Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Michigan Wolverines season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
– Michigan Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 10-3 overall, 7-1 in Big Ten
Head Coach: Jim Harbaugh, 5th year, 38-14
– CFN Preview 2019: All The Team Previews
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MICHIGAN OFFENSE
– It’s not like the offense was bad. It was second in the Big Ten in scoring – averaging 25 points per game – and it was able to crank up an efficient passing game. And now it’s up to new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis – coming in from the Alabama staff – to take things to another level. It’s not exactly going to be Oklahoma time when it comes to wining the ball around the yard, but the goal is to get more explosive, especially against the better teams. He’s got the pieces to make it happen.
– It starts with the passing game that’s loaded with talent that’s all coming together at the right time. The terrific recruiting classes from a few years ago produced Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones from the pack of wideouts, and now they might just be the best 1-2 receiving punch in the conference. It’s not just these two in a deep corps, and the tight end combination of Nick Eubanks and Sean McKeon will be dangerous, too.
– Shea Patterson is the starting quarterback. Michigan has been in a quixotic search for the right guy ever since Jim Harbaugh took over, but the position never quite seems settled. Dylan McCaffrey is a talent, and Joe Milton is an interesting prospect, but Patterson is coming off a 2,600-yard, 22 touchdown season and should blow up in the tweaked attack.
– There will be a running game, too. The passing attack will be the star, and Karan Higdon is gone, but the Wolverines should be effective on the ground depending on who’s available. Chris Evans would be the leading returning rusher, but he’s suspended from the team as he gets his academic side in order.
Zach Charbonnet is the star recruit out of California with power, size, and wiggle, but he has to earn the gig in fall camp. No matter who’s running the ball, the blocking will be there because …
– The offensive line might be the best in the Big Ten. Jon Runyan is a sure-thing all-star at left tackle, and senior guard Ben Bredeson isn’t that far behind talent-wise. Cesar Ruiz is a veteran center, Michael Onwenu will get all-star honors at right guard, and the right tackle situation has more than enough options to play around with. Throw in the talented freshmen coming in, and it’s a deep and talented group.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MICHIGAN DEFENSE
– The top three and five of the top eight tacklers are done, but the Don Brown defense that finished second in the nation and was a force before the final two games, allowing 103 points against Ohio State and Florida – and 149 in the other 11 games. It’s going to be a wee bit of a work in progress up front, but …
– The D line will be more than fine, but it’s going to take a little bit. Even for Michigan, the loss of Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich hurts. Superstar recruits Chris Hinton and Mazi Smith are going to soon be the dominant forces, and getting Mike Danna from Central Michigan helps the depth, but for now, it’ll be up to sophomore Donovan Jeter on the inside, and junior Kwity Payne and sophomore Aidan Hutchinson on the outside, to rise up and star right away.
– Devin Bush might have been a guided missile of a tackling star, but the linebacking corps is going to be terrific. Senior Khaleke Hudson is coming off a good season on the outside, and senior Josh Uche is one of the teams’ best pass rushers. The inside doesn’t have another Bush, but there’s going to be a nice rotation of prospects around veterans Josh Ross and Devin Gil.
– The pass defense that was second in the nation might not be quite as good, but the secondary will be nasty. Lavert Hill isn’t a big stat guy, but he’s one of the nation’s better corners, and there’s speed and a world of upside among the options for the other side. However, overall the corner situation will be young, at least when it comes to the top talents other than Hill.
Is Daxton Hill ready for primetime right away? The superstar recruit should find a home somewhere at safety next to veteran Josh Metellus. Juniors Brad Hawkins and J’Marick Woods are veterans, but be stunned if Hill isn’t an instant star.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP MICHIGAN PLAYERS
Best Michigan Offensive Player
OT Jon Runyan, Sr.
Yeah, the passing game should take center stage and Shea Patterson should be in for a big year, helped out in a big way by his terrific receivers. But the O line will be the real rock with four all-star talents in the mix around the 6-5, 310-pound Runyan at left tackle. The senior is a good enough athlete to get by, and he’s got the technique and consistency to be an anchor on a line full of anchors.
2. OG Ben Bredeson, Sr.
3. QB Shea Patterson, Sr.
4. WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, Jr.
5. WR Nico Collins, Jr.
Best Michigan Defensive Player
CB Lavert Hill, Sr.
Blow off the stats. The 5-11, 181-pounder only came up with 14 tackles with a pick and five broken up passes, and he only picked off one pass – taking it for a touchdown against Wisconsin. He’s a lock-down defender earning two straight All-Big Ten honors with next-level speed and coverage skills. Quarterbacks go out of their way to avoid him.
2. S Josh Metellus, Sr.
3. LB Josh Ross, Jr.
4. LB Josh Uche, Sr.
5. LB Khaleke Hudson, Sr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Michigan Offense
Don’t throw multiple picks. This matters considering what should be coming with the upgraded passing game.
