Michigan Football: Breaking down each ranked opponent for Wolverines

At Wisconsin

Michigan football will march into Camp Randall Stadium on September 21st to fight against the 19th ranked team in the nation, the Wisconsin Badgers.

Coming off a victory in the Pinstripe Bowl against an ailing Miami roster, the Badgers have everything they need to take down the Wolverines. The new Badger quarterback is Jack Coan who led the team to a 3-2 record last season whenever Alex Horinbrook was injured or unproductive. That continuity at quarterback coupled with two preseason AP All-Americans in running back Jonathan Taylor and offensive lineman Tyler Biadasz have the Badger faithful optimistic of their chances at home against Michigan.

The actual test for the maize and blue here is going to be stopping Taylor who was the NCAA’s rushing yards leader with 2,254 yards. Taylor has rushed for a combined 233 yards against UM in two seasons that featured the feared Rashan Gary and Devin Bush backed up by Chase Winovich and a host of other future NFL talent. Many of those pieces are missing for this game, making stopping the run a critical need for Don Brown’s defense.

To make matters worse, Wisconsin added receiver Quintez Cephus back onto the roster since being cleared of his recent charges. Last season, Quintez caught 30 passes for 501 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 16.74 yards per catch.