Michigan Football: 3 keys to Wolverines beating Northwestern

Pound the rock

One big advantage Michigan football has going into this game is the running game. The Wolverines have the top rushing attack in the Big Ten and are averaging 247 yards per game.

It’s a two-headed attack led by Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins, who both have a chance to reach 1,000 yards rushing this season.

Northwestern is allowing more than 200 yards per game both through the air and on the ground. That’s not great and two teams: Nebraska and Michigan State ran for over 300 against the Wildcats.

Last week, Northwestern was better and gave up less than 100 to Rutgers and will need to have a performance like that if the Wildcats want a shot to pull an upset on the road.

For Michigan, the identity is running the ball behind a really good offensive line. The front five has been banged up but it has depth and the Wolverines shouldn’t get overcomplicated.

Ground and pound the Wildcats to a pulp. Control the line of scrimmage and move on to Sparty next week.