brother, J.R., played at USC and was with the Tennessee Titans last year and this preseason. Senior LB Jerrol Garcia-Williams: Tavai isn t the only linebacker with NFL bloodlines Garcia-Williams father, Jerrol, played with four clubs from However, the defender who ranked second on the team in 2015 with 89 tackles despite missing the final three games with injury was suspended for the season opener. He s expected to be back Saturday, but is listed THE WOLVERINE THEWOLVERINE.COM

3 as an or on the depth chart at weakside linebacker. Redshirt junior DB Trayvon Henderson: Another player that missed the majority of 2015 due to injury (he played in two games), but showed he was back at full strength last weekend. It s never a good sign when a safety racks up double-digit tackles, but the career-high 12 stops posted against Cal speak well of the 6-0, 200-pounder. In 2014, Henderson tied for second on the team with 63 tackles while tying for the team lead with two picks. Special Teams Player To Watch Senior P/K Rigoberto Sanchez: Sanchez was one of only five players nationally in 2015 that handled every facet of his team s kicking game and he s kicking field goals, extra points, kickoffs and punts once again this fall. He ranked 13th nationally with an average of 45.1 yards per punt in 2015 and went 8 of 11 on field goals. He opened the campaign by making a 42-yard attempt, but posted just one touchback on five kickoffs and averaged a clip of 37.2 yards per punt. By The Numbers: Hawai i 5 Straight non-winning seasons for Hawai i. The 2010 season (10-4) was the school s last campaign with a record better than.500; it is since. 18 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches are currently leading their alma mater Harbaugh and Rolovich represent two. Including the head man, UH boasts four former players on its full-time coaching staff (only three schools have more) and all were teammates on the 2001 squad that finished Of the Rainbow Warriors last 26 games away from Aloha Stadium have resulted in a loss. 31 Points scored by Hawai i last week that marked the team s highest output in its last 14 meetings versus FBS teams and most since putting up 37 in a win over UNLV on Nov. 22, Its 482 yards were also the most since that same game (578) Was the combined score of UH s pair of Big Ten road trips last year, at Ohio State (38-0) and at Wisconsin (28-0). They are 9-23 all time against the league, including 0-2 vs. Michigan. 46,568 Miles will be traveled by the Rainbow Warriors this season through the air, enough to circle the globe twice. The flight to Sydney to play Cal was 10,166 miles round trip, while their journey to Detroit will be the second longest of the year, checking in at 8,946 miles round trip. The squad traveled 40,125 air miles last year. 107,145 Fans is the most UH has ever played in front of it happened last year at Ohio State. That number is likely to be eclipsed Saturday afternoon. Michigan Football Keys To The Game: Hawai'i Chris Balas Senior Editor Hawai'i comes to Ann Arbor with one game under its belt, and even though it was a loss to Cal, it s an advantage. The Rainbow Warriors have some weapons on offense, too but that s about where the good news ends. Michigan is a 40-point favorite Saturday for a reason, and one of the Vegas favorites to compete for a national championship. One game won t prove if that s warranted, but several questions should be answered in the Wolverines opener. One big one who s the quarterback, and how will he play when the lights are on? Head coach Jim Harbaugh (and every other coach) has always said that s when you find out what a guy is made of. Practice heroes don t become household names unless they do it when it counts, after all. We expect redshirt sophomore Wilton Speight to take the first snaps Saturday based on his ability to move the chains and protect the ball, one of our keys to the game. Here s what Michigan needs to do against Hawaii to win as comfortably as expected and back up the hype. Don t Turn It Over: We ll go on record now to say the hype for this defense is warranted. The line should be as good as the 2006 group that helped hold opponents to total yards per game and 2.8 rushing yards per carry and it s deeper. The secondary includes a returning All-American in senior cornerback Jourdan Lewis and three legitimate All-Big Ten candidates. Still, even the best defenses are going to give up points on short fields, even if it s field goals. Weather and turnovers are the great equalizers in mismatches, and the latter cost the Wolverines two games last year three interceptions in the opener at Utah and a dropped punt snap returned for a touchdown in the fluke loss to Michigan State. They also helped keep Minnesota in the game during a win (minus-two turnover margin). Speight completed 36 percent of his passes a year ago on only 25 attempts with one pick. Redshirt junior John O Korn threw 18 picks in his 1.5 years as Houston s starter. Michigan s stable of backs protected the ball well in 2015, led by projected senior starter De Veon Smith (no fumbles lost). The Wolverines will end this one quickly if they protect the ball. Oh, and while hurricanes are currently threatening the Hawaiian Islands, the Saturday forecast for Ann Arbor is 78 and sunny. Run The Ball, Protect The QB: We expect Smith to start, and while he has been inconsistent at finding holes over his three years, he showed signs of improvement in the Wolverines Citrus Bowl win over Florida while rushing for 109 yards. He s THE WOLVERINE THEWOLVERINE.COM

