Sponsor Note. Well, here's a guy you may know.

Download the Autograph app, use the code "mgoblog", and you'll get all your Michigan content in one place, plus get rewarded for doing the things you're already doing. The more points you get, the more exclusive merch (like a signed Roman Wilson shirt), apparel (a custom shirt launching next week), and experiences (FAM tailgate tickets).

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Don't you judge me. Hey, folks: some of this is pretty old. Non-Signgate roundup stuff got put on the back burner for obvious reasons. Do not yell at me for posting old stuff. It is rude.

Consistent but not explosive. This is from before the Purdue game, but I don't think the numbers from that game are going to change the bottom line here (click for big):

You've got Michigan with one of the best adjusted line yards in the country and a barely above average rate of highlight yards.

Better than "neither," though. I continue to wonder how PSU is going to move the ball on Michigan's defense:

Penn St has played Illinois, NW, and IU. The 3 worst defenses in yards per rush against in the B1G. 75th, 88th, 95th nationally. Here's how PSU did against them:

Illinois
Season: 4.2
Penn St: 4.1

Northwestern
Season: 4.35
Penn St: 3.4

Indiana
Season: 4.44
Penn St: 3.1

— jamie mac (@justcoverblog) October 30, 2023

51 points against Maryland is something to perk your ears up about but they only managed barely over 400 yards of offense against November Maryland and got a lot of scoring opportunities from turnovers; I'm expecting PSU to look about the same as they did against OSU. 

[After THE JUMP: draft prospects, crootin']

Not just draftable, possibly highly draftable. Dane Brugler has look at some of the upcoming NFL draft's most unusual prospects and includes one Mike Sainristil because he's a verified 5'9", 182. Just two of the 36s CBs drafted last year were under 5'10". But:

Sainristil is also easy to spot because of how fast and aggressive he plays. Aside from his athletic traits (he should test well, including a 40-yard dash in the mid-4.4-second range), Sainristil is basically a player-coach for the Michigan defense. His competitive intangibles and ability to raise the level of his teammates will make him a coaches’ favorite throughout the draft process. …

Most will look at Sainristil’s size and expect him to be a Day 3 pick, and he’ll likely even be off some boards because of his size. But I’ll bet his athletic traits and competitive profile get him into the top 100 picks in April.

Also in this vein is a Baumgardner breakdown of JJ McCarthy:

A two-year starter, McCarthy has grown from an antsy freshman who relied too much on arm talent to a confident, pocket-passing junior who now rates No. 1 nationally in third-and-long (seven yards or more) conversion rate at a whopping 68.2 percent.

It took McCarthy a full year to grasp everything Michigan does offensively — which, from a run-game standpoint, is essentially an NFL operation. The pass offense is less complex, though Michigan has definitely added more wrinkles (and been open to taking more chances) with McCarthy in charge of the offense. …

He always could get it done with his arm or his legs, but now he’s also able to do it with his head. McCarthy has done a terrific job this season of taking easy yards with his feet when Michigan gets man coverage on third down. The Wolverines have never been afraid to zone- or duo-read with McCarthy and, of course, he now has the ability to just stand in a pocket and confidently make throws.

There are still ball-placement issues to iron out. Too many times this season, McCarthy has completed over routes to a receiver who had to slow down to catch a ball behind him. … And while all these guys have helped McCarthy on the odd late throw, they’ve also benefitted from dimes like this one. Arm talent — including the ability to keep velocity at any angle — is the chief reason why many view McCarthy as a potential first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft class. He drives the ball into tight spaces as well as anyone in the country and shows no fear doing it.

I have not really noticed the ding Baumgardner mentions about slowing down his receivers to catch a ball behind him... at least not until this week, and Baumgardner's article was published before the Purdue game. 

A ding. Michigan's been very fortunate to be so healthy this year but there's been a weird spate of hand injuries. Add Junior Colson to the list:

Junior Colson has a club now apparently pic.twitter.com/w1s7gLkMg7

— Patrick Barron (@BlueBarronPhoto) November 5, 2023

This is a bigger deal for a linebacker than pretty much anyone else on defense, especially one like Colson who is Michigan's tackle-in-space specialist. Unlikely it's coming off before this weekend.

Naurato can recruit. Michigan's lined up a 2007 birth year class that's nuts and just picked up a 2006 who may sneak into the end of the first round this year; he also flipped an NTDP center and projected first-rounder from MSU recently. This excerpt from an Elite Prospects article offers some insight into why:

ATTN: #FutureBlue gold just dropped! 〽️

If you’re curious how Nar & co. are doing on the recruiting trail… it’s safe to say that things are going well. Development is the name of the game; expect U-M to continue leveraging these tools. ️#GoBlue #CollegeHockey #NHLFactory https://t.co/GGqOR0Wzvi pic.twitter.com/13KFhNSmdA

— Michigan Hockey's Future 〽️ (@FutureBlueIce) November 3, 2023

I'm surprised anyone has something the NTDP doesn't. Michigan appears to be on the cutting edge of the analytics curve. Now just play the last five minutes of the third period and we're cooking. 

Good recruiting appears to be a college-hockey-wide phenomenon. As Brad Schlossman details in the Grand Forks Herald, 34 of the last 36 American first-rounders played college hockey and the number of Americans in the CHL is at a 20-year low.  

Etc.: The Matt Rhules: a guide to life. The CW brings the promo heat. NIL scare stuff in the NYT. Weird stuff going down at MSU.