The No. 15 Michigan football team is traveling to Norman this week for a highly-anticipated game against No. 18 Oklahoma. After the Wolverines prevailed over New Mexico in the season opener, this road game will be an early test for Michigan against a dynamic Sooners squad.
To preview the matchup, The Michigan Daily spoke with Josh McDaniel, the sports editor for the OU Daily, Oklahoma’s student news organization.
The conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
Earlier this week, Michigan coach Sherrone Moore described John Mateer as an “elite quarterback.” What did Mateer show in Week 1, and what should be expected from him against Michigan?
Yeah, he called him a gunslinger, electric. And that’s about what John showed this past Saturday. I mean, it was Illinois State, but still, he broke a record for passing yards in an OU quarterback debut. And that’s beating Baker Mayfield, who, of course, later won the Heisman and whatnot. So he can definitely, he can throw it. He can throw it for sure, deep, short, and then he’s quick on his feet too. He can run. He’s got speed, agility, as well as being able to throw it well. We’ll see what it looks like against Michigan. I know he had some good performances at Washington State last year too, but Michigan’s a whole ‘nother level. But John’s been talking about how he treats every game, same process and same confidence. So we’ll see.
Oklahoma held Illinois State to three points in Week 1. Give me some standout players on the Sooners’ defense who can cause Michigan problems.
Yeah, the defense is solid, for sure. Because the offense was lacking so much last year, the defense actually did solid. They got some of those guys back, some newcomers too. Specifically, some of the important guys coming back, (redshirt junior) linebacker Kip Lewis, experienced guy. He had, I believe, 63 tackles last year. He’s a real, real force on the defensive side, and an experienced guy too. He comes with the heat, for sure. They also have R Mason Thomas, defensive lineman, once again, experienced. He’s a senior. He’s been in the SEC, he had nine sacks last year. So he’s a real force as well.
And then also they got some newcomers, one being Courtland Guillory. He’s a freshman cornerback. A lot of fall camp, summer, spring, they were raving about how he just has a competitive maturity, even for a young guy. He has a real toughness to him, a real perseverance. He just, it just keeps going. He played solid against Illinois State. Once again, he’s a freshman, so we’ll see how he does against a team like Michigan. That’s a whole ‘nother ball game, especially for a guy that young. So maybe he’ll shine, as the coaches and teammates have built him up, or maybe he’ll fall a bit, since it’s such a big matchup. We’ll see, but he’s definitely been a guy that’s been, according to the coaches, showing a lot of maturity and toughness for a young guy.
What was Jaydn Ott’s role in Week 1 and what’s the status of the running back room right now?
He didn’t get a play at running back until, I think, it was the fourth quarter in this last game. He received a kickoff several times, but he didn’t really get much run at running there, and so he wasn’t used in many plays. I’m not sure whether he’s 100% for this coming game. I know he was working through some injuries over fall camp. So as far as going into next game, we’ll see. Not to disrespect Illinois State, but I’m sure they wanted to be a bit cautious with a big matchup like Michigan coming up.
They also had Tory Blaylock in the last game, who’s a freshman running back. He led the team in rushing yards in this past game. He was showing real promise, unfortunately for the Sooners he went down with an injury in a later quarter, and so he was sidelined as well, and so he showed promise and was injured.
So now you got two running backs that, I mean, Jaydn Ott brings a lot of excitement, a lot of promise, but it’s like, how healthy is he? And then you got a freshman running back Tory Blaylock, and he’s looking solid, that’s respectable, but then he goes down with an injury. So it’s like, how is it really looking at running back?
What can Michigan expect going into Norman, what’s the stadium environment like?
The environment is significant. I mean, looking right at the Illinois State game, I was impressed by how many people were there. With all due respect, not an opponent of great quality. And, of course, Labor Day weekend. There are several excuses you can bring up, but I was impressed by all who were there.
Honestly, there were some moments last year where Oklahoma was struggling, and you started looking around, and it’s like people are leaving a bit and whatnot, and they’re hitting the exits. Against a team like Michigan, in an environment that is College GameDay, people will be there, for sure, and people will be there in huge numbers, for sure, and people will be there with huge excitement, for sure.
When College Game Day came last year for Tennessee, even in the midst of the rough season, people were camping out the night before. They were there all night, just excited for College Game Day. No matter the opponent, if College GameDay is in Norman, fans are going to be uber-excited.
Finish the sentence: If Michigan beats Oklahoma, it’s because…
If Michigan beats Oklahoma, may it be in a small margin or a big margin, it’s because the Sooners’ offense doesn’t translate to an opponent like Michigan. It’s a statement for this game — and maybe it’s a statement for the season — but it’s at least a statement for the game if they lose to Michigan, especially in a big way, that the offense doesn’t translate. With the defensive mind that (Oklahoma coach Brent) Venables is, and the players he’s brought back, the defense for the season has very, very, very much of a high likelihood to be solid. But the offense, as much as John Mateer just had a great game and the excitement he brings, it’s still in question whether it will translate against a team like Michigan.
Score prediction for Saturday?
I’ll say Michigan 24, OU 21.
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