4 also Michigan s best pass protector. The biggest question mark is the offensive line, specifically, the left tackle position and injury situation. Publicly, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh hasn t said anything about injuries, but there are some guys banged up that could force them to change things around up front in the early going. We d be surprised, in fact, if the starting lineup included the four veterans (LG Ben Braden, C Mason Cole, RG Kyle Kalis and RT Erik Magnuson) expected to be out there. Senior defensive end Taco Charlton, meanwhile, has been a nightmare at times in practice for sophomore Grant Newsome and true freshman Ben Bredeson, the two candidates to start on the blindside. Like the previous staff did with Cole when he started at left tackle as a true frosh, the coaches will have to figure out how much they ll need to slide protections over with an RB or a tight end to help one of the two out. For the record, we expect it to be Bredeson. He d be only the second true frosh to ever start at left tackle at U-M behind Cole. At the same time, Hawai'i s defense wasn t good in week one quite bad, in fact. Cal averaged 5.4 yards per rush and threw for 450 yards while the defensive backs struggled against a receiving corps not nearly as capable as Michigan s. U-M should have its way with this defense up front and through the air. Limit Big Plays: Senior Ikaika Woolsey only completed 48 percent of his passes last year, but Hawai'i has some playmakers. The Rainbow Warriors averaged 6.5 yards per rush against Cal and managed 248 yards on 38 attempts, using the draw play well. Running back Diocemy Saint Juste is explosive when he gets a step out of the Hawai'i spread, so the Wolverines front needs to build the wall and keep a solid offensive line off the Michigan linebackers. Despite Big Ten Network analyst Glen Mason proclaiming otherwise, Michigan s defense under coordinator Don Brown is not high-risk, high-reward. There are plenty of blitzes, yes, but as Brown described adamantly in the video below, they aren t just throwing things against the wall. Hawai'i s receivers are decent, however, and they ll be facing plenty of man-to-man coverage. It only takes one mistake or one missed tackle of a playmaker in space to put six on the board and give the Rainbow Warriors some confidence that they can hang around. The Breakdown: Hawai'i didn t win a game outside its home state last year, and while its offense is improved, it usually takes great quarterback play to give a big underdog a shot. The Rainbow Warriors simply don t have it. Michigan should be able to stop the run with its highly touted defensive line. If that happens, it s on Woolsey (who completed 50 percent of his passes in the opener) to move the chains with his arm against a blitz happy team with athletes all over the field. Good luck with that. Add the fact that Hawai'i will have logged more air miles in two games than most teams will all year thanks to the trip to Australia for the opener with Cal, and Michigan is eager to hit somebody else after mixing it up in practice, and you ve got the recipe for a blowout TheWolverine.com Staff Picks TheWolverine.com Senior Editor Chris Balas: Michigan 48, Hawai'i 3 This opener should be for tinkering, solidifying starting positions and getting work for many of the second stringers. The Wolverine Senior Editor John Borton: Michigan 48, Hawai'i 9 It won t be Hawai'i 5-0, but close enough. TheWolverine.com Recruiting Editor Brandon Brown: Michigan 51, Hawai'i 0 Hawai'i is going to be outcoached, outplayed and overmatched against Michigan. We ll finally get to see that potentially stellar U-M defense, and it should shut Hawai'i down. If the running game is working for Michigan, it s going to be a long day for the Rainbow Warriors. TheWolverine.com Analyst Doug Skene: Michigan 38, Hawai'i 13 The Michigan defense will be disappointed to give up 13. Michigan Football Notebook: DL Rotation Ready John Borton Senior Editor Michigan is headed down the home stretch to game day, and plenty has come into greater focus for Jim Harbaugh s squad. D-Line Rotation Ramping Up Michigan defensive line coach Greg Mattison confirmed Wednesday that his crew is gearing up to play as many as eight players regularly, in a pair of rotating lines. Mattison cautioned the right to rotate has to be earned, but noted he has players doing so. THE WOLVERINE THEWOLVERINE.COM

