FOX Analyst Joel Klatt: Michigan Must Open Up Pass Game To Beat Wisconsin
Like many, FOX college football analyst Joel Klatt has been impressed with Michigan Wolverines football's offense through four weeks. The Maize and Blue are averaging 40.3 points and 454.8 yards per game, and are doing so by sticking with the run game. Their 16.3 pass attempts per contest are the fourth-lowest in the nation, ahead of only Navy, Air Force and Army, and they're averaging the fifth-most rushing yards per tilt (290.8).
"They did a great self-scout in the offseason, and they realized what they were doing well and what they weren’t doing well," Klatt told Colin Cowherd on The Herd. "They threw the ball too often last year, and thought they were going to spread it out and become one of these high-flying teams that could go and score a lot of points in this spread system. [Offensive coordinator] Josh Gattis did that at Alabama, and it wasn’t paying off at Michigan, it just wasn’t in their DNA.
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"And while he liked some of the pieces that they had, they went back to the run game, but not just the run game he brought. There was this marriage between the spread run game that Josh Gattis has and what [head coach Jim] Harbaugh was at Stanford, which was a heavy gap team — they’re going to pull linemen, and they’re going to get down hill.
"Now, they’re trying to marry that up, similar to what Oklahoma has tried to do the last couple years, similar to what the Baltimore Ravens have done, by the way. Very similar to what John Harbaugh has done with [quarterback] Lamar Jackson.
"And that marriage of committing to the run game, but also expanding how they’re attacking in the run game, has really benefited them."
With that said, Klatt isn't quite sure that the run game will be the answer this weekend at Wisconsin, which touts the nation's No. 1 run defense by allowing just 23 yards per game on the ground.
Klatt was impressed with the Notre Dame coaching staff when it told him prior to last Saturday's win over Wisconsin that they were hardly going to try running the ball against the Badgers. Sure enough, the Irish ran 43 passing plays compared to 23 runs, and were able to come out on top.
He believes a similar formula will be the Wolverines' best bet in Madison this weekend, but only if redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara, who completed just one pass on five attempts in the second half against Rutgers after being efficient to start the game, can execute.
"What remains to be seen is, when that gets taken away, can they throw the ball, has the quarterback developed?" Klatt wondered aloud. "And last week, it didn’t. They only completed one pass in the second half against Rutgers. Now, Rutgers is vastly improved under [head coach] Greg Schiano, but I can’t wait to see this week when they go up against what I think is somewhat of an immovable force in the front seven of that Wisconsin defense — can Michigan go out there and throw the football to move it? Because last week, Notre Dame told me, ‘We ain’t running the ball on these guys. They’re too good; they’re too big.’
"This week with Michigan, will they be able to throw the football is a fascinating storyline in this game."
McNamara has completed 33 of 53 passes for 534 yards and three touchdowns on the season, while not throwing any interceptions. Wisconsin has allowed 187.3 passing yards per game, including 239 against Notre Dame last week.
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