Michigan has had an eventful first two weeks of the season. A last (extra) second Haily Mary over Western Michigan into a defensive showdown with Oklahoma. I’m sure the Wolverines would like nothing more than to get their starters some rest against a UTEP team that Oklahoma beat, 51-0 in Week 1.
There are three main keys for Michigan to get the job done against UTEP:
Get Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter involved
Offensive coordinator Jason Beck has proven over the first two weeks that he’s treating quarterback Bryce Underwood the same way as quarterbacks
he’s worked with in the past — notably Devon Dampier at New Mexico and Utah. Beck isn’t afraid to run the quarterback, and that led to Underwood leading the Wolverines in rushing yards the first two weeks with 47 and 87 yards, respectively.
Now it’s time to get the running backs involved in the run game.
Michigan’s identity for years has been to pound the rock, and both Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter fit the mold as physical players that want to run through defender’s faces. UTEP gave up 170 rushing yards against Oklahoma in Week 1, and John Mateer — known for being a mobile quarterback — only had seven yards on the ground. It’s time for Marshall to live up to some of his 100-plus yard performances from a season ago, and it would be nice to get Hiter going as well to keep both of those guys fresh and ready for Big Ten play next week.
Rotate players in on defense
The defense has been working through some injuries this offseason and the first two weeks of the season. And after playing in a Western Michigan game where the Broncos dominated time of possession, the defense is due for a game where the starters can get some much needed rest.
Having a Week 2 test against Mateer and an Oklahoma offense was great for the starting defense to prove what it’s capable of. However, we aren’t going to learn much from the Wolverines’ defense playing against a team like UTEP that got shut out by the Sooners two weeks ago.
UTEP had 198 total yards of offense against Oklahoma, but turned things around by having 491 total yards of offense against Texas Southern in the Miners’ 51-10 win last week. It won’t be a walk in the park for Michigan, but it certainly needs to stop UTEP’s offense enough for the Wolverines’ own offense to build a cushion and get rotational players in the game on both sides.
Generate pressure in the backfield
Generating backfield pressure hasn’t been difficult through two weeks for the Wolverines. In the first two games, Michigan has a combined five sacks and 14 tackles for loss. Oklahoma had four sacks and 10 tackles for loss against UTEP and completely neutralized the Miners’ offense.
The Wolverines’ defensive front is led by Dom Nichols, who has a team leading two sacks and three tackles for loss, with John Henry Daley also recording three tackles for loss. If those two players — alongside Troy Bowles, Nate Marshall and the entire front seven — can generate enough pressure, they’ll have the luxury of watching the second half from the sideline and resting up for Big Ten play.
