If my memory serves me, they started playing on grass last season. It is a beautiful field, and is kept under tarp when it rains (obviously not during games). It will be nuts. And it should be rainy. It is awful right now, and all I hear is how it is raining back home (in Chicagoland), and we always get their weather a few days later. If it is rainy, I like our scrapy guys. We do not turn the ball over very often.
I do like Edwards, he had been somewhat overhyped, but has really come into his own lately. Avant on the other hand does not scare me one bit. State's db's are all fast, speedy, quick guys. Only Smith, our strong safety, can really make a hard hit on someone. When we played Minnesota, their strong, tall recievers just out jumped, and our muscled us. That is why they almost came back. We did hold Barber and Abdul-Khaliq to not a great deal of yards.
Our best players are our D-line and linebackers (although there has been linebacking injuries). I think Perry will have a little bit better day than Barber (who is a tough back). Obviously Navarre won't run around as much as Abdul-Khaliq, so he will get more than 14 touches. Russell of Iowa did pretty well against us, over 120 yards, but he didn't get anything going until the game was 14-0 State.
It will come down to Michigan's offense against State's defense. I think the main questions are; can Navarre come to play and can State's defense hold tough.
Smoker is well known, but wait till you see the direct snap to Agim Shabaj. He torched Iowa and Indiana on it, and I haven't seen it since. It is a special play.