Previewing Michigan Football vs Connecticut

Michigan Football has its final non-conference matchup of the regular season on Saturday when they take on UConn at the Big House. The Wolverines have won their previous two matchups by a margin of 107-17.

After last week’s game against Hawaii, J.J. McCarthy has proven to be the best option as Michigan Football’s starting quarterback going forward. McCarthy threw for 229 yards and three touchdowns against the Rainbow Warriors, completing 11 of his 12 passes. This means one-fourth of McCarthy’s passes were touchdowns, each being to a different receiver.

Junior running back Blake Corum had another impressive game this past weekend, running for 88 yards and one touchdown. Freshman running back CJ Stokes also showed off his talent, running for 61 yards and scoring a touchdown of his own.

Junior running back Isaiah Gash is a name that has been heard less by Wolverine fans, however, he had an impressive game against Hawaii as well. Gash ran for 48 yards on three carries and scored a touchdown. He also is looking to be a solid kick returner for Michigan Football this season.

Sophomore running back Donovan Edwards is likely to remain on the sidelines against the Huskies on Saturday due to an ongoing injury. While Edwards tends to play an important role in the Wolverines’ run game, the running back room seems to be deep enough for Michigan Football to remain confident.

Junior wide receiver AJ Henning only has one catch on the season thus far, however his punt returns have been nothing short of impressive. Henning has already surpassed his longest return of last season (32 yards) after returning a first-half Hawaii punt for 35 yards.

Senior wide receivers Ronnie Bell and Cornelius Johnson each had an impressive game last weekend against the Rainbow Warriors. Bell had six receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown and Johnson had two receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown. While McCarthy has plenty of receiver options, these two will likely be two of his favorites going forward.

18 different Wolverine defenders contributed to at least two tackles against Hawaii. Senior defensive back Caden Kolesar and junior defensive back RJ Moten led the way for Michigan’s defense last week, each with four tackles. Both defensive backs had three tackles against Colorado State, making them promising to be consistent throughout the season.

Getting to Know UConn

Head coach Jim Mora is in his first official season coaching the Huskies. UConn Football has not had a winning season since 2010, nor a season with more than 3 wins since 2015. The Huskies are hoping Mora will trend the team in the right direction.

Last week against Syracuse, UConn had a total of 202 yards and only had ten first downs during the entirety of the game. This, alongside other factors, contributed to the team losing 48-14.

A large problem for the Huskies appeared to be their defense, as Syracuse was able to score on each of their first-half possessions and went six-for-six in the red zone. This poor red zone defense can also be seen in UConn’s other loss against Utah State, who also scored on each of their red zone possessions.

On the plus side for the Huskies’ defense, opponents have not converted on fourth down against them this season. The Wolverines have converted on both of their fourth down attempts this season, so it will be interesting to see what will happen if Michigan Football decides to go for it.

Junior linebacker Jackson Mitchell has been an extremely effective part of UConn’s defense for the past season. Mitchell is tied for 3rd in solo tackles in the FBS with 18 so far this season. He had 16 total tackles last week against the Syracuse offense, double what any other Husky defender came up with.

While defense seems to be a weak spot for UConn, their offense did not look much better last week. Freshman quarterback Zion Turner completed 14 of his 17 passes, however, this only resulted in 92 yards. Turner also completed 14 passes against Connecticut Central in Week 2, passing for an additional 80 yards than he did with the same number of completions against Syracuse.

Sophomore running back Nathan Carter already has 384 rushing yards and a touchdown on the season for the Huskies. When it comes to receiving, sophomore wide receiver Aaron Turner has continued to progress so far this season, his best performance being against Syracuse last week with six receptions for 71 yards. Carter’s rushing alongside Turner’s receiving will be two of the larger factors in UConn’s offensive efficiency.

The Huskies have averaged 20.7 points per game this season compared to the Wolverines’ 53.5 points per game. With their sole win against Central Connecticut State, UConn has already matched their record from last season. While the Huskies are looking for an improved record this season, Saturday in the Big House is unlikely to be the game where this momentum is found.