Michigan Football: 3 keys to avoiding an upset against Illinois

Limit mistakes that can help Illinois

When you have a 21-point underdog such as Illinois, things like turnovers, special teams miscues, penalties and any other mistakes can provide hope and that’s why UM has to be focused on eliminating those things.

The turnover situation has gotten a lot better. There was still some slopiness last week but at least Shea Patterson isn’t fumbling twice a game anymore. And if he throws an interception on a 50/50 ball, that’s something Michigan fans need to live with.

Early in this game, it will be key to avoid a big turnover or something bad on special teams because the Wolverines don’t want to give Illinois hope. Countless times, we have seen heavily-favored college football teams not ready to play, then after a mistake or two, what should be an easy win turns into a dogfight.

That’s not something the Wolverines want to have happen this week. The game at Northwestern last year is a perfect example of how quickly things can get away from you on the road.

In the Big Ten, there are no easy victories and if the Wolverine sleep on 2-3 Illinois, that will come back to bite them. But if they can avoid turnovers and eventually put Illinois in a situation where it needs to press, getting a win will be much easier.