The stage is about, with Michigan soccer set to play within the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl towards TCU because the School Soccer Playoff semifinal.
Whereas some Wolverines had paid consideration to the Horned Frogs just lately, the identical can’t fairly be mentioned for TCU head coach Sonny Dykes, who noticed a bit of the Huge Ten Championship, however hasn’t actually seen a lot out of the maize and blue total this yr.
Dykes met with the media through Zoom on Sunday afternoon, and whereas he tried to get a peek on the Wolverines, he was solely in a position to come away with a handful of takeaways.
“You realize, actually, I haven’t had an opportunity to take a look at a lot of Michigan thus far,” Dykes mentioned. “Watched them a bit bit final night time. I used to be on child responsibility, fairly frankly, caring for a few of my children and my daughters and my 6-year-old son and making an attempt to assist my spouse, Kate, get them to mattress and issues final night time. So I didn’t get an opportunity to see a number of them.
“The little bit I noticed, regarded like a really bodily soccer crew. I believe that actually on the finish of the sport, they had been very bodily imposing final night time towards Purdue. Noticed the quarterback (J.J. McCarthy) make a ton of performs, improvised outdoors the pocket. Was actually impressed with the issues that he can do, what sort of athlete he was, how correct he was transferring outdoors of the pocket. And so they simply regarded like a really, superb soccer crew.
“Defensively, they had been what you’d count on. Huge up entrance, bodily. Noticed the nook, No. 2 (Will Johnson), had a few interceptions. Actually regarded like he was a really productive participant final night time. So it was an enormous win for Michigan final night time towards a superb Purdue crew.
“They appear like a really proficient soccer crew. As I mentioned, we haven’t had an opportunity to dive in deep but and take a look at them. However simply on the skin trying in, it regarded like a heck of a crew.”
See the 2022 Huge Ten Championship sport program right here
Dykes did have a bit in-conference overlap with Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh some years again, as Harbaugh was at Stanford on the identical time that Dykes was the offensive coordinator at Pac-12 Convention foe Arizona.
From what he can inform now, Harbaugh’s Michigan is sort of much like what he had on the Cardinal.
“I keep in mind they had been actually good. That they had some actually good gamers, Andrew Luck and a few guys that had been actually, actually good soccer gamers,” Dykes mentioned. “That they had a very bodily soccer crew. I believe that’s the one trademark of Jim Harbaugh groups. Definitely Stanford, and I might assume Michigan as nicely, they will be powerful, bodily, hard-nosed soccer groups. I believe that’s Jim’s mentality. And I believe that’s why he’s been so profitable.
“His groups at all times play laborious. They’re going to be well-coached, they’re going to be bodily, and they will be aggressive and play powerful. And people are all key substances to having a superb soccer crew.
“I don’t know Jim that nicely. I’ve been round him numerous events, however look ahead to attending to know him higher by way of the method and have a number of respect for him as a coach and what he’s accomplished at Michigan.”
Michigan soccer and TCU will kick off on Dec. 31 at 4 p.m. EST within the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. It is going to be the first-ever assembly between the Wolverines and Horned Frogs.