The Michigan Insider

Working without Steve Lorenz due to a scheduling conflict, Zach Shaw breaks down what he expects to see in Saturday’s matchup between Michigan and Illinois.

Threading the podcast’s traditional over-under game throughout his preview, Shaw looks at Shea Patterson’s situation, and why the senior quarterback needs more than just a get-well game. He also looks at Michigan’s running backs, how the Wolverines can make progress and more on the Fighting Illini’s woeful defense.

He also digs into Michigan’s potential to work in backup players such as Joe Milton and Hassan Haskins, and other reasons that a fast start can be beneficial.

On the defensive side of the ball, Shaw explains why he expects the Wolverines’ defensive line to continue to improve, why stopping Illinois’ serviceable run game is important and what to look for from the Fighting Illini’s pass game with backup quarterback Matt Robinson likely to start.

Shaw closes with things Michigan fans should watch in the game, and offers his prediction for the matchup.

After receiving strong reviews from last week’s joint podcast, we once again invite an opposing beat writer to join us, as Michigan beat writer Zach Shaw and Illinois beat writer Jeremy Werner discuss the key storylines for both teams heading into this week’s game.Acknowledging that the game itself is rather predictable and that neither team is using the game as a measuring stick, they instead begin by breaking down how each team has fared to expectations. Werner notes that Illinois’ improved team talent has yet to translate to better on-field success, and that that falls on coaching, while Shaw opines the weird spot that Michigan is in with a clearly improved product, yet not full satisfaction with Jim Harbaugh and the team's 4-1 record. The go back and forth, looking at each team's offenses so far, what the primary struggles have been and the key playmakers who might be in or out of the game. They also break down defenses. Finally, they close with the discussion of what can be gained or lost from Saturday’s game beyond the result for both teams, and how the matchup can set up the rest of the season.

Breaking down the Michigan football team's 10-3 win over No. 14 Iowa, we look at two game balls, four lasting thoughts from the game and answer seven user questions from listeners.

Both of our game balls went to the defense, as we handed them out to two disruptive pass-rushers who had maybe the best games of their careers. We also acknowledge runners-up on the defensive line, the secondary, and linebacking corps.

Our lasting takes included two thoughts on Michigan's stellar defense and two on the Wolverines' offense. We note at how the process of week-to-week improvement and development are working on Michigan's defense, and how the opposite seems to be true for its offense. We also discuss the Wolverines' lack of offensive identity, and what could have been a breakthrough game for Michigan's defense.

Finally, we answer questions tackling the Wolverines' quarterback situation, why the offense seems a more horizontal than expected, offensive coordinator Josh Gattis' tenure in Ann Arbor so far, fans' aspirations to move on quickly from quarterbacks and what Michigan can do to show progress against Illinois.

In this episode, Lorenz and Shaw use their weekly over-under segments to preview the Michigan football team's matchup against No. 14 Iowa and offer their final prediction for the game.

First, they look at how well Michigan might be able to pass on the Hawkeyes mostly inexperienced pass defense, and why that might be the key to breaking a statistically elite overall defense that Iowa brings. After that, they dissect what can be read about Michigan's run game woes, Iowa's run defense and how the Wolverines are splitting their carries. We also take a peek at Michigan's offensive line, Nick Eubanks and what kind of game plan Michigan might utilize.

Then, we break down how Michigan's defense stacks up against the Hawkeyes. We break down Nate Stanley and Iowa's new-look passing attack, the Hawkeyes' experienced running backs committee, and what strengths and weaknesses Iowa has along the offensive line. We break down some of Michigan's emerging players on defense, who will be tested more than in previous seasons and how disruptive the Wolverines can be.

We close with our final assessment of the matchup and prediction for Saturday's game.

This podcast, a special crossover episode between The Wolverine247 Podcast and Hawkeye Insider’s Swarmcast, featured a discussion between Michigan beat writer Zach Shaw and Iowa beat writer David Eickholt about both teams. First, both discuss the teams’ respective starts to the season. Eickholt looks at Iowa and how much can be taken away from blowout wins, while Shaw digs into why the Wolverines have struggled to click right away. Then, the two look at how each offense has settled in with new faces and schemes. Eickholt looks into the Hawkeyes’ stronger-than-expected defensive front, and why there might be some struggles in the secondary. They also look at key players that could step up and other strengths and weaknesses.

