Michigan Football: 3 Reasons Wolverines will beat Northern Illinois

2. Improved Michigan Defense

According to one of the best collegiate analytic sources, Football Outsiders, Michigan finished this past season ranked 115th out of 127 teams in total defense. What a disaster.

If this game was played last year, there is no way you can look me in the eye and say without any uncertainty that Michigan wins this game. The defense was horrid, and the talent was put in positions where they couldn’t tread water let alone succeed. Not anymore.

Thank god for Mike (don’t call me Ronald) McDonald and his new defensive scheme. This 4-2-5 (four defensive linemen, two linebackers, five defensive backs) scheme has proved to be — thus far — exactly what Michigan has needed to get this defense back on track.

With this new scheme goes any chance Northern Illinois had of winning the game. The Huskies’ best chance at winning comes down to what their running attack can do led by Harrison Waylee, and with this new-look defense is well equipped to stop them.

Sure, Rocky Lombardi came into The Big House and won last year. But that was on a different team and against a different Michigan squad. Arm punts won’t work as they did in his last visit, and that’s why it’s our second reason why the Wolverines win this game.