Michigan Wolverines football is set to take on the Michigan State Spartans Saturday at noon on FOX.
Here's five key questions for Michigan heading into the matchup.
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Can we really throw records out the window?
This is a rivalry game, so throw the records out the window, right? That was certainly the case when Mark Dantonio was at the helm in East Lansing. Dantonio kept it closer than expected or won by more than predicted — covering the spread — in all but three of his 13 matchups with the Wolverines. Michigan is a 25-point favorite over MSU at most sportsbooks, per Vegas Insider.
Sure, much of the reason why Tucker's squad was the one to give Rutgers its first Big Ten win in 22 tries last week is because first-year head coach Mel Tucker is charged with picking up the pieces after the program was on the decline — in many ways — over Dantonio's final few seasons.
But it’s Tucker's show now, and this is his first taste of the rivalry as a head coach. Can his team play a complete game and force the Wolverines into enough mistakes to have a chance at the end? We'll learn a lot about Tucker and how this rivalry will trend on Saturday.
How will Michigan's run defense respond?
Michigan's 49-24 win at No. 21 Minnesota in week one was surely impressive, but it wasn't flawless. The biggest concern coming out of the opener was the Wolverine run defense, which allowed Minnesota junior running back Mohamed Ibrahim to rush for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, including four runs of 10 or more yards. The Minnesota offensive line got some push, but there were also plenty of times in which the Wolverines misplayed gaps and lost contain.
MSU's offensive line did a solid job pass protecting last week, allowing just two sacks, but the run blocking was average at best, with the Spartans averaging an underwhelming 1.3 yards per rush.
This will be a much lesser challenge for U-M than what it faced in Minnesota, and it just might be the perfect matchup for the Wolverines to figure things out and gain some confidence heading into two tougher games against Indiana and Wisconsin the next two weeks.
How healthy is Michigan?
The short answer to this question: Healthy, with one question mark.
