Michigan Football: Preview and Prediction vs TCU

So, what will Michigan’s offense look like against TCU’s defense?

TCU head coach Sonny Dykes said the Horned Frogs are going to do everything to stop the run and make JJ McCarthy beat them- a gameplan that sounds awfully similar to Ohio State. TCU’s defensive backs appear to be better than Ohio State’s, but I’m still not sure how successful TCU will be.

Michigan football knows that TCU is going to sell out to stop the run. Michigan will still have success with the run.

The Horned Frogs give up 149.5 yards per game on the ground, and they’re going up against a rushing attack that is much better than any they’ve seen this season. Along with this, their defense is not built to shut down the run.

The TCU defense is going to be forced to change their defensive scheme — if they stick with a 3-3-5 they’re going to get dominated on the ground. Asking your defense to try something completely different from what they’ve done all year is a very tough ask. They’re going to make mistakes.

I expect that the Michigan football game plan will be almost identical to the plan against Ohio State. It seems like since Blake Corum has been out, the Wolverines have been more willing to throw the ball, and it’s been very successful. His injury forced the staff to make adjustments, and they’ve worked well thus far. I expect McCarthy to have a successful day — both on the ground and in the air.

Michigan isn’t going to force the run, but they’re going to wear down the TCU defense over the course of the game. I just don’t see how TCU can stop Michigan’s run game. I expect the Wolverines to put up lots of points in this one.

Something I’d keep an eye on is the amount of carries Donovan Edwards gets. He got 25 vs Purdue and 22 vs Ohio State. If he gets into the 30s, I’d start to worry a bit.

Now, onto the TCU offense against the Wolverine defense.