Staff Predictions: Michigan vs. Western Michigan
Michigan lost a very winnable road opener by making basic mistakes against a good opponent. Can the Wolverines right the ship?
A few years back, when P.J. Fleck was rowing his boat at Western Michigan (instead of bailing water as he’s doing now at Minnesota), this would have been a solid matchup. If the U-M offensive line doesn’t improve, it might be again.
WMU has athletes on offense, especially, and the Broncos can move the ball. U-M has more athletes, but it’s the play up front that’s going to determine just how good this team can be.
Early returns are … well, not good. But Ed Warinner’s 2014 offensive line at Ohio State gave up seven sacks in the home opener to Virginia Tech in 2014 and looked abysmal. The Buckeyes proceeded to run the table and win a National Championship behind that line.
Warinner is a good football coach, and there’s no reason to believe this unit can’t improve to be at least serviceable. This is a very good team at many positions.
So there's that.
For now, though, the Michigan fan base is in full panic mode, and will remain so at least until the Wolverines knock off Wisconsin, if not Michigan State.
Congratulations to Austin Fox, the only staffer to predict U-M would lay an egg in South Bend. This week’s winner gets the honor of having lunch with him in Westphalia, his home town, after the ceremony in which he’s provided the key to the city.
The picks:
CHRIS BALAS: Michigan’s line will improve, but there needs to be some tinkering this week. It’s hard to believe the Wolverines are so starved for talent up front, especially at the tackle position. Fortunately, the next two opponents don’t have the horses to take advantage of it. That will give the line time to grow before Nebraska comes to town for the home opener. Michigan 41, Western Michigan 16
JOHN BORTON: P.J. Fleck went from “Row The Boat” at Western Michigan to “Shovel The Driveway” in Minnesota. Meanwhile, his old team went from 13-1 in 2016 to 6-7 since. The Broncos still have some kick in them, losing their opener to Syracuse, 55-42. But Michigan’s lingering South Bend frustration will result in some bent Broncs. Michigan 34, Western Michigan 13
BRANDON BROWN: Michigan couldn’t drum up much offensive production last week but that should, and needs to, change this week against Western Michigan. Syracuse scored 55 points against the Broncos last week so if Michigan can’t get close to or surpass that number…
Wolverine fans are not pleased with how some things looked in South Bend last weekend and even a blowout win over Western Michigan likely won’t change the perception of the team but it’s expected and necessary. Michigan is far more talented than WMU obviously and it needs to look like it tomorrow. Michigan 56, Western Michigan 10
AUSTIN FOX: All the national “experts” (looking at you, ESPN people) claimed before the season that Shea Patterson was the biggest key to Michigan’s success in 2018, but many who follow the program closely knew the offensive line play was probably the bigger key.
Patterson played well enough at Notre Dame for Michigan to win, but the same can’t be said about the offensive line … and sure enough, the team lost.
Although things will come easier for the offense tomorrow against WMU, simply moving the ball up the field is such a struggle for this group.
It’d be great to see them light up the scoreboard and post 45 or more points, but whether or not they’re actually capable of doing that right now seems questionable.
The defense, on the other hand, is the least of this team’s concerns. Michigan 35, Western Michigan 10
DOUG SKENE: Michigan will win this week against a middle-level MAC team. Michigan 31, Western Michigan 7
DREW HALLETT: Last week, Western Michigan scored 42 points and averaged 9.7 yards per play in a loss to Syracuse. With S&P+'s 19th-ranked offense, the Broncos have the playmakers (RB LeVante Bellamy, RB Jamauri Bogan and WR D'Wayne Eskridge) to strike for big plays and quick scores, which has been a flaw of Michigan's defense. But U-M's defense is an entirely different beast compared to what WMU faced against the Orange, and the Broncos' defense tends to struggle against the run, generating a pass rush, and keeping athletic receivers from getting over the top. WMU may earn a couple of scores, but Shea Patterson, Karan Higdon & co. should find their rhythm and roll. Michigan 45, Western Michigan 14.
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @Balas_Wolverine, @DrewCHallett and @Qb9Adam.
• Like us on Facebook