Michigan football: 3 key things to watch for against Rutgers
By Jacob Shames
20th-ranked Michigan football hits the field against Saturday against Rutgers and here is a look at three things to watch for the Wolverines.
Michigan football is back to square one.
After the worst defeat of the Jim Harbaugh era, a 35-14 loss to Wisconsin that has had even Harbaugh’s most optimistic supporters questioning the program’s direction, the Wolverines will attempt to regroup starting Saturday, at home against Rutgers.
In the immediate aftermath of the shellacking it suffered in Madison, Michigan’s hopes of contending for a Big Ten Championship and more were reduced to next to nothing. Nothing in this team’s body of work thus far says that it’s anything close to a powerhouse.
That being said, the talent is still there. In theory, the Wolverines have a talented senior quarterback and veteran offensive line, three NFL-caliber receivers and a Don Brown defense. If Michigan football can treat this Saturday like a season opener, maybe it can put the loss to the Badgers behind it. After all, the Wolverines won 10 straight games after a deflating loss to Notre Dame last season.
One loss on the road isn’t the end of the world. But Michigan will have to start winning games to prove that right.
Fortunately, Rutgers is the worst team remaining on the Wolverines’ schedule. And taken along with a home showdown against Iowa followed by a trip to bottom-dweller Illinois, Michigan will have a chance to get on a roll before games at Penn State and at home against the Fighting Irish.
Here’s what to watch for as the Wolverines look to hit the reset button against the Scarlet Knights.