Michigan Football: What you need to know about Western Michigan
Michigan Football is back in action this weekend, facing off against the Western Michigan Broncos on Saturday at Noon in the opener at The Big House.
In its second game of the season on Saturday, Michigan Football will look to avenge a 24-17 loss to Notre Dame in South Bend last weekend.
They will return home for their awaited opener at The Big House vs. Western Michigan.
Game one didn’t quite go as planned for the Wolverines. The defense let up touchdowns on consecutive possessions to start the game, putting the team in an early 14-0 hole. The hole proved too big to come out of, and late comeback efforts fell short.
Problems on the offensive line and questionable play calling were areas of concern all game long and have been the talk of the program since. Time will tell if these areas shore up and improve as the season progresses.
Breakdown
Turning the focus to game two, things should get much easier. The Broncos lost their opener to Syracuse, 55-42 in a high-scoring affair. They allowed the Orange to post 560 yards of total offense. Orange senior quarterback Eric Dungey passed for 184 yards and rushed for 200 more with three touchdowns in the win.
The Broncos put up 621 yards of offense themselves and had an eventful third quarter with 28 points. However, after falling behind 24-7 in the opening frame, it was too little too late.
Broncos junior quarterback Jon Wassink threw for 379 yards and three touchdowns and poses an aerial threat this upcoming weekend. That being said, his QBR was 38.1 with two interceptions, and the Wolverines defense is far superior to Syracuse. Wide receiver D’Wayne Eskridge hauled in eight catches for 240 yards and two touchdowns as Wassink’s favorite target.
Michigan’s elite pass defense will look to prevent a repeat performance and keep their attack in check, building up confidence after a sub-par opener against the Irish.
Broncos running back LeVante Bellamy, who rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries, will also need to be bottled up and contained.
On the other side of the ball, the Wolverines will get what they want through the air and ground. Shea Patterson might make this game his coming out party in Ann Arbor. If he plays most of the game, expect close to 300 yards and multiple touchdown passes. The team needs to feature him and allow him to find his groove.
The Broncos yielded 334 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground last week. Look for Karan Higdon and Chris Evans to have field days, pacing the offense and gaining big chunks of yardage throughout the game.
Michigan needs to win big and gain momentum going forward in a game that finds them favored by four touchdowns.
Prediction
Michigan 38, Western Michigan 10
Analysis
Michigan should overpower the Broncos in this game. They have more talent in all three facets of the game. This needs to be a decisive victory for the Wolverines to instill confidence and allow them to regain their swagger. It provides a great opportunity to expand the playbook and give Patterson the freedom to make plays and take control of the offense.
Incorporating more vertical and less conservative play calls, while utilizing Patterson’s skill set with the RPO, could be a recipe for success. The run game will have no issues establishing itself against a porous rush defense, and we should see more of Evans this weekend. We might even see Ambry Thomas on offense in a perfect game to experiment with different packages.
The hope is that the offensive line will become stronger during the next couple weeks. It needs to start now. If problems remain, changes need to be made. Maybe we see Hudson or Mayfield get some run at the tackle positions. This team, especially offensively, will go as far as the offensive line takes them. Controlling the line of scrimmage will be essential.
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The defense will show why they’re a top-three defense in the FBS and may even flirt with a shutout. The Broncos fared well on offense last weekend but haven’t met a defense with the speed and power Michigan possesses. A much-needed game for the Wolverines, they will capture their first win and improve to 1-1 on the young season.