Michigan Football vs Rutgers: 3 keys to a Wolverines win

Red Zone offense has to produce

Whether it’s the play-calling, the execution, or a combination of factors, Michigan football has to get the red-zone issues figured out if it wants to repeat as Big Ten champion.

Kicking five field goals allowed Michigan State to stay within two scores in a game Michigan should have won by 30 points or more, until the fourth quarter. The same thing happened against Penn State.

If the offense continues to struggle, it’s going to cost them, and probably at the worst possible time.  So that will be something to watch this week and red-zone execution will certainly be important in terms of trying to put Rutgers away early.

Michigan has scored on most of its red-zone opportunities (41 of 44) but is only scoring touchdowns on 63 percent of its trip inside the 20. Rutgers has allowed 15 touchdowns on 18 red-zone attempts by opposing offenses.

In fact, because of its nature of allowing explosive players, the Scarlet Knights have faced fewer red-zone defensive attempts than every team but Michigan, Ohio State, Illinois, and Minnesota.

The Scarlet Knights have allowed offenses to score touchdowns on 15 of those 18 drives and Michigan needs to get its TD percentage number up near the 80s over the next few weeks.

If that happens Saturday, this offense, which has moved at will between the 20s (one punt in two games), will make sure this game isn’t all that close.