5 Questions for Michigan Football in Week 11 against Nebraska

After another sluggish first half that resulted in Michigan football’s first first-half deficit of the season last week on the road at Rutgers, the following thirty minutes were a complete blowout of epic proportions.

Michigan football got three interceptions (almost all back-to-back) and only allowed one first down in the second half. In total, the Wolverines scored 38 straight unanswered points, as a score that once looked close ultimately ended up covering the spread, as Michigan won 52-17.

Now, Michigan is 9-0, for only the second time under Jim Harbaugh (first since 2016), only the fifth time since the 1960s, and now the Wolverines turn their attention to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who they get at home.

So, what questions do we have for the Wolverines this week, as they look to move to 10-0, stay in the top 3 of the CFP rankings, and keep their season alive?

Well, we ask these questions below:

Can J.J. McCarthy hit the deep ball?

At this point, this question is the single biggest talking point from the Michigan fanbase, and arguably the last real thing holding the Wolverines back from really being a force on offense.

The deep ball misses haven’t really affected Michigan yet, because all of their opponents have been pushovers, but the last game of the regular season will be the measuring stick game, as everyone has bemoaned constantly week in and week out. Michigan football won’t beat OSU without the threat of a deep passing attack. Everyone knows that (and makes sure to mention it).

I liked that Michigan at least took some shots against Rutgers, as JJ tried to hit Andrel Anthony and Amorion Walker down the left sidelines, but once again, JJ came up empty.

JJ is just missing on his deep shots, as he needs to get just a hair more air underneath his passes, but the wide receivers also haven’t helped with their drops either.

The Andrel Anthony pass was on his fingers, and they say anything you get a finger on you have to catch.

If I was Michigan, I’d use the Nebraska game as a final “exhibition” to fine-tune some things, like the passing game, before the final two games, which will be the biggest of the regular season. Michigan has to rep these things in live-game action. Only practicing the plays without live-game repping them isn’t a very smart or efficient plan.

Nebraska is ranked towards the bottom of the FBS in total defense, so Michigan should be able to take their fair share of deep shots and (hopefully) complete them, if they so choose.