Good Athletic Article ($) Previewing Fiesta

Submitted by smotheringD on December 27th, 2022 at 10:48 AM

A snippet:

If there’s a quarterback playing high-level college football who does remind me of Harbaugh from back in the day, it’s TCU’s Max Duggan.

Harbaugh was probably a more consistent passer, in terms of accuracy and total arm talent. But the ability to make off-schedule plays from inside or outside the pocket, the processing of a complicated offense at a young age, the mental courage to stand in and do what it takes to make that offense work — Duggan’s off the charts in all these areas, which were calling cards of a young Harbaugh.

You’re going to have to take the breath from Duggan’s body to get him to tap out. It’s not happening. The body-on-the-line scrambles people saw on third down and in critical spots during his Big 12 title game performance weren’t just a one-time thing. They’re not a one-year thing, either. Duggan has been playing football like this for TCU since Gary Patterson started him as a true freshman in 2019.

If TCU somehow turns this into a high-scoring affair, Michigan can play that way. But Michigan can win ugly, too. The Wolverines are more ready for this moment than they were a season ago. The only thing standing between them and another shot at Georgia (or a rematch with Ohio State) is the scrappiest club in America, led by a modern-day Jim Harbaugh clone.

https://theathletic.com/4025156/2022/12/27/michigan-tcu-playoff-preview-film/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983

smotheringD

December 27th, 2022 at 11:19 AM ^

A little more info on the article: it's a Nick Baumgardner piece and it's a light treatment of TCU's O and D schemes and personnel and how they match up with UM.

I liked it because TCU sounds like a very good team, as you would expect from the #4 ranked team.  But then you consider who they're playing, the #2 team in the country, the mighty Michigan Wolverines.  And then you start thinking about how the game might be close in the first half and what adjustments we'll make at half time before we come out and crush them.

I'm so psyched for this game.