Michigan yearns to lug the Jug again

Minnesota’s offense is dead last in the league in points per game, but I’m not sure how well Michigan can work its way back from behind.

Tracy time: Interim head coach Tracy Claeys will get the spotlight and the pressure, knowing in the long-term he has five games – maybe six if they wait until after a bowl – to impress the brass that he deserves to succeed his retired mentor, Jerry Kill.

Blake’s battle: Punter Blake O’Neill has played at a high level all season and early in the Michigan State game booted an 80-yarder.

The Illini offense is struggling, and that’s not a good sign going up against a fearsome Nittany Lions defense. With a long list of injuries, Illinois hasn’t been able to do what it wants behind Wes Lunt.

“We’re looking to (define) our season over the next number of games that we play”. Probably the greatest compliment to coach Kill was that’s how they always play. Or it would be if the opponent was anyone but Purdue. In those two losses, they have been outscored 75-25. In the big picture, Michigan has more to play for and more top-to-bottom talent that will push the Wolverines to a late victory. The Huskers have one of the better run defenses in the conference, but they also have the worst pass defense. Running back Corey Clement still might not be ready to return to the field as he continues to recover from sports hernia surgery.

Despite giving up 20 offensive points to the Michigan State Spartans, this defense is still ranked #1 in most major total defense categories. Surprisingly, though, Rutgers ranks fourth in the Big Ten in total offense, averaging 426.6 total yards per game. He was pleasure to interview, one of the few who embraced every aspect of coaching football, on and off the field. But shootouts haven’t been all that common an occurrence, especially against great defenses. Kill’s 10 primary assistant coaches have worked for him for a combined 141 years, the most in the country. The Hawkeyes will be without Jordan Canzeri this weekend, meaning the run game will rely on Akrum Wadley and Derrick Mitchell, but the team’s Nos. Defensively, the Golden Gophers yield 177.3 yards in passing and 151.4 yards in rushing.

“You’re so sad, because there’s never going to be another day when you’re going to go out to practice and you’ll have coach Kill behind you”, quarterback Mitch Leidner said. In the receiving end, Aaron Burbridge had 132 yards in nine receptions while Trevon Pendleton added a 74-yard TD reception.

An emotionally-charged Jerry Kill, coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, announced his immediate retirement Wednesday.

“I stood by him through his episode two years ago and through a few pretty harsh criticism and I thought it was the right thing to do then and it’s the right thing to support him now”, Kaler said.

Football is just a game, man. Life is life.

Running back Drake Johnson is expected to be full-go for the Wolverines against the Gophers.

Moving past the MSU game was a key element – Harbaugh told the team immediately not to wallow in the loss and “put steel in the spine” to not succumb to the disappointment.

No. 15 Michigan enters Minnesota on Saturday night (7 p.m., ESPN) hoping to wash away the taste of a stunning last-second loss to rival Michigan State two weeks ago, an emotional defeat the team had to live with throughout its bye a week ago.