Colorado State coach Jay Norvell on Michigan: ’Easy to see why they’re a top-10 team’

While Michigan Wolverines football is watching film of Nevada‘s offense and Montana State’s defense — considering Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell came from the former and Rams defensive coordinator Freddie Banks is an addition from the latter — CSU is preparing for Saturday’s game by viewing tape from U-M’s 2021 season. The Maize and Blue won the Big Ten and advanced to the College Football Playoff, and they return many of their pieces from that squad, especially on offense.

Norvell is impressed when he flicks on the tape and realizes what a big challenge his team is set to face.

“Watching film of them, it’s easy to see why they’re a top-10 team,” Norvell said of Michigan at his Monday press conference. “I’ve known [U-M head coach] Jim Harbaugh for a long time, played against him in college [at Iowa] and played with him with the Chicago Bears for a brief stint and then coached with him with the Oakland Raiders.

“I’ve known Jim a long time. This football team is a reflection of what he feels about the game. They’re physical, they’re well-coached and they have very good players.

“Really excited about the opportunity, the challenge to go to Ann Arbor and start our ‘22 season.”

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The Michigan offense features eight returning starters, plus graduate wide receiver Ronnie Bell, who led the team in receiving yards in both 2019 and 2020 but missed all but two quarters of play last season with an ACL injury. Other weapons have stepped up, and the Wolverines added graduate center Olusegun Oluwatimi out of the transfer portal (Virginia).

“Offensively, they’re West Coast style,” Norvell explained. “They averaged 35 points per game [in 2021]. A really strong offensive line — I think that’s the strength of their offense. Really quality running back in [junior] Blake Corum. Solid quarterback play. Quality wide receivers. Really good offensive team.”

The Michigan defense will have a different look to it personnel-wise, but it’s the same system under first-year coordinator Jesse Minter, who took over for Mike Macdonald.

“Defensively, they gave up 17 points a game last year, which was outstanding. 4-2-5 scheme,” Norvell said. “Really strong defensive line, and returning [senior nose tackle] Mazi Smith, 58, is just a tremendous player. Their linebacker, [sophomore] Junior Colson, 25, is excellent as well, and [senior] DJ Turner at corner are some of their outstanding defensive players.”

Michigan’s special teams rated as the most efficient unit in the country in 2021, per Football Outsiders. The Wolverines returned the Lou Groza Award winner (nation’s top placekicker) in graduate Jake Moody and a Ray Guy Punter of the Year award candidate in graduate Brad Robbins, along with a slew of players with kick and punt return experience.

“Special teams, for this football team, I think, is really one of their strongest assets as a team,” Norvell remarked. “They really have one of the finest special teams groups I’ve seen in many years. Excellent punter, fine kicker, really good return men in all three phases. They do an outstanding job of covering kicks and blocking in the return game.”

Colorado State not intimidated by Michigan, The Big House

Colorado State will play in front of 110,000-plus Michigan fans Saturday afternoon, but the Rams insist they won’t back down from the challenge.

“I’ve been telling the guys, yeah, Michigan has earned their respect. They’re Michigan,” fifth-year senior linebacker Dequan Jackson, a team captain, said. “But we’re Colorado State. Focus on us and we execute like we’re supposed to, we’ll be in the game.”

That’s the emphasis, Norvell added. The Rams are concerning themselves more about their own team’s performance than the challenge Michigan poses.

“I just really think it’s about us, to be honest with you,” Norvell said. “I’m really less worried about Michigan than I am just our own football team. And for us, it’s establishing how we like to play. We want to do things that help us win football games and establish those things in this game. We want to play great, physical defense, we want to pressure the quarterback, we want to create turnovers. Offensively, we want to get all of our skill players involved, protect the football and be able to execute and move the football and get into the scoring zone and score points.

“I think it’s more about establishing how we want to play, and less about the magnitude of playing in a great stadium against a top-10 team and all of those things. We want a focused team that goes in and competes hard and makes plays. So that’s where we’ll keep our focus.”

The belief is there for the Rams, who are looking to pull off a massive upset as 30.5-point underdogs according to the Barstool Sportsbook.

“It’s not one of those things where I feel like we’re going in and we just don’t have a shot,” Jackson said. “We’re not looking at it like that. Be prepared, and we’re going to strap up and see what team comes out victorious.
 
“I’ve just been preaching to the young guys, don’t go in there wide-eyed. Go in there focusing on what you need to do — your job — and at the end of the game, I think they’ll feel exactly what I’m talking about. You always have a shot when you go in there and focus on the right things.”

Michigan and Colorado State kick off at noon ET Saturday on ABC.