5 I think we have eight, for sure, and there are more and more guys that are coming on, he said. I would never rotate nine or 10 guys, but you always want the ability that, if something does happen, another guy can come in and be one of those eight. That s what we re working for the ability to have a true rotation of guys. Mattison noted the Wolverines were arriving at an eight-man rotation in the middle of last season, before injuries began to take their toll. Ryan [Glasgow] got injured, and Mario [Ojemudia], Mattison recalled. That brought us down under that number. Pressed about starters for Saturday s game versus Hawai'i, Mattison wasn t biting. He also doesn t want those stepping on the field second to consider themselves backups. I really try to tell them we have two starting lineups, he said. Who goes out there for the very first play, we still have a couple of days to decide that. [Fifth-year senior defensive end] Chris Wormley has had a very, very good camp. [Fifth-year senior defensive tackle] Glasgow has had a really good camp. [Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Bryan] Mone has really done well. [Fifth-year senior defensive tackle] Matt Godin is doing really well. Taco [Charlton, a senior defensive end] the whole group. I don t want to single out one guy, because as we watch the film, there s an expectation. To be in that first unit that takes the field, or who is in there the third or fourth play? They all have to do the same thing. I ve been pleased with the effort and work of all of them. That includes true freshman Rashan Gary, the consensus No. 1 signee in the nation last year. Gary has put himself into the rotation at defensive end, and Mattison gave no indication he d try to ease the rookie into the mix. The first game is the first game, he said. That means this one really, really counts. We try to make our practices look that way, too. He s done a very good job whatever unit is in there, you re judged by a first-unit standard. Rashan has worked very, very hard and done some very good things. Whatever our rotation is, I m sure you ll see Rashan in there. Kenny Allen Could Be Three-Way Performer Michigan tight ends coach and special teams assistant Jay Harbaugh noted there is still a chance that senior kicker Kenny Allen could handle field goals, punting and kickoffs for the Wolverines this season. Harbaugh cautioned, though, that it s a rare feat. We ask a lot of him, to really shoulder the burden in all three phases, Harbaugh noted. Not many guys in the country do that. Hawai'i s guy was one of five guys in the country to do it last year the Sanchez kid [Rigoberto Sanchez, a senior], who is a very talented guy. Kenny has excelled. He s improved in every way. It s exciting for him as a senior to be playing so well in every category. As for nailing down all three jobs throughout the season wait and see, Harbaugh cautioned. We d be more than comfortable with it, because he s physically more than capable of doing all three, Harbaugh said. He has the talent. Ideally, you d like to take a little bit off his plate. It s a long season we d be more than comfortable in him doing it, if need be. As far as returners, Michigan has some decisions to make, Harbaugh acknowledged. There are a few guys that have an opportunity, he said. Of the young guys, [true freshman Khaleke] Hudson has returned some, [true freshman] David Long has returned some. All three of the receivers have done a little bit. [True freshman running back] Chris Evans has. All those guys are capable of it. Sometimes, you don t want the All-American guys returning kicks, but you also like it because they re electrifying, and they give you a chance to make a big play. Also, as the season goes on, young guys get more comfortable. Sometimes, having a freshman out there catching a punt doesn t give you the best feeling in the world. You kind of let them get some experience under their belt, get comfortable before you put them out there doing something that s pretty difficult to do, catching kicks. Miscellaneous Notes Hawai'i is used to seeing decent Michigan quarterbacks. In the two previous meetings between the schools, U-M trotted out Jim Harbaugh (1986) and Tom Brady (1998) behind center. Michigan has never lost to a Mountain West Conference school, going 8-0 versus the current members of the league. The Wolverines have recorded a pair of victories against Hawai'i, Air Force and San Diego State, with one win over Colorado State and UNLV. Pro Football Focus listed Michigan No. 3 among all teams nationally, in terms of returning the most production from the previous season to this one. Michigan s highly anticipated defensive unit has some standards for which to shoot for this season. In 2015, the U-M defense finished in the top six nationally in five separate categories: pass efficiency defense (No. 1, 94.6 rating), pass defense THE WOLVERINE THEWOLVERINE.COM

6 (No. 3, yard average), total defense (No. 4, yard average), third downs allowed (No. 4, 27.6 percent) and scoring (No. 6, 16.4-point average). Michigan enters the season with 925 all-time wins, most in the nation. Notre Dame is No. 2 with 892, and the Irish stand atop the all-time standings in win percentage, at.733, compared to Michigan s.730. Texas (885), Nebraska (880) and Ohio State (874) round out the top five in terms of all-time victories. In percentage, it s Boise State (.723), Ohio State (.722) and Oklahoma (.720). Michigan Football: Jim Harbaugh News & Views John Borton Senior Editor Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh on Monday delivered a stiff-arm better than anything senior running back De Veon Smith has up his sleeve. Harbaugh wasn t about to reveal much on personnel questions, and nothing on injuries. Here are some key points from his press conference, Harbaugh s quotes and our thoughts. News: Harbaugh wouldn t budge on naming a quarterback, although he knows