Michigan Football: 3 keys for Wolverines to beat Illinois
By Josh LaFond
Once thought to be a matchup of Big Ten contenders, can the Wolverines hold on against a reeling Fighting Illini squad?
Michigan football is 10-0 for the first time under head coach Jim Harbaugh, and for the first time since 2006. This season has been bland at times, with heavy-weight fights few and far between.
Once thought to be a matchup of Big Ten divisional contenders, the Illinois Fighting Illini are reeling following two straight losses at the hands of the Michigan State Spartans and the Purdue Boilermakers.
Still, this Fighting Illini squad is a physical, tough, blue-collar team. Led by head coach Bret Bielema and star running back Chase Brown, they’ll present a unique challenge to the Wolverines that they have not necessarily seen yet this year.
What does Michigan football need to do to take care of business against Illinois and remain undefeated heading into a monumental matchup next week against the Ohio State Buckeyes?
We discuss that and more in this week’s edition of our keys to a Michigan victory.
Stop Chase Brown
Illinois’ entire offense runs through former Heisman candidate and star running back, Chase Brown.
Brown is an absolute stud and arguably the second-best running back in the Big Ten only behind Michigan’s own, Blake Corum.
Chase leads the nation currently in total rushing yards at 1,442 and will be the bell cow come Saturday.
For Michigan football to win they need to dedicate their defensive planning to shutting him down. Illinois has not proven itself to have a consistent passing game, nor have they shown that the stable of running backs behind Brown can get the job done.
Expect the Wolverines to load the box, commit to stopping the run, and make Illinois play from behind where they haven’t been comfortable all year.
Do that and the Wolverines head to Columbus, Ohio 11-0.