Michigan Football: 3 things the Wolverines need to improve after Rutgers

Catching the ball

If you told me at the beginning of the year that Donovan Edwards would be our most reliable pass-catching target, I would have called you crazy. But that’s where it seems we are. Wide receivers have not been making plays for JJ.

While Schoonmaker has been reliable at the tight-end spot, the majority of his targets are easy check-downs.

Throughout the season, I’ve been wondering why JJ hasn’t been as dominant as he should be. While he has his deep ball issues at the moment (which, spoiler alert, will be talked about), his receivers have been dropping lots of passes.

Last night was the most indicative performance of that yet. Schoonmaker dropped a perfectly placed touchdown pass. Bell had a couple of drops on well-placed balls. Cornelius couldn’t hall in a pass that hit his hands. Even Andrel on his deep route got his hands on the ball.

At the end of the day, Michigan’s wide receivers and tight ends need to be better at catching the ball. JJ has been putting the ball on the money for the most part, so it’s up to the receivers now to do their job and make some plays for JJ.

To beat Ohio State in Columbus, our receivers are going to have to make plays. Their secondary can be taken advantage of, especially with the dynamic players Michigan football has. It’s essential that the receivers take matters into their own hands and help this team out.