Both writers close by discussing what each team can do to win or lose Saturday's game, offering insight into what they think will happen in the matchup.

In a rapid-reaction episode, we break down Michigan's dominant, 52-0 win over Rutgers. Sticking with our typical 2-4-7 format to postgame podcasts, we give out two game balls, offer four lasting takeaways and field seven questions from listeners.

In our game balls, we give one to a member on each side of the ball, noting two successful starters who played arguably the best games of their careers Saturday.

In takeaways, we break down a mantra the team is relying on after last week's loss, debate how opponents-neutral Michigan's success was, look at talented, ascending players on Michigan's defense, how the Wolverines' offense seemed to fit Shea Patterson better and more on the significance of the game.

Listener questions sparked discussions on the run game, Josh Gattis coaching from the sideline, pick plays, Patterson's health, Artur Sitkowski's recruitment, struggles in the trenches and Cameron McGrone's solid game at linebacker.

In this episode, we continue to discuss the news and notes of the week while previewing Michigan's matchup against Rutgers.

First, we break down the premise that Michigan is playing itself following its shell-shocking loss at Wisconsin last week, and how critical of a bounce-back week it is for the Wolverines. We discuss what sort of things Michigan can show to indicate that it is continuing to take steps forward both internally and externally, and what that looks like on offense, defense and special teams.

We also break down the hurdles Michigan must climb to return to form — schematically and emotionally — and why the next three weeks could end up defining the Wolverines' season.

Finally, we close with our over-under game on offense and defense, looking at how Michigan's offense might approach this game philosophically, why the Wolverines' defense should have a chance to settle in and sort out their personnel against Rutgers and our final predictions for the matchup.

Bucking our traditional postgame format a bit, we devote the entire podcast to tackling some of the key questions that stemmed from the Michigan football team's loss at Wisconsin. Among the questions included:

-Where does the Wolverines' 35-14 loss rank among Jim Harbaugh's 15 losses as Michigan's coach?

-Where do the 2019 Wolverines compare to Jim Harbaugh's other teams at Michigan?

-What is holding Michigan's new offense back the most, and what do we make of Josh Gattis' impact so far?

-How can the Wolverines' offense improve?

-What should the Wolverines do with their quarterback situation?

-Why does Michigan's defense struggle in big games, and what went wrong on that side of the ball Saturday?

-Why did the Wolverines use a 3-3-5 Saturday, and how ominous is it?

-How might a sluggish, down season impact 2020 and 2021 recruiting?

-What is a realistic expectation for the Wolverines' final nine regular-season games this year?

After a bye week, we preview the No. 11 Michigan football team's matchup with No. 13 Wisconsin, looking at the key storylines and angles, as well as making predictions for the game.

First, we open with a look into the constant do-or-die rhetoric that surrounds all of Michigan's big games. We note why the Wolverines are an easy target for national pundits and why this game is actually a big matchup without the world necessarily being at stake.

Then, we dive into some of the things we're watching in the contest. We look at how Michigan's defense matches up against Wisconsin, particularly against the Badgers' offensive line and All-American Jonathan Taylor. We also try to dissect Wisconsin's exceptional start on offense, and what it means for Saturday's matchup. Then, we look at what Michigan's offense can do to get going against the Badgers.

Then, we close with our weekly over-under game and our predictions for the matchup, including our first dame result disagreement of the season.

In this episode, we recap the Michigan football team's narrow 24-21, double-overtime victory over Army, handing out two game balls, opining on four lasting takeaways and answering seven questions about the Wolverines.In our game balls, two underclassmen, one on each side of the ball, stood out the most to us to earn recognitions. Listen for more, but both have been highly competitive at positions seen as weaknesses entering the season.In our takeaways, we break down some of our thoughts two days after the game, looking at the test Michigan's defense passed, some of the more concerning components of the Wolverines' offense, what the next two weeks entail for Michigan's coaching staff and what kind of opponent Army is.Finally, we answer questions about the team, addressing Shea Patterson, Josh Uche, Michigan's running backs situation, the play-calling of Josh Gattis, the Wolverines' kicking rotation, short-yardage rushing and defensive line depth.