Michigan football: 4 things to watch for against Wisconsin

Stopping Jonathan Taylor

Wisconsin’s been known for superstar running backs, and extremely large men blocking for them, for what seems like an eternity. Even by those lofty standards, Taylor is something to behold.

Taylor ran for 1,977 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 6.6 yards per carry his freshman season. Last year, he improved all of those numbers to 2,194, 16 and 7.1. With 237 yards and five touchdowns on 35 carries so far in 2019, he’s shown no signs of slowing down. Furthermore, Taylor has been efficient in his previous two games against Michigan, averaging around six yards per carry in both of them.

The Wolverines’ defensive front more than held its own against Army’s triple-option attack, giving up just 3.3 yards per carry. While the Badgers’ scheme is oceans away from the Black Knights, the basic idea is the same for both: tire out the defense and pound the ball down their throat. So on this front, at least, Week 2 brought nothing but encouraging signs for Michigan.

With All-American center Tyler Biadasz anchoring an offensive line that contains two potential NFL draft picks at the tackle spots, it’s hard to see the Wolverines winning the battle up front. A healthy Donovan Jeter will help, but at least multiple among Hutchinson, Paye, Ben Mason, Carlo Kemp and Michael Dwumfour will need to have career games or close to it.

But if shutting down the Black Knights after extensive preparation means anything, Michigan football surely has the potential to limit Taylor’s efficiency ever so slightly and force the Badgers into a couple more third-and-longs than they’re accustomed to. If that happens, the Wolverines will have done their job.