5 Things To Watch For When Michigan Takes On Wisconsin

After a week off, the No. 20 Michigan football team will take the field Saturday at Michigan Stadium for its first home Big Ten game of the season against Wisconsin.

The Badgers have had a rough start to the season, sitting at 2-2 with a gauntlet of a schedule still in front of them. Their offense has been largely stagnant — scoring just 20.8 points per game — and their defense hasn’t been able to do enough to keep them in games. 

The Wolverines, on the other hand, are looking stronger in all facets as the season wears on. Michigan will work to take care of business against a reeling opponent and keep their conference record unblemished.

Here are five things to watch for when the Wolverines meet the Badgers…

Both teams’ major strengths will go head-to-head on Saturday, with Wisconsin allowing the fewest rushing yards per game in the country, and Michigan gaining the eighth-most.

It’s hard to see the Wolverines straying away from their identity. They like to run the football, and they’re really good at it. With the duo of junior Justice Haynes and sophomore Jordan Marshall at running back, alongside freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood being allowed freedom, even the Badgers would be hard-pressed to fully dampen the ground game.

In the end, it will be a battle of wills, a strength-against-strength matchup in the trenches that Big Ten football has become synonymous with.

Similar to Nebraska, Wisconsin’s pass protection is not a strength, and against Michigan, that doesn’t bode well. Against the Cornhuskers, the Wolverines generated seven sacks, suffocating the pocket. The Badgers currently allow 3.3 sacks per game, placing them 125th out of 134 teams at the FBS level, so Michigan should be able to replicate some of the success it had against Nebraska.

Further, Wisconsin has one of the worst running games in the country, rushing for just 117.8 yards per game. The Wolverines defensive line should be able to contain the run effectively and force the Badgers into dropbacks, where they are susceptible to sacks.

Michigan’s passing game has been the biggest cause for concern thus far this season. Some of that comes with having a freshman quarterback, but some it also falls on the receiver group.

The Wolverines have had their fair share of dropped balls this year, and the coaches are still looking for players that can contribute. Freshmen wide receivers Andrew Marsh and Jamar Browder both had great weeks of practice according to head coach Sherrone Moore, so they may be more involved.

Wisconsin’s secondary is weak, so this could be a confidence-booster game for players like graduate wide receiver Donaven McCulley and senior tight end Marlin Klein as well.

Against a team that struggles on offense, the worst thing you can do is give them free possessions in good field position. Generally, Michigan has done a good job of limiting turnovers, but that has to continue.

If the Wolverines value the ball and make Wisconsin’s offense execute long drives, Michigan should have few problems. But if the Wolverines start getting careless, turnovers can change the complexion of the game real quick.

Michigan had very few hiccups without its head coach on the sidelines for two weeks, and associate head coach Biff Poggi handed the reins back to Moore with no new blemishes on the record. 

Still, Poggi made it very clear throughout his two weeks as interim head coach just how much the team missed having Moore around. His presence back on the sidelines might energize his players, and operations should go off without a hitch.