who it is. Harbaugh: We know who our starting quarterback is, yes. Yeah, I ll say who our starting quarterback is before Saturday. I didn t say I was going to say it to you. Views: Harbaugh didn t produce a depth chart, but he did likely produce a smile on the face of Lloyd Carr and a host of other coaches who don t like to talk personnel about a game, especially the opener. The current coach takes a none of your business stance, unapologetically. It makes sense from his standpoint. He s ultra competitive and doesn t want anybody to know anything before the game itself, even when his team is favored by half a dozen touchdowns. And that s okay. They are making the game open to the public on Saturday, and everyone will know then. As noted before, our revised stance has 6-6 redshirt sophomore QB Wilton Speight taking the field under center. But you ll know for certain at high noon, five days hence. News: Harbaugh likes his new captains, senior tight end Jake Butt and fifth-year senior defensive lineman Chris Wormley. Harbaugh: They re two of the hardest working guys, two of the best players on the team. They both have a real great way of being good teammates. They don t build themselves up and put others down around them. They both have that quality of building other guys up around them and making themselves smaller. When you do that, you make yourself very big indeed in the eyes of everybody in the eyes of the whole world and in the eyes of the people that are on your team. Views: Nobody is going to mistake Butt (6-6, 250) or Wormley (6-6, 302) as small, but obviously that s not what Harbaugh is talking about. And the comments about how they conduct themselves ring true, as far as an outsider s observation and the way their teammates talk about them. Harbaugh stressed how they help Michigan s younger players, and Wormley himself talked about helping fashion freshmen like Rashan Gary. They care about more than this season, and they care desperately about this one. They both have lived through the tail end of the dark days at Michigan, and they re focused on the gleaming light dead ahead. They ll be strong captains, backed by a number of seniors who could have been in those roles as well. News: True freshman offensive lineman Ben Bredeson has grabbed Harbaugh s attention this fall, and frosh cornerback David Long did so lately as well. Harbaugh: He s very close. I certainly wouldn t anticipate any kind of not playing for Ben Bredeson. He s acquitting himself very well right now David Long covered a go route in yesterday s practice as good as it can possibly be covered. From press coverage to competing at the point of the catch, it s as good as it can be covered. He s going to be an outstanding, outstanding football player. Views: Those two are among the many freshmen who should see the field. Harbaugh insists the waters have been hot, in terms of competition. Senior cornerback Jourdan Lewis has marveled about how advanced Long is coming in, and Bredenson has a shot at starting. That s just scratching the surface. There s Gary, running back Chris Evans, linebacker Devin Bush, safety Khaleke Hudson and a number of others who can see the field. They say it takes four years to judge a recruiting class, but this one stands to get a huge early recommendation, starting Saturday. Freshmen always get the binocular focus in the opener, but it might be more so this season than in any year since the late 1990s. News: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick ignited a media firestorm by refusing to stand for the national anthem recently, citing the way minorities are treated in the United States. His former coach was asked about that action. THE WOLVERINE THEWOLVERINE.COM

7 Harbaugh: I acknowledge his right to do that, but I don t respect the motivation or the action. Harbaugh tweeted soon after: I apologize for misspeaking my true sentiments. To clarify, I support Colin s motivation. It s his method of action that I take exception to. Views: It s good that Harbaugh can quickly correct a verbal fumble, and do so in a way that goes out across the nation. He probably saved himself a whole lot of explaining with regard to his initial comment. The thoroughly patriotic Harbaugh wasn t going to give even a hint of a thumbs-up to Kaepernick s gesture. At the same time, the coach expressed an understanding of the sentiments that led to it. Well played, in this instance. It would be worth more than the price of admission, though, to hear an honest exchange between the two, if the subject ever came up. News: Senior placekicker Kenny Allen still has a shot at the kicking triple crown this year: placekicker, kickoffs and punter. Harbaugh: He can there is nothing decided if he will. Kenny is solid in that [punter] position, and he s a really good kickoff person. Right now, he s the best at all three punting, kickoff and field goals. If that remains the case, and he s clearly the best, he ll do all three. We d like for him not to have to do all three. Views: If he doesn t, look for true freshman Quinn Nordin to step in on kickoffs or field goals. Harbaugh also likes the way sophomore walk-on Ryan Tice has looked on field goals. Doing all three can be taxing on a kicker over the course of a season and heightens the risk of fatigue or injury