Keys To The Game: Michigan Wolverines Football vs. Western Michigan
It's year seven of the Jim Harbaugh era (where has the time gone?), and there's hope that the 'Jackhammer' has returned to Michigan Wolverines football.
By all accounts, Harbaugh has been more hands-on this year, ready to atone for last year's 2-4, COVID-shortened season. He's in the best shape he's been in since his playing days, looking fit and trim, has a new, young coaching staff and really seems to like his team.
As he admitted Monday, though, you never really know what's under the tree until you unwrap the presents. Games are when you find out what you're made of, and he's got a new, full-time starting quarterback, a completely revamped defense under first-year coordinator Mike Macdonald and still plenty of question marks on both sides of the ball.
But as former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr used to say, hope springs eternal. It's a new day, and there is a lot of talent on this team. Here's what the Wolverines need to do to get by Western Michigan in Saturday's opener and get the 2021 campaign off to a good start.
Michigan Football Key: Keep Cade McNamara Clean
By all accounts, the third-year redshirt freshman has done a great job in camp getting the ball to his playmakers and letting them do the work ... not trying to do too much or force anything. He's got capable receivers in junior Ronnie Bell, sophomore Cornelius Johnson and Co., and this is one area in which the Wolverines should have an advantage Saturday — if McNamara has time to throw.
This is a revamped Michigan line, and rumblings of an injury up front only makes it more interesting to see how it plays Saturday against a WMU front that returns plenty from a team that ranked fifth nationally in tackles for loss per game last season (8.5).
Though those stats were skewed by a six-game, All-MAC schedule, make no mistake — this will be a challenge. It takes time for lines to jell, and this will very likely be the first time the group of five starting has played together.
Communication is going to be key. As our analyst and former Michigan offensive lineman Doug Skene always says, the best (worst) way to ruin a quarterback's confidence is to let him get hit early, and WMU has guys capable of getting to the QB. The Broncos allowed 34.2 points per game last year, so there will be plays to be made if they allow McNamara to gain confidence.
Michigan Football Key: Don't Let QB Kaleb Eleby Get Comfortable
Eleby was a third-team All-MAC selection a year ago after throwing for 1,715 yards with 18 touchdowns against only two interceptions, part of an explosive offense (again, against a MAC-only schedule). Make no mistake — WMU wants a shootout, and part of the way to accomplish that is to dictate tempo and keep the Michigan pass rushers off the quarterback.
We know junior outside linebacker/defensive end Aidan Hutchinson can get home, and we've heard good things about redshirt freshman David Ojabo. There's a lot of speed at the linebacker and defensive back positions, too, and Macdonald will use them to rush the quarterback, too.
We saw last year, however, what happens when blitzes don't get home against decent offenses (they get shredded). Macdonald's defense is better equipped to limit big plays, but WMU was eighth-best in offensive efficiency last season and No. 7 overall in pass blocking, per Pro Football Focus. If Eleby has time, he'll put up points.
Michigan Football Key: Develop An Identity On Offense
Openers are about winning, of course, but also for setting the tone for the season. There appears to be a commitment to running the ball this year with the talented backs — both Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Josh Gattis have said as much — and the game plan will likely reflect it.
At the same time ... what happens if they can't? If teams sell out to stop the run, what kind of adjustments will they make? There seems to have been too much "panic" and not enough adjustment in recent years, to the point that the offense often looks like a hodgepodge of plays rather than a well-designed plan. Good coaches find ways to adapt without abandoning their principles, and that should be the goal this year.
Redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins and second-year frosh Blake Corum are more than capable backs. Haskins averaged 6.1 yards per carry last year and has had an excellent fall. True freshman Donovan Edwards is a potential game breaker, so we want to see plays designed to get him in space, too.
This is a big year for Gattis and Co. It starts Saturday.
The Breakdown: Western Michigan Broncos at Michigan Wolverines
Western Michigan is the perfect opener in a lot of ways for this Michigan team. The Broncos are capable on offense, suspect on defense (though they can get to the quarterback). The Wolverines should be (had better be) able to run the ball and will (had better) put up points, but the defense will be tested.
"Offensively, they’re really good at what they do," Harbaugh said. "They execute really well, at a high level. Eleby ... really fantastic. When you rank third in the country in pass efficiency, that’s playing really efficient; that’s playing really good football.
"[The running backs] are north-south guys. They hit holes fast. The receivers do an excellent job [not only] making the catch, but also what they do when they’ve made the catch, what they do with the ball after, yards after the catch, extremely good. The offensive line, as well. They play really good together.
"They play really good football. They execute their schemes extremely well."
That's one of the reasons many predict the Broncos to stay within the 17-point spread.
Yes, this U-M team feels 'different' in terms of chemistry and togetherness. There is talent on both sides of the ball, though the lines are still questionable, and we like what we've heard this fall.
We remain firmly in 'show me' mode, though, as interested as everyone to see how this team responds after last year's disappointment.
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Listen and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Sign up for our daily newsletter and breaking news alerts
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @Balas_Wolverine, @EJHolland_TW,
@JB_ Wolverine, @Clayton Sayfie and @DrewCHallett
• Like us on Facebook