Michigan
The Wolverines are coming off an excellent win over Florida a week ago, led by halfback Conner Darian who gashed the Gators with 236 yards on the ground. While Boise State may be ready for that tonight, the Wolverines will likely pound Darian at them, in the hopes that the offense can open up for quarterback Clayton Denny. If Denny has time, then this offense can be as explosive as they come. Defensively, linebacker Mickey McGuire had seven tackles for a loss last week, but they’ll need to be able to generate pressure and, more importantly, turnovers for the Wolverines to be able to stun the league tonight. Mistake free football is the bar tonight, and we’ll see if Michigan can rise to the occasion.
Boise State
The Broncos enter into tonight unbeaten, and that is in large part to this offensive trifecta between the two freshmen in quarterback Elton Bridges and tailback Luke Hall with the veteran wide receiver Austin Gombas. These three have been able to make some of the most explosive and back-breaking plays offensively for the Broncos this season, a trend that should continue tonight. And then the defense, with Bo Diddle applying a vast majority of the pressure, the rest of the defense can generate turnovers. It starts upfront, and few teams have a more impactful front seven than Boise State.
Prediction
The Wolverines will undoubtedly make this interesting, but I’m not sure they can keep up in the long run. Boise State’s offense is too diverse and their defense is just too good. Does Michigan have a chance? Of course, but it’s going to take the perfect storm to topple the best team in the nation, and I’m not so sure that tonight is the night where the number one team will fall. But if they did, it’s because Conner Darian led the way.
Score Predictions
Houston Freeman: Michigan 21, Boise State 38
David Ware: Michigan 35, Boise State 45
Squidy: Michigan 30, Boise State 42
HornsNation: Michigan 38, Boise 34