over the long haul. But Allen has trained intensely for this moment, and he certainly could handle the load in a handful of games especially the ones that could hang on a crucial punt or field goal. Borton's Blog: Tight Lips, No Slips For Michigan Football John Borton Senior Editor Jim Harbaugh strode into Michigan s media room at Crisler Arena in full game-week focus, safeguarding personnel and schematic secrets like Ike before Normandy. Who s the quarterback? None of your business stated more politely, of course, but without equivocation. Harbaugh insisted he d name a QB prior to Saturday s opener against Hawai'i just not publicly. He s gearing up for battle and has little interest in divulging anything to assist the foe, even one that will have gone from Oahu to Australia, back to Oahu and on to Ann Arbor that s 14,588 miles, if you re keeping score in the span of a week. They ll be playing at 6 a.m. (Hawaii-Aleutian Time Zone), and prognosticators say they should be toast before breakfast. Someone foolishly asked Harbaugh if it s hard to not look at bigger games down the road, rather than the Rainbow Warriors. Football s a hard, tough, rough sport, he answered. We believe in respecting that, respecting each and every opponent. If we don t, we will very likely lose the game. Harbaugh and the Wolverines respect Hawai'i plenty, and that s not good news for the Road Warriors. U-M respects the visitors enough to prepare for beating the mango out of them. Just ask senior cornerback Jourdan Lewis. He and his teammates haven t experienced spa treatments while tuning up for a less-than-fearsome non-conference schedule. They ve been training like they did prior to playing Troy Landry to Florida s Gators in last year s Citrus Bowl. I can tell you, we re preparing like that team did, Lewis cautioned. We re just as prepared as that team was in Florida. That team manhandled Florida, 41-7, rocketing Harbaugh s crew into an offseason of even deeper commitment. Now, a veteran-laden bunch appears ready to unleash a tsunami on Hawai'i and beyond. Are there questions? Sure there are. A new quarterback steps in behind a new center and there are new linebackers on the other side of the ball, with other tweaks on the team that heated up Orlando. Harbaugh, offensive coordinator Tim Drevno and passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch are working to ensure the offense can get rolling. Still, the hole card for this crew at least early on involves defense. Harbaugh lost a good defensive coordinator at the end of 2015, so he snagged Don Brown, who merely guided an offense-bereft Boston College squad to the best defense in the nation. What Brown inherited, in terms of talent, hands a flamethrower to an arsonist. From the opening snap, Lewis noted, the Wolverines are going to deliver a message on defense. We re aggressive, he said. We re going to send you pressure, regardless of whatever you guys throw at us. We re going to control the tempo, and we re going to go out there and handle any situation you throw at us. That sort of confidence gets forged in the furnace of August, the All-American assured. A combination of hardened veterans and very skilled younger players has competed to the max with each other, and stands ready to overwhelm the opposition. THE WOLVERINE THEWOLVERINE.COM

8 Nobody has worked harder or competed more fiercely, Lewis insisted. You have to have your best performance, every single practice, he assured. That s what he wants from us go out there and practice our hardest, every single day. That s the deal. That s what we have to do. It makes us better. When you can say you have depth and you know you have competitiveness at every position, nobody is complacent on having a position. It really helps a lot. Someone pointed out the obvious every team is claiming to have worked harder than anyone else at this time of year. What s different about this one? Lewis allowed a slow smile to emerge. Because Coach Harbaugh is our head coach, he said, unflinching. Nobody has Coach Harbaugh. I promise you, if you don t go out there and compete, you don t have a spot. If I didn t go out there and compete, it doesn t matter what I did last year, I wouldn t be on the field. That s the approach he brings to the table, and to this program. That s his forte if you don t compete every day, you don t have a spot on this team. That s why he doesn t have a depth chart right now. Coach Harbaugh brought a winning swagger back here. It s just so infectious. It s just so easy to follow. When you have a leader like that, who knows what he s doing, who knows how to win and has won at every level it s just amazing. The Wolverines are convinced the season will also prove amazing, filled with sealed lips and sunken ships. The Week In Michigan Recruiting: Aug. 30 Brandon Brown Staff Writer Everyone who follows it knows that recruiting never stops, but that has never been truer than with Jim Harbaugh. He and his staff are relentless on the trail, and that makes for constant news and occurrences worthy of note. Here's a look back at the last week of action involving the Maize and Blue's recruiting efforts: Hot Boards are being updated daily and the most recent edition of each can be found linked at the bottom every day. Linebacker is the most recent