Written by Derick Hutchinson at ClickonDetroit.com
It’s been a long six years for Michigan football fans.
Since Wisconsin last stepped foot in the Big House, Michigan has gone through three head coaches, lost three bowl games and dropped nine of 11 games against its rivals.
When the Badgers rolled through the Big House on Nov. 20, 2010, they left behind a lost and battered Michigan program. When they return Saturday, they’ll find a team competing for a national championship
Top 10 matchup
Before the season, it seemed nearly impossible that Michigan and Wisconsin would meet as top 10 foes, and it took two very different paths for the teams to arrive here.
Michigan was heavily favored in four straight games and came through with four blowout wins. Only Colorado, which led 21-7 in the first half, gave Michigan any type of scare. But even with a 14-point lead, Colorado couldn’t keep Michigan in its sights, falling by 17 points.
Through four games, Michigan has scored 208 points and held its opponents to just 55 points. Thanks to a preseason No. 7 ranking, the Wolverines have climbed into the top five.
Wisconsin, on the other hand, had to work much harder. The Badgers were unranked coming into the season, but quickly changed that with a season-opening win over No. 5 LSU. Three weeks later, the Badgers went into East Lansing and bullied No. 8 Michigan State, 30-6.
Wisconsin climbed to No. 8 in the AP poll to set up a game in Ann Arbor that not only holds major Big Ten implications, but national ones as well.
New quarterbacks
Wisconsin’s offense took a sharp turn for the better two weeks ago when redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook took over for Bart Houston.
Hornibrook led a pair of touchdown drives to save the Badgers from disaster against Georgia State, then threw for 195 yards, a touchdown and an interception in his first career start against Michigan State. Some of the windows Hornibrook threw into against Michigan State were nearly too small to attempt, but the freshman was fearless and made the plays necessary to complete the upset.
Now Hornibrook is the sure starter heading into Ann Arbor, where he’ll see another of the country’s top defenses.
Michigan’s quarterback enters the game with more experience, but not by much. Wilton Speight has completed 63.2 percent of his passes this season, compiling 875 yards and nine touchdowns to just one interception.
Speight has struggled with the deep ball this season, especially during the first half against Colorado. But his command of the offense and his accuracy on short passes has given Michigan enough offensive firepower to score the second-most points in the country.
Neither quarterback has played in a game of this magnitude, where the winner joins Ohio State among the favorites in the Big Ten. In a game that could be decided by turnovers and field position, their decisions could be the difference.