The defense is usually good enough to clean up messes, but when the passing game throws interceptions so far in the Jim Harbaugh era – it means the O is pressing.
It hasn’t exactly been a conservative passing game style over the last four years, but game management matters. The interception in the loss to start out the season against Notre Dame was a killer, but Shea Patterson and the passing game didn’t give up multiple picks until the final two games against Ohio State and Florida.
Wilton Speight had a pick six issue in the 2017 opener against Florida, but the Wolverines won. In the Harbaugh era – starting with the loss to Utah to open things up in 2015 – Michigan is 1-6 when throwing more than one pick. When the O doesn’t throw an interception? 22-3.
Biggest Key To The Michigan Defense
Don’t let anyone get inside the 20. New year, new defense, new quirky things happen, but for all the good things last year’s D was able to do, it couldn’t get out alive any time anyone got into the red zone.
Michigan had one of the nation’s best defenses, but it was the second-worst at coming up with stops inside the 20. Offenses scored 93% of the time once they got deep into Michigan territory and came up with 20 touchdowns in the 30 trips. And that’s the key.
The Wolverines might have been awful and keeping point off the board in the red zone, but they didn’t let teams get there. Only Iowa (23) and Fresno State (18) had allowed fewer drives get inside the 20.
Who got in the red zone on the Michigan D? Ohio State and Florida combined for 11 of the 30 trips. No one else got there more than three times.
Key Player To A Successful Season
QB Shea Patterson, Sr.
He was good. It wasn’t his fault Michigan lost to Notre Dame, Ohio State and Florida, and he did what he needed to do throughout the year as a caretake of the offense that kept things moving.
He threw just three interceptions over the ten-game span between the Irish and the Buckeyes, he was accurate, was fantastic on third downs, and he let the D do the work. But to get to that next level and beat the Notre Dames, Ohio States, and Floridas of the world, he’s going to have to take to the tweaked up offense and go to a new level.
He’s got the talent, he’s got the experience, he’s got the O line to block for him, and he’s got the great receivers to work with. He’s also got the defense to help pick up the slack against most teams, but when the D struggles, he’ll have to be the one who pulls off the big game wins.
Key Game To The Michigan Season
Ohio State, Nov. 30
It’s time.
Going to Wisconsin and Penn State will be battles, and hosting Notre Dame and Michigan State are big, but enough is enough. Urban Meyer isn’t around anymore, the game is in Ann Arbor, and the talent level is in place to finally take down the Buckeyes. Michigan has lost seven straight in the series and a whopping 14 of the last 15.
It’s time.
– Michigan Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Michigan Fun Stats
– Time of Possession: Michigan 34:18 – Opponents 25:42
– Fumbles: Michigan 10 (lost 3) – Opponents 7 (lost 6)
– Field Goals: Michigan 21-of-27 – Opponents 10-of-10
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. MICHIGAN WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
Look, Jim Harbaugh bashers, the guy has actually been great.
He’s been able to boost up the talent level, his 2018 team was on the doorstep of greatness, and the run of three ten-win seasons in four years is the best since the Wolverines hit the double-digit victory mark from 1997 to 1999.
Of course he’s supposed to beat Ohio State, but it’s not like his Wolverines can’t get by Rutgers. Under Urban Meyer, that was one of the four best programs in college football over the last several seasons.
But it’s Michigan, and it’s supposed to be a leader and the best, and it hasn’t been either.
Yeah, there was no shame in losing in South Bend to a Notre Dame team that ended up in the College Football Playoff, and yeah, losing in Columbus – even like that – is more than acceptable by most reasonable standards. And yeah, totally ignore that Peach Bowl thing against Florida – ask Georgia what it’s like to play a non-CFP bowl game after getting your heart ripped out.
To be fair, though, Harbaugh does need to do even more. He’s one of the best coaches in all of football – he’d be snapped up instantly if he ever wanted to back to the NFL – and it’s time Michigan wins big games because its coaching staff is just that good. There might have been some turnover this offseason, but the coaches are elite, the talent is in place, and Urban Meyer is gone. This is when things have to finally come together.
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 11
The offense should take things to another level. Shea Patterson is a solid veteran quarterback with a loaded receiving corps to work with, the O line is among the best in the country, the Michigan D will be the Michigan D – at least after a little work – and the kicking game is fantastic.
There are potential holes, The defense will go way young in some spots, the line loses a few key stars, and the running back situation needs to be strong early on, but in general, the problems are minor.
Can Michigan beat Wisconsin on the road? It has an extra week off to prepare.
Can it beat Penn State on the road? Can it sidestep the possible landmines at Maryland and Indiana, and can it get by Army, Iowa, Notre Dame and Michigan State in Ann Arbor?
And … can it finally beat Ohio State?
This year might be the perfect timing moment for the program considering the key games at home and the uncertainty in the rest of division.
This is the year to finally win the Big Ten title.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
