Q: Michigan’s defense has been dominant, allowing 10 points or more in just one game so far and holding opponents to a combined 47 points through seven games. Why has the unit been so dominant, and what/who has stepped out on that side of the ball to contribute to that success?

A: “Yeah, that’s a good question," Nasr said. "I think a lot of factors in that, you know, because they’ve always preached this whole like no star defense, that’s what they’ve been kind of saying for a couple of years. The big thing with Michigan is the constant D-line. They’ve graduated a lot of good players in the last couple of years, with Aidan Hutchinson and then with Mazi Smith. So this year, they’ve had a couple of people step up. In the tackle position, Kris Jenkins and Mason Graham have been very very good, and Kenneth Grant and then Jaylen Harrell. So it’s going to seem like I’m listing a bunch of names right, but the big thing about this young defensive line is that they rotate a lot more than the average team. It's very much a depth thing. D-line, they have a ton of depth, and it just goes on from there. Like the secondary, there’s been some holes at times, some plays given up, and also, the pash rush don’t usually get home. Like they haven’t been leading the country in sacks or anything like that, but it’s more of just a swallowing-up D-line, and then it kind of goes from there. Everyone else, kind of just, has a lot of experience, whether it’s even like transfers like Ernest Hausmann at linebacker or more seasoned vets, those positions like run stopping, getting home when they need to. Overall, it's more of just a unit that has depth at every position; that’s where they’ve been successful, but you know, they’ve also given up some big plays. Rutgers, they give up, they have a busted coverage and go down 7-0. So you see these like one-off mistakes, but they just don’t make many of those in general. Drive by drive, they’re playing very well as a unit, so it’s pretty rare that a mistake gets blown out of proportion because there (are) usually a couple of other people right there, too.”

Q: The Wolverines love to pound the rock. Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards are a two-headed monster, it seems, especially as the duo has combined for 13 rushing touchdowns. This has been the game plan for the most part in each of Michigan’s games. Do you expect much of the same this time against MSU?

A: “I would," Nasr said. "It is interesting because, like, this year, they’ve gone away from that more than in previous years. It doesn’t mean that they’re not pounding the rock. But they’re letting JJ (McCarthy) play a little bit more free, throwing a little bit more outside to Roman Wilson. I believe (Blake Corum) still leads the country in touchdowns. He’s definitely top three; I’d have to check. But at the same time, Blake Corum is still the rushing touchdown leader. They give it to him at the goal line a lot. He hasn’t been as efficient or producing as many big plays as last year, but he’s still getting it done. Interestingly enough, Donovan Edwards (has) certainly struggled this year. He’s only averaging 3.3 yards per carry right now. He hadn’t scored his first touchdown of the year until last week in garbage time. At the end of the second quarter come last week against Indiana, he caught the pass on like a flip pass from JJ and was tackled at the one-yard line, and he wanted to stay in and punch it in when Jim Harbaugh was trying to get Blake Corum in. He actually like waved him off, and Michigan called the timeout to get Blake Corum in and let him score, so that was an interesting dynamic. Everyone just charted off post-game and just said yeah, he’s a competito,r and he ended up scoring a touchdown, and everyone was very happy for him. So the running game hasn’t been as pretty as years past, but it’s definitely doing its job. They’ve been using JJ’s legs more, running more options, and that's added an interesting wrinkle to the offense. I think all of those combined and an improved passing game that no one has really seen the past couple of years cut with Blake Corum doing what he needs to do; maybe not as good as last year, yeah, but doing what he needs to do, and JJ kind of making plays happen and have a lot of freedom has been big.”

Q: J.J. McCarthy has a 78.2 completion percentage at the quarterback position, with 1,512 passing yards and 14 touchdown passes. What has made him find his rhythm, and how important is his leadership in contributing to Michigan’s success on the field?

A: “He’s definitely a very powerful presence on the team," Nasr said. "They speak very highly of him as a leader first and foremost. For a football player, it's kind of in the vein of he cares about every single player on the team, a very positive person. He’s known for that. He draws a smile on his hand and all that, and I think that plays into the presence he has on the offense. He’s not like a high-stress, intense or chaotic person. Everyone just kind of rolls with him, and now that he’s playing more confidently, he has more confidence; he’s able to use his raw talent pretty well in the system. Interestingly, he had a very bad game against Bowling Green. He threw a handful of interceptions and made a lot of bad throws. I mean, he talked after that game about how he’s putting too much pressure on himself. So it looks like after that, he’s been better. He’s talked about kind of relieving it and trying to do his best, and his best is pretty good, so I think that is what Michigan is seeing right now. He’s not putting pressure on himself. He’s just trusting himself and his team. The team definitely trusts him a lot, and it’s made them pretty good.” 

Q: Score prediction?

A: “I’ll go 38-10.”