position group to be looked at and it features two coveted, potential Michigan leans and a five-star who will see U-M in an official capacity from the opposing sideline. A potential five-star prospect from the 2019 class will be in Ann Arbor this weekend for the first time to watch the Wolverines take on Hawai'i in the season opener. Michigan high school football kicked off this past weekend, and some of the state's top talent was on one field in Detroit. Wayne State University hosted the 12th annual Prep Kickoff Classic and was the site of seven games over a four-day period (originally scheduled for three, but another day was added due to weather). Top Michigan targets from schools like Southfield A&T, Detroit Martin Luther King, Detroit Cass Tech and Oak Park battled it out on Tom Adams Field. Michigan commit Corey Malone-Hatcher got his senior season underway on the same field where he'll play in college. His St. Joseph Bears defeated Kalamazoo Central 26-0 inside Michigan Stadium as one part of The Battle at The Big House. The 6-3, 246-pound four-star defensive end recorded three sacks and helped his defense pitch the shutout. Afterward he talked about the experience and who he plans to recruit with him to play on that field in the future. TheWolverine.com staff dropped some intel during the weekly edition of INSIDE THE FORT, and it included some juicy tidbits involving some of Michigan's top recruiting targets one of which will be on campus this weekend for his first official visit. There are really only two legitimate quarterback targets for Michigan right now in the 2018 class, and both have very serious interest in the Maize and Blue. One, a New Jersey native, talked about how he has envisioned himself sporting the winged helmet and playing in The Big House. Aledo (Texas) High four-star offensive tackle Chuck Filiaga is a native of American Samoa, started his prep career in California and will finish in Texas. The 6-6, 335-pounder, the nation's No. 16 offensive tackle and No. 122 overall prospect, has formed a bond with Michigan director of player personnel Tony Tuioti and is giving U-M a serious look. The August edition of Michigan's Sweet 16 includes four five-star prospects and many other highly touted recruits. The staff at U-M has a chance to land several of them and is still legitimately in the mix with all 16 players on the list. Finally, in something that hadn't yet happened under Jim Harbaugh's watch, the Wolverines lost threel verbal commitments in about two days. Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County 2017 four-star defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon, Springfield (Ohio) 2018 four-star tight end Leonard Taylor and Stone Mountain (Ga.) Stephenson 2018 four-star guard Jalil Irvin all broke it off with Michigan and will now consider other programs. Rivals. com Southeast recruiting analyst Woody Wommack discussed what's next for U-M moving forward. THE WOLVERINE THEWOLVERINE.COM

9 By The Numbers: How U-M Coaches Fared In Their Second Year Austin Fox Contributor While nobody is expecting Harbaugh to have a losing season during his second year on the job, some question whether or not the Wolverines are ready to contend for a national title. Nevertheless, most agree Michigan is at least ready to contend for a Big Ten title in 2016, a feat that Ferbert, Yost, Kipke, Oosterbaan and Moeller all accomplished in year two. Jim Harbaugh finished with a 10-3 record during his first season as Michigan s head coach, but what does year two have in store? For a better understanding, we compare how every Michigan coach has done during his second year on the job. Head coaches George Little (1924), Langdon Lea (1900), William Ward (1896), Frank Crawford (1891) and Mike Murphy (1891) were left out of the conversation due to the fact they all only coached one season in Ann Arbor. That leaves us with 14 coaches to compare. Of the 14, seven finished with a better record in their second season than their debut campaign Frank Barbour ( ), Gustave Ferbert ( ), Harry Kipke ( ), Bump Elliott ( ), Bo Schembechler ( ), Gary Moeller ( ) and Rich Rodriguez ( ). Ferbert saw the biggest improvement in year two, with his team going from in 1897 to 10-0 in However, six Michigan coaches saw their record worsen during their second season at the helm William McCauley ( ), Elton Wieman ( ), Fritz Crisler ( ), Bennie Oosterbaan ( ), Lloyd Carr ( ) and Brady Hoke ( ). Wieman, Oosterbaan and Hoke saw the biggest drop-offs all three coaches won three fewer games in their second season. The only Michigan coach whose record remained the same during his first two years on the job was Fielding H. Yost ( , ). Yost went 11-0 in both 1901 and 1902, and won the national championship both years as well. The Michigan coaches who finished their second season with either one or zero losses are: McCauley (8-1 record in 1895), Ferbert (10-0 in 1898), Yost (11-0 in 1902), Kipke ( in 1930) and Schembechler (9-1 in 1970). While five coaches accomplished the feat in Michigan s history, Schembechler is the only one to do it since With that being said, three coaches only lost two games in their second season in Ann Arbor: Crisler in 1939, Oosterbaan in 1949 and Moeller in Amazingly, only two Michigan coaches have ever finished with a losing record in year two: Wieman (3-4-1 in 1928) and Rodriguez (5-7 in 2009). 