We may be all about Ohio State all the time, but since the Buckeyes’ main rival is Michigan, we keep one eye towards Ann Arbor almost all year long. In fact, you could say just like Ryan Day and the OSU football team, we work on the Wolverines 365 days a year.
On that note, there are some things about Michigan that we want to bring you up to speed on. Some you likely know, others may be a little deeper than just what you see on the surface. It’s no secret that this season has anything but spectacular for our neighbors to the north, but if the game does indeed happen, you can bet the maize and blue will bring all they can to ruin the season of Ohio State.
Of course, that’s been the plan every year over the last eight too, and the result has continued to be a bum burning at the hands of the Buckeyes. Still, there are some things to take into account.
Here are five things you should know about Michigan football in 2020.
NEXT … Michigan is in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak
The Game is up in the air
This isn’t likely news to you, but we’ll tell you where things stand. Michigan’s game against Maryland was canceled last Saturday because the Wolverine program is in the midst of trying to curtail a mild COVID-19 outbreak of its own. All football activities were put on pause as the team works through contact tracing and continued testing.
And as of Monday, a report surfaced from ESPN that the Wolverine program has begun limited practice, so things appear to be moving in the right direction. The issue at Michigan appears to be a little worse than what Ohio State was dealing with, but not as bad as say, Minnesota.
Time will tell, and we’ll likely hear if the Wolverines can make the trip to Columbus by Wednesday. Stay tuned. And then stay tuned some more. The situation is tenuous.
NEXT … Defensive Issues
Michigan’s Defensive Woes
For a Michigan team that prides itself on its tough-nosed defense led by Dr. Blitz himself, Dan Brown, this year’s squad has been far from stellar. The Wolverines are currently ranked eleventh in the Big Ten in yards per game given up (434.3), and tied for twelfth in points allowed per game (34.4). Only Minnesota has given up more points per contest.
That could spell doom for the Wolverines because they will be facing the conference’s most dynamic offense by far. Ohio State leads the conference in touchdowns scored despite not playing as many games as other teams. The Buckeyes are scoring 46.6 points per game and gobbling up 532.4 yards per contest.
This is not your strength against strength proposition if we have a game Saturday. On the contrary, it is the strength of Ohio State’s offense against the weakness of the very pliable Michigan defense.
The Quarterback Revolving Door
Michigan has some severe questions at quarterback
The Wolverines are very unsettled at quarterback. After game one, a slew of Michigan media members were already trying to elevate Joe Milton to Heisman contender. That looks foolish now. Milton has been highly inaccurate and inconsistent. So much so that he has been replaced by Cade McNamara because of a spark the sophomore provided in the game against Indiana and a triple-OT win against Rutgers (yes it took that long to beat the Scarlet Knights).
Since taking over, McNamara has played a little better but still isn’t lighting the world on fire. He’s completing 60.6 percent of his passes and has yet to throw an interception. The issue is that he doesn’t add too much to worry about on the ground, and he’s not exactly pushing the ball down the field with a 6.0 yard average per pass completion.
It looks like McNamara will be the guy against Ohio State the way things have progressed, but don’t be surprised if Milton gets in the game if Ohio State starts to be on pace to “hang a hundred on ’em.”
Jim Harbaugh’s future is unknown
Could this be Jim Harbaugh’s last OSU game?
There are some conflicting reports about the status of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. Some rumors speculate that he’s shockingly on the verge of another contract extension, while others point to a departure to the NFL.
It would be hard to fathom “Michigan Men” getting on board with bringing Harbaugh back for another year if his team gets beaten and battered again in Columbus, but funnier things have happened. Remember, we heard rumblings that Michigan was close to giving Harbaugh a lifetime contract just a short year couple of years ago.
My how things change. Or, maybe they haven’t. Who knows anymore.
Michigan treats third down like a charity event on defense
Michigan is last in the Big Ten when it comes to defensive third-down conversions
A lot of the problems on defense for Michigan stem from the defense’s inability to get teams off the field on third downs. Historically, the Wolverine defense has been pretty good in that area, but not in 2020. Michigan is dead last in allowing opponents to convert third downs. Offenses are converting a whopping 46.2 percent of their third downs against the Wolverines.
That’s even worse when you look at the opposition. Michigan State and Rutgers are near the bottom of the league in a lot of offensive stats, including their ability to convert third downs on offense, yet they both made offensive magic against Michigan. The numbers simply don’t lie.
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