Michigan Football: 3 areas where the Wolverines need to improve

Michigan can’t waste scoring chances

In the red zone, the Wolverines haven’t been terrible, but they could be better and need to be against elite competition. Looking back at Notre Dame, failure to convert red-zone trips into points hurt the Wolverines and cost them a victory. Michigan football missed a field goal and settled for another. Ultimately, leaving points on the table during those trips proved to be costly.

Last week against Michigan State, Michigan missed a field goal in the red zone, while also fumbling the ball too just outside of it. For the season, Michigan has 33 red-zone opportunities and only 20 of those trips have yielded touchdowns. The Wolverines have scored at least a field goal on 28 trips but still UM ranks just 60th in the FBS.

Against Wisconsin, Michigan State and Notre Dame, the Wolverines had red-zone drives that didn’t come away with points and against teams like Ohio State, that can’t happen.

Having Ben Mason back will help and the more comfortable Shea Patterson gets, the better off Michigan should be. Yet for now, it’s something to keep an eye, especially when Penn State comes to town next Saturday.