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Mitten Masterkey

Mitten Masterkey: Week 13

There are only two Saturday games in the Mitten at the FBS level, with both MSU and Michigan hitting the road, before a key MAC showdown on Tuesday night.

Andrew Graham

— 4 min read
Mitten Masterkey: Week 13
(Courtesy of Western Michigan Athletics)

Welcome to the penultimate week of the regular season. 

With two games left for Michigan and Michigan State and one each for Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan, a fair bit is still in play. Michigan can make the CFP (albeit as a longshot at large) and the Broncos and Chippewas can both make the MAC title game. 

The Chippewas are off this weekend and close the season against Toledo next Saturday, but before we get to Nov. 29, there are three games with MSU and Michigan playing this weekend and WMU traveling to face EMU on Tuesday in the regular season finale for both squads.  

Mitten Football will be at…

Home, on Saturday at least. Or perhaps doing some recruiting coverage from a state high school football semifinal on Saturday. With MSU and Michigan out of state, expect some different coverage on Saturday and, of course, Mitten Football will be at Rynearson Stadium on Tuesday.

The schedule and TV assignments

We have #MACtion, so games are not all Saturday. And, technically, the #MACtion games are part of the following week. But they’ll be counted here, because it’s how the schedule shakes out.

Games are Saturday unless otherwise noted.

3:30 — Michigan State at Iowa, FS1/FOX streaming
4:00 — Michigan at Maryland, BTN/FOX streaming
7:30 (Tuesday) — Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan, ESPN2/ESPN streaming

And for the uninitiated, this master schedule absolutely rocks (just be aware times are central).

Pregame, halftime reading from Mitten Football and others

Picks and preview

Read the full picks and previews here, but an abridged version without scores:

  • Iowa over Michigan State
  • Michigan over Maryland
  • Western Michigan over Eastern Michigan

A freshman to watch: Andrew Marsh, Michigan WR

He’s not likely to go back-to-back setting program freshman receiving records, but it’s clear that Marsh is the best pass catching weapon for the Wolverines. And fresh off 12 catches for 189 yards against Northwestern, the true freshman from Katy, Texas, will likely need to play a big role for Michigan again this weekend. 

With Michigan’s running back room banged up, Marsh will surely have chances to soak up some targets and perhaps make amends for his fumble on an end around/reverse last week with a few more carries. The coaching staff got creative with his usage last week, hitting him on a wheel route after he motioned into the backfield in a shotgun look. He’s been Michigan’s best pass catcher, and the Wolverines needs him this Saturday.

A unit to watch: Michigan’s running back room

Justice Haynes is already out this weekend and Jordan Marshall’s status is far from certain. If Marshall can’t play, look to Bryson Kuzdzal and Jasper Parker to shoulder the main burden for Michigan in the backfield. A heavier dose of Underwood carries could be on the table, too. But without Haynes and Marshall, Michigan will be without the bulk of its rushing production. Haynes and Marshall have combined for 1728 of Michigan’s 2230 rushing yards and 20 of the 28 rushing scores. 

Kuzdzal finished out the game against Northwestern and the former walk-on from Grand Rapids has looked capable along with Parker, a true freshman. The two have played in limited action throughout the season, mostly in mop-up duty. But if Marshall can’t play, one of Kuzdzal or Parker, or even someone out of the blue, could be in line for a heavy workload at tailback against the Terrapins. 

A fun prediction: Broc Lowry sets the modern record for WMU QB single-season rushing TDs

With 12 scores on the ground, QB Broc Lowry has tied the modern mark for Western Michigan rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season. He needs one more to set the all-time mark, which dates back to the early 1970s. (It’s possible a WMU quarterback had more in a season prior to the 1970s, but the historical box scores and records aren’t definitive, for what it’s worth.) And there’s little reason to think Lowry can’t get into the end zone against the Eagles. 

In his nine starts this season, dating all the way back to the Toledo game, he’s had just one game without a rushing touchdown. That happened to also be WMU’s lone loss with Lowry starting, coming against Miami (OH). He’s found the end zone every other week he’s started, and scored a career-high three TDs at NIU on Tuesday. Lowry’s rushing upside transformed the Western Michigan offense and helped fuel a run to lead the MAC, and he’s likely to enter the WMU record books against the Eagles. 

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