1. No communication errors in the secondary
The Wolverines are entering year two under Wink Martindale on the defensive side of the ball. That means they should be comfortable with his language, schemes, and checks. All too often last year, the Wolverines' defense looked confused and unprepared at the snap of the ball. They would often still be yelling to one another with their heads turned away from the line of scrimmage as the offense was getting off the line of scrimmage. Even for a defense that was in their first year with a new coordinator, it seemed to be happening way too frequently.
Michigan football became a much crisper and more organized unit later on in the year, and I think Martindale deserves credit for that. He was quoted as saying that it took time for him to understand that he can not coach the college game like he does the NFL game. They became more basic and cleaned up a lot of their errors by the end of the year... just ask Ohio State and Alabama.
This year, I want to see the secondary take the next step and become even more crisp in everything they do. Raising their level starts with pre-snap communication and checking to proper coverages. They have a lot of depth in the secondary, and if they are communicating at a high level, they should be a very good unit.
2. Separation from the wide receivers
The Michigan football wide receivers must be able to create separation this year. I do not care how many yards or touchdowns they total as a group this Saturday, but I need to see that they are able to create separation in their routes.
I am confident that Michigan football is going to have a very good rushing attack this year. However, while I am hopeful, I am not confident they have the talent on the outside to have a very good passing attack that is able to create chunk plays. This team needs playmakers in order to compete for a Big Ten championship, and being able to create separation is a big piece of that.
3. Good decision making from the quarterbacks
I am very hopeful for both Bryce Underwood and Jadyn Davis to have stellar performances on Saturday. They both have talent that is going to shine through once they are given the chance.
One guy that was able to showcase his elite talent and also elite decision-making was JJ McCarthy. JJ led the Wolverines to a semi-final appearance and a national championship. A big part of that was how well he took care of the ball during his time as the starter, totaling 44 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in two years as the starter.
Michigan football quarterbacks last year did not do a good job of taking care of the ball, and it cost them in a lot of games. I want to see an increase in focus on taking care of the ball this Saturday. The downfield shots and explosive plays will come as time goes on, but none of that is nearly as important if they do not take care of the ball first.