3 things to watch for Michigan Football against Illinois

An improved passing attack

This feels like a broken record. As I noted in my article after the Rutgers game, the receivers have been letting JJ down. Early on in conference play, JJ was missing wide-open guys. Now, however, it seems like the receivers are missing well-placed balls. While JJ is still trying to get the deep ball down, he has placed the ball well and his receivers are not helping him out.

I think that criticism can go a long way. Right now, the criticism is falling on the wide receiver room, and you can bet that the entire group, led by captain Ronnie Bell, is looking to show that they can help their star quarterback out. JJ is far better than the past couple of weeks imply, and this is going to be a gut check for the receivers.

As we saw last week, the staff understands that the passing game needs to be sharp. They consistently called deep shots at the beginning of the game, and I think it’s very likely that we see more of that. Like I previously said, I strongly believe that once JJ connects on one of these deep balls, everyone on the offense is going to gain tons of confidence. Confidence goes a long way in sports.

This is the week for receivers to show up. Illinois is #2 in the country in total defense, behind… Michigan. The Illini boast the #5 passing defense in the country and the #7 rushing defense. While, yes, Illinois plays in the Big Ten West, their defense has dominated against their opponents. This will be a huge test for Michigan football, and I’m looking for a statement performance out of the Wolverine offense.

I don’t think the Wolverines are going to be looking ahead to Ohio State. I think they want to make a point. And unfortunately for Illinois, they just happen to be the team coming to Ann Arbor. How the offense operates, and what kind of swagger they play with, will give us a good idea about what we can expect versus the Buckeyes.