Michigan Football: 4 Storylines to watch in second half

Secondary Play

Michigan football’s defense has been outstanding this season, except for the third quarter at Nebraska, but there is cause for concern on the back end.

Currently ranked 22nd in passing yards allowed, the Wolverines look stout overall when defending the pass.

However, upon closer look, you may notice that Michigan football has only faced two Top-50 passing offenses thus far, Nebraska (38th) and Western Michigan (48th).

In those two matchups, the Wolverines gave up an average of 241 yards and two touchdowns per game through the air.

Meanwhile, still lurking on the schedule are the 8th, 16th, 35th, and 50th ranked passing offenses in the country in Ohio State, Maryland, Penn State, and Michigan State, respectively.

The secondary, specifically the cornerbacks, might need to reach another level to limit those high-flying offenses if the Wolverines want to close out their 2021 campaign with a 4-2 or better record to reach 10 wins for the fourth time under Jim Harbaugh.

Both Ohio State and Michigan State have very talented receiving corps that will challenge the Wolverines’ defense vertically all day, putting Gemon Green and Vincent Gray in potentially disadvantageous positions.

Thankfully, Daxton Hill and Brad Hawkins are playing at an All-Big Ten level and can provide help over the top.