5 questions for Michigan Football in Week 4 vs Maryland
Looking ahead to Michigan football’s Week 4 matchup with Maryland, here are five questions the Wolverines need to answer.
It’s been smooth sailing for Michigan football so far this year, as they have beaten their three non-conference opponents by a combined score of 166-17, but the real season starts this Saturday.
The Maryland Terrapins are in town, and they will look to catch Michigan off-guard with Taulia Tagovailoa’s dual-threat capabilities, and an explosive offense that can score points in bunches.
Michigan football has only lost once to Maryland since they joined the Big Ten, and have really handled the Terps every year (with no score being closer than 21 points), and currently rides a six-game winning streak against the Terps, but as we always say, every year is different with college football.
The Terps will be hungry for a long-awaited victory over Michigan, and Maryland HC Mike Locksley even said as much in his Monday press conference previewing the Wolverines.
So, with all of that being said, here are five questions I have pertaining to Michigan football going into this matchup.
Will all five of Michigan’s starting offensive line play together?
Throughout the first three games, Michigan’s offensive line has not been at full strength. Ryan Hayes, Trevor Keegan, and Karsen Barnhart have all missed important live-game reps due to various injuries sustained either in practice or in live-game action.
Michigan’s offensive line might be at full strength this weekend though. Starting left guard Trevor Keegan was listed as “probable” by Jim Harbaugh on the “Inside Michigan Football” podcast on Monday.
It’s no secret that Michigan’s offensive line has slightly underperformed due to all the injuries sustained on the starting o-line.
There’s less chemistry when you have guys come in like Giovanni El-Hadi that haven’t really been given starting reps, and are expected to perform in live-game action.
Michigan football has already given up five sacks this year (two by right tackle Trente Jones, and one by right guard Zak Zinter) to some of the worst teams in the country, so they definitely need their offensive line at full strength heading into Big Ten play.
That’s something to watch out for this Saturday.