For those of you who missed Part I of our Q&A series with Ace from The Wolverine Blog, check it out HERE. Our very own contributor Kevin who also doubles as an editor over at Penn State Examiner returns for Part II of our series with his very own questions to Ace.

1. From an outsider point of view it would seem that Michigan is on their way back but there are still some areas that need to develop. In your opinion what is the part of the Michigan team that needs the most improvement in order for the Wolverines to make a legitimate run for a Big Ten title again?

This may sound like a bit of a cop-out, but I think the biggest obstacles that stand between Michigan and a Big Ten title are depth and experience. Michigan will lose only six total starters after this season, and the team has an insane amount of underclassmen (something like 80 of the 105 players have freshman or sophomore eligibility). Obviously, Forcier is still a true freshman, and should be much-improved with a year of Rodriguez’s system under his belt. Add in the fact that this is only the team’s second year under Rodriguez, and their first with Greg Robinson as a defensive coordinator, and it’s hard not to see this team being better next season.

The tougher issue to overcome will be the lack of depth across the board. The secondary and defensive line have both been exposed this year as having little to no depth (we’re starting a walk-on at strong safety, and another walk-on who weighs no more than 240 pounds sees action at defensive end). Michigan will likely lose the lynchpins of both units after this year, with Brandon Graham graduating and Donovan Warren a likely candidate to leave for the NFL early. The linebackers are dangerously thin as well – Michigan lost a couple guys in the 2008 recruiting class to eligibility/transfers, and the production from the other underclassmen has been disappointing. This defense will probably need a couple years to catch up with the offense development-wise, and could be what holds the team back from competing for a conference title next year.

2.  Tate Forcier is just a freshman but he has seemingly been a spark in the offense.

It’s tough to overstate just how much of a difference Forcier has made to this team – Rodriguez’s offense is built upon the basis that the quarterback is a threat to run on any play, and we all saw just how disastrous his offense can be when that threat isn’t there. He’s still young, and has made some freshman mistakes (especially in the Iowa game, the first truly poor performance he’s had all year), but he has been the one player you can point to and say, ‘That’s the reason we’re better than we were last year.’

3.  Tell Penn State fans about a player that may be flying under the radar for fans outside of the Michigan fan base. How can he be a factor in this weekend’s game?

Every time someone asks for an under-the-radar player for Michigan, the answer is tight end Kevin Koger, so I think he’s been mentioned enough times that he may finally be on the radar for opposing teams. I’ll go to the other side of the ball, and say sophomore defensive tackle Mike Martin. He’s not a particularly big DT, but he’s very quick and was a state wrestling and powerlifting champion in high school – he’s the type of DT that can live in the opposing backfield if he doesn’t get enough attention from the interior line. If Michigan hopes to stop Royster from having a big day on the ground, Martin is going to have to hold the point of attack and get some penetration into the backfield, and I think he has a chance of doing just that against Penn State’s line.

4.  If you had to assess a grade to Michigan’s first half of the season, what would it be?

I’ll go with a B+. If you had told me before the opener that we’d be 4-2 at this point with a victory over Notre Dame, I’d have taken it in a heartbeat. The offense is much better than what most expected going in to this year, and has really carried this team. However, the defense is still a weak point, and the secondary has teetered between quite vulnerable and unmitigated disaster all year. Also, despite trying to keep expectations low after last year, these last two losses really hurt, especially laying an egg against a pretty mediocre (at best) Michigan State squad. However, Michigan fans will take pretty much anything after 2008, and the development of this team has been extremely encouraging.

5.  Michigan is allowing 20.7 points per game against them this season (23.2 if you throw out the Delaware State game). Penn state is averaging 29.6 points per game on offense (to be fair, just 25.8 when you toss aside the Eastern Illinois game) and has outscored their opponents 207-61. How will Michigan approach defending this Penn State offense?

Hang on for dear life? Honestly, I think if Michigan wins this game, it’s going to be because the offense broke through while the D managed to come up with one or two key stops and playing bend-but-don’t-break defense for the rest of the game. I expect Greg Robinson to throw a lot of blitz looks out there to test the PSU line and Darryl Clark’s ability to throw under pressure, but Michigan has had a tough time getting to the quarterback this year, with the notable exception of Brandon Graham. Penn State is going to get some points – I’d be pretty shocked if Michigan held them below 24 unless we play in a monsoon – so the key is going to be holding Penn State to field goals in the red zone and avoiding the back-breaking big play.

6.  Looking forward, what is your confidence level in Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez? Will the Wolverines ultimately be a success under him?

I loved the Rodriguez hire when it happened, and I think his track record speaks for itself when it comes to turning around programs. His offense has evolved so much this season – it’s really incredible to watch him counter everything the defense does to stop each variation on the zone read. If he can step up the recruiting effort – and I think he will – I fully expect Michigan to be back competing for the Big Ten in the next year or two and in the national championship picture soon thereafter. I know that sounds like a total homer prediction, but it’s hard to express how good he is as a coach until you watch the adjustments he makes week in and week out to keep his offense running. Combine that kind of in-game coaching with a program as prestigious as Michigan, and I have a hard time seeing the Rodriguez era being anything but a success.

7.  Michigan has dominated Penn State in the series. Starting in 1993 Michigan has built a 10-4 record in the series. It as taken a small dose of luck in a couple of the games but for the most part Michigan has been the better team. Penn State finally broke the losing streak last year, but they still have to break a losing streak at Michigan Stadium. So, who wins on Saturday?

I love this Michigan team, and they really have taken enormous strides from last year, but they’re not quite at the level they need to be at on the defensive side of the ball for me to expect a victory this weekend. Penn State has the skill guys to score points on offense, and that defense is truly frightening. I actually see this being relatively high-scoring, but ultimately Michigan will blink first and Penn State will take advantage. If I had to throw a score out there, I’d say 31-24 Penn State.

Thanks again to Ace of The Wolverine Blog and Kevin (@krmcguire) for their insights this week.

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