1 The number of games Hawai'i will have already played when it comes to the Big House on Saturday. Hawaii lost to California on Aug. 26 in Sydney, Australia. 3 This marks the third meeting between Michigan and Hawai'i, with Michigan holding a 2-0 advantage; the Wolverines beat the Rainbow Warriors in 1986 and in Both contests were held at Aloha Stadium, so this marks the first game of the series played in Ann Arbor. 8-0 Michigan s record against schools currently in the Mountain West; Hawaii joined the conference in Was the last time Michigan lost its home opener. Utah beat the Wolverines on Aug. 30, 2008, in Rich Rodriguez s Michigan debut. 4,442 The number of miles from Honolulu, HI, to Ann Arbor, according to Google maps. Hawai'i s campus is 5,071 miles away from where they played their season opener in Sydney, Australia. THE WOLVERINE THEWOLVERINE.COM

10 Around The Big Ten: Week One Austin Fox Contributor Illinois Illinois hosts Murray State on Saturday under first-year head coach Lovie Smith... This will mark his first game as a collegiate coach since 1995, when he was an assistant at Ohio State... Smith coached the NFL s Chicago Bears from and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from The last Illinois coach to lose his debut game was Ron Turner in Indiana Indiana hits the road Thursday to take on Florida International... It is the second meeting between the two schools, with the Hoosiers prevailing last season... Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson led the team to a bowl game last year, the school s first since The Hoosiers have won seven of their last eight regular-season non-conference games. No. 17 Iowa No. 17 Iowa hosts Miami (Ohio) in its season opener... The Hawkeyes are riding an eight-game regular-season conference winning streak, the longest of any Big Ten team... After winning its first 12 games last season, Iowa dropped its final two... Head coach Kirk Ferentz is entering his 18th season with the Hawkeyes and is the longest tenured coach in the Big Ten. Maryland Maryland hosts Howard in its first game with head coach D.J. Durkin, the former Michigan defensive coordinator, at the helm... It is the first meeting between the two schools, despite being separated by just over seven miles... The Terrapins have won their last six season openers and 10 of their last Maryland fifth-year senior quarterback Perry Hills will start his third season opener on Saturday, a feat no Terrapin quarterback has accomplished since Brian Cummings from No. 12 Michigan State No. 12 Michigan State hosts FCS opponent Furman on Friday night... It is the first meeting between the two schools, and the first time the Spartans have faced a team from South Carolina... This will mark the sixth time overall Michigan State has faced an FCS school... Head coach Mark Dantonio is 25-2 against non-conference teams at home... The Spartans are in season openers. Minnesota Minnesota welcomes Oregon State to Minneapolis on Thursday night... It marks the third meeting between the schools and the first since Minnesota is 2-1 against Oregon State, with all the matchups occurring in Minneapolis... The Golden Gophers played in and won a bowl game last year, despite finishing the regular season at 5-7. Nebraska Nebraska hosts Fresno State in Lincoln Saturday night... It is the third meeting between the two schools, with Nebraska winning the first two... Head coach Mike Riley enters his second year with the Cornhuskers, after finishing 6-7 last season... Nebraska is 34-2 against current members of the Mountain West. Northwestern Northwestern will take on preseason MAC favorite Western Michigan at home on Saturday... The Wildcats won 10 games last season for just the fourth time in school history... Northwestern is 21-2 in September since After Iowa s Kirk Ferentz, head coach Pat Fitzgerald is the second longest tenured coach in the Big Ten (entering his 11th year). No. 6 Ohio State No. 6 Ohio State welcomes Bowling Green to Columbus... The Buckeyes are 32-1 against current MAC members... Ohio State returns just six starters from last year s team, the fewest of any FBS school... The Buckeyes have won 36 of their last 37 home openers... Head coach Urban Meyer has the highest winning percentage (.850) of any current FBS coach with at least 10 years of coaching experience. Penn State Penn State faces off against Kent State at Beaver Stadium... Penn State and Wisconsin are the only Big Ten teams to post winning seasons each of the last 11 years... After starting 7-2 last fall, the Nittany Lions dropped their final four games to finish Redshirt sophomore quarterback Trace McSorley is expected to take over for the departed Christian Hackenberg, a second-round pick of the New York Jets. Purdue Purdue welcomes FCS foe Eastern Kentucky to Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday... The Boilermakers have faced an FCS team every season dating back to Purdue has won 12 straight home openers... Redshirt sophomore David Blough will start at quarterback, marking the sixth time in the last six seasons the Boilermakers have had a different quarterback start the opener. Rutgers Rutgers heads to Seattle to take on No. 14 Washington... This will be the first game under first-year head coach Chris Ash, who served as Ohio State s co-defensive coordinator the past two seasons... Indiana and Rutgers are the only two Big Ten teams to play true road games in its season openers... This THE WOLVERINE THEWOLVERINE.COM

