OK, Wolverines and Tigers, the joke is over. Remove the ski masks.
It has been four months of this silliness, and it’s time you showed who you really are.
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Michigan has played 11 games this season and Auburn has played 12. So it’s logical to think that at this point, these teams would have clear identities. They don’t.
Is this the inexperienced, ineffective Michigan defense that showed up against Illinois, Purdue and Northwestern? Or is it the tougher group that shut out Indiana and Michigan State?
Is this the balanced, powerful Auburn offense that scored at least 31 points in its first five games? Or is it the stumbling crew that has not scored a touchdown in eight quarters?
We won’t know for sure until Monday, when the two square off in the Citrus Bowl.
In its 12 games, Auburn scored at least 29 points seven times, 10 or fewer four times, and 21 once. In its 11 games, the Michigan defense gave up at least 23 points five times and 11 or fewer six times.
So No. 20 Auburn (9-3) is either explosive or mundane, depending on the week. And No. 17 Michigan (8-3) is either a sieve or a stone wall, depending on the week. That makes this game difficult to figure.
This much is clear: The game will tilt largely on the success of Auburn running back Rudi Johnson.
The Michigan players and coaches say Johnson is a lot like former Wisconsin star Ron Dayne. They had better hope so. Dayne, college football’s all-time leading rusher, never did well against Michigan. Last year, when Dayne won the Heisman Trophy, he gained 88 yards against the Wolverines, none in the second half.
When the Wolverines compare Johnson to Dayne, though, they mean it as a compliment.
“He’s a heck of a back,” Michigan defensive coordinator Jim Herrmann said.
“He does a lot of things for that team.
“He’s got great feet. He’ll step up and pass-protect, similar to Anthony Thomas.”
Thomas, the Michigan star, will be facing the Southeastern Conference’s top rushing defense. But Michigan scored 82 points in its last two losses, so the offense has not been the problem.
With Drew Henson throwing to David Terrell and Marquise Walker, Michigan can be effective even if Auburn gangs up on Thomas. But the Tigers are in trouble if Michigan shuts down Johnson.
At 5 feet 10 inches and 228 pounds, Johnson is an old-fashioned, thumping running back, and Auburn mostly runs a traditional offense. But as Herrmann points out, traditional offenses aren’t what they used to be.
“You don’t see the conservative offenses that you saw 10 years ago,” Herrmann said.
In the early ’90s the press defense came into vogue, with teams putting more defensive players on the line of scrimmage and daring offenses to beat them. Offenses needed to be creative to counteract the press.
Herrmann’s 1997 defense was one of the best press defenses ever. That defense could take risks because cornerback Charles Woodson was able to shut down one receiver.
This year’s Michigan pass defense has been suspect–and it is even more suspect now, with starting cornerback James Whitley off the team after an arrest on weapons charges.
Jeremy LeSueur and Brandon Williams will take Whitley’s spot in the lineup, opposite Todd Howard. Their success will hinge largely on the ability of Michigan’s defensive front to stop Johnson and get to Auburn quarterback Ben Leard.
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