Previewing Michigan-Illinois with Illini Inquirer

After receiving strong reviews from last week’s joint podcast, we once again invite an opposing beat writer to join us, as Michigan beat writer Zach Shaw and Illinois beat writer Jeremy Werner discuss the key storylines for both teams heading into this week’s game.Acknowledging that the game itself is rather predictable and that neither team is using the game as a measuring stick, they instead begin by breaking down how each team has fared to expectations. Werner notes that Illinois’ improved team talent has yet to translate to better on-field success, and that that falls on coaching, while Shaw opines the weird spot that Michigan is in with a clearly improved product, yet not full satisfaction with Jim Harbaugh and the team's 4-1 record. The go back and forth, looking at each team's offenses so far, what the primary struggles have been and the key playmakers who might be in or out of the game. They also break down defenses. Finally, they close with the discussion of what can be gained or lost from Saturday’s game beyond the result for both teams, and how the matchup can set up the rest of the season.