The Michigan Wolverines continued their dominance this season today against Illinois, cruising to an easy 41-8 victory. Michigan is now a perfect 7-0 on the season, putting them one step closer to potentially winning the Big Ten and playing in the College Football Playoff. Here are three things we learned from the game:
3) The defense continues to impress
We've been saying all season that this defense is one of the best in the country, but they put forth perhaps their best performance of the season against the Illini. They held Illinois to just 172 total yards (just 77 in the first half), and Illinois didn't even complete a pass until the third quarter. Michigan also had a eight-quarter shutout streak that was snapped in the fourth quarter. Yeah, this unit is REALLY good.
2) Wilton Speight continues to be one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the country
Honestly, why doesn't Speight get more love? He has been efficient and effective all season long, and he put together another fantastic outing on Saturday, completing 16/23 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns - with no interceptions. That is perhaps the best part of Speight's game, as he's turned the ball over just twice all season. It's time to give the man some more credit!
1) De'Veon Smith is the lead back, but this is a true running back by committee
Smith has been Michigan's lead back all year, but that's a relative turn - virtually everyone on Michigan's offense is going to carry the ball at some point or another in the game. 13 different players were credited with a rushing attempt, and nine of them had multiple carries. And, even though Smith received a bulk of carries with 18 (no one else had more than 10), it was Karan Higdon who led the team with 106 rushing yards. It's clear that Jim Harbaugh wants to keep his backs fresh, making it harder on opposing defenses.
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