There’s a top 25 matchup in the first weekend of Big Ten football as the No. 18 Michigan Wolverines travel to take on the No. 21 Minnesota Gophers for the oldest trophy in college football history, The Little Brown Jug. The game is Saturday at 7:44 EST on ABC.
This is the 97th meeting between the two schools with the Jug on the line. Michigan ahead 75-25-3. This year marks the first time in school history that the Wolverines will play only conference opponents. Michigan returns nine starters, four on offense and five on defense.
Wolverine head coach Jim Harbaugh is in his 5th year at Michigan. He holds a 47-18 record.
Minnesota is the first of four ranked schools that Michigan will face this year. (No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 7 Penn State, and No. 2 Ohio State) Michigan returns one quarterback with game experience. Shea Patterson graduated, and Dylan McCaffery transferred this year.
Junior Joe Milton is expected to make his first career start. Milton has only attempted 11 passes for his career, completing six for 117 yards and a touchdown. He’s also rushed for two touchdowns.
The Wolverines top returning receiver is Ronnie Bell. Nico Collins opted out, Tarik Black transferred, and Donovan Peoples-Jones is in the NFL on the Cleveland Browns. Bell had 48 receptions for 758 yards and a score.
Michigan returns a handful of running backs as Zach Charbonnet, Hassan Haskins, Chris Evans, and Christian Turner all vie for carries. Charbonnet and Haskins were the leading rushers for the team last year. Charbonnet (149 attempts for 739 yards and 11 touchdowns) and Haskins (121 attempts for 637 yards and four scores) look to improve.
Michigan’s defense has been its strong point for the past few years. They look to continue that trend this year while Milton gets used to controlling the offense. The Wolverines ranked among the top 25 nationally in eight categories, most notably total defense (11th) and pass defense (10th). Only five offenses passed the 300-yard mark against Michigan last season. Aidan Hutchinson, Carlo Kemp, Kwity Payne, Cam McGrone, and Brad Hawkins all return as starters.
Michigan 2020 Schedule
Date Opponent Time TV
10/24 — at Minnesota 6:30 CST ABC
10/31 — Michigan State Noon CST FOX
11/7 — at Indiana TBA TBA
11/14 — Wisconsin TBA TBA
11/21 — at Rutgers TBA TBA
11/28 — Penn State TBA TBA
12/5 — Maryland TBA TBA
12/12 — at Ohio State TBA TBA
12/19 — Big Ten Championship
