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Michigan’s blowout win over Minnesota impresses pair of ESPN analysts
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The Little Brown Jug is going back to Ann Arbor to be replenished with the waters of the Huron River, and not the mighty Mississippi out of Minneapolis. The sport’s oldest rivalry trophy was won—for the 41st time in the last 45 meetings—in a dominant performance by the Wolverines in a primetime ABC game from Minneapolis.
Michigan’s complete 49-24 dynamiting of the Golden Gophers was impressive on multiple fronts. The Wolverines ran the ball for more than 200 yards, and their new quarterback, Joe Milton, threw it for over 200 more. The Wolverines’ defense forced two turnovers and generally dominated Minnesota’s offense, collecting five quarterback sacks and multiple big hits and devastating plays across four quarters.
The performance, a rarity for Michigan as they work to retool their mighty but diminished program in this era with Detroit no longer a fertile recruiting ground, was a flashy one. Two of ESPN’s primary college football analysts, Jesse Palmer and Joey Galloway, each took notice.
Palmer praised Michigan’s new quarterback.
“With a young quarterback like Joe Milton, just getting his feet wet and trying to gain confidence, I know Michigan always wants to be physical, but they’re going to have to really rely on that run game, especially early this year,” said Palmer. “I’m really impressed with what they did on that side.”
Galloway was impressed both with the scoring output and the defense.
“They showed big-play ability that we haven’t seen out of this Michigan offense, scoring 35 points in the first half,” Galloway said. “Hasn’t happened in forever for Michigan. I was impressed with the defense with five sacks, they forced two turnovers. On their schedule is Wisconsin, they have Ohio State, they have Penn State. This is a Michigan team that is going to be tested. This is a great start and a statement that says Michigan is ready to go. Now, can they continue to do it?”
Mark Schipper is a reporter, sportswriter, and aspiring novelist living in Chicago, Illinois.