11 will mark the third straight year the Scarlet Knights play a Pac- 12 team, as they played Washington State in 2014 and Wisconsin Wisconsin travels to Lambeau Field on Saturday afternoon to take on No. 5 LSU... This will be the third straight season Wisconsin opens against an SEC team in an NFL venue... Second-year head coach Paul Chryst led the Badgers to a 10-3 record last season, including a bowl win over USC... Fifth-year senior quarterback Bart Houston will be making his first career start. Schedule (all times eastern) Thursday, Sept. 1 - Indiana at Florida International: 7:30 PM (ESPNU) - Oregon State at Minnesota: 9:00 PM (BTN) Friday, Sept. 2 - Furman at No. 12 Michigan State: 7:00 PM (BTN) Saturday, Sept. 3 - Bowling Green at No. 6 Ohio State: 12:00 PM (BTN) - Eastern Kentucky at Purdue: 12:00 PM (ESPNNEWS) - Hawai'i at No. 7 Michigan: 12:00 PM (ESPN) - Howard at Maryland: 12:00 PM (BTN) - Western Michigan at Northwestern: 12:00 PM (ESPNU) - Rutgers at No. 14 Washington: 2:00 PM (Pac-12 Network) - Kent State at Penn State: 3:30 PM (BTN) - No. 5 LSU vs. Wisconsin (at Lambeau Field): 3:30 PM (ABC) - Miami (Ohio) at No. 17 Iowa: 3:30 PM (ESPNU) - Murray State at Illinois: 3:30 PM (BTN) - Fresno State at Nebraska: 8:00 PM (BTN) NFL Wolverines: Preseason Update Chris Balas Senior Editor Former Wolverines in NFL camps with notes on how they are faring... NFL WOLVERINES, 2016 Name Team Notes/Links DT Richard Ash Jacksonville Jaguars Ash is making an impression with the Jaguars. WR Jason Avant Avant has said he still wants to play. QB Tom Brady New England Patriots Brady has to sit four games, but was sharp in his preseason debut. LB Brennen Beyer Baltimore Ravens Was a practice standout a few weeks ago. Played on the practice squad last year. DT Alan Branch New England Patriots Recently reinstated after a team-levied suspension. DE Frank Clark Seattle Seahawks Clark is in line to give Seattle's pass rush a boost. LB Kenny Demens Battling back from season-ending knee surgery. He played for the Cardinals last year. WR Devin Funchess Carolina Panthers Last season s breakout rookie is light years ahead of where he was in C Graham Glasgow Detroit Lions The rookie, who was recently spotted in a walking boot, has been learning the offense. DE Brandon Graham Philadelphia Eagles Graham and his Eagles buddies are loving the team s new defense. CB Leon Hall New York Giants Hall is adjusting to life in New York after nine years with Cincinnati. LB David Harris New York Jets Harris suffered a bad bruise on his shoulder in a preseason game and might miss the regular-season opener. THE WOLVERINE THEWOLVERINE.COM

12 QB Chad Henne Jacksonville Jaguars Henne turned in a solid second half in a recent preseason game. He s the backup, signed a two-year, $8-million deal in spring DB Jordan Kovacs Los Angeles Rams Signed with the Rams in August and hopes to make the team. OT Taylor Lewan Tennessee Titans Lewan is in great shape and has made preseason All-Pro teams. OT Jake Long Had agreed to a one-year deal with Baltimore, but it fell through. DT Mike Martin Released by Philadelphia Aug. 28. S Ryan Mundy Mundy is still looking for a team... and he is suing a helmet manufacturer. He last played for the Bears in LB Mario Ojemudia Recently released by Baltimore. RB Thomas Rawls Seattle Seahawks Coming back from a broken ankle and starting to play well. RB Denard Robinson Jacksonville Jaguars Vying for the backup running back spot, Robinson notched 18 yards on three carries in the last preseason game. Also mourning the loss of a friend. LB Jake Ryan Green Bay Packers In line to start after returning recently from an injury. OL Michael Schofield Denver Broncos Working at guard and tackle, Schofield could start at guard. RB Fitz Toussaint Pittsburgh Steelers Battling for the third running back spot in Pittsburgh. DB Stevie Brown Released by Kansas City, was set to sign with Carolina, but it fell through. QB Jake Rudock Detroit Lions Shined in his first preseason game but has struggled since. He is still learning the offense. DT Willie Henry Baltimore Ravens The rookie is expected to make the team after being selected in the fourth round. OL Patrick Omameh Jacksonville Jaguars Signed as a free agent this summer and is hopeful to make the team. S Jarrod Wilson Jacksonville Jaguars The undrafted free agent is impressing and could be the team s third string safety. LB James Ross San Diego Chargers Signed in May as an undrafted free agent and is battling to make the team. FB Sione Houma Waived by New Orleans after the team signed another fullback. FB Joe Kerridge Washington Redskins Has a good shot to make the team and is currently the Redskins only fullback. P/K Matt Wile Dallas Cowboys Battling for a position at punter or kicker. CB Blake Countess Philadelphia Eagles Left a recent game with a head injury, but is in a battle to make the team. OL Will Campbell Recently waived by Tennessee. Playing offensive line. LB LaMarr Woodley Waiting to get a call from a team. THE WOLVERINE THEWOLVERINE.COM