All is not lost, though the Michigan Wolverines were left with plenty to think about after getting completely outplayed at Oklahoma. The offense looked worryingly similar to last year’s inept unit and the defense was not the reliable pillar it needed to be. Still, the Sooners are likely to be one of the better teams Michigan faces this season, and the contrast will feel dramatic when the Central Michigan Chippewas arrive this Saturday.
The Wolverines should have no problem getting past CMU, the 119th-ranked
team per SP+. This could be a get-right game for just about the entire team, as would also had been the case for Sherrone Moore, who received plenty of criticism over the past week. Unfortunately, this will be the first half of Moore’s two-game suspension; hopefully he returns to a 3-1 team that has righted the ship.
Central Michigan (1-1) at No. 23 Michigan (1-1)
Date & Time: Saturday, Sep. 13, noon ET
Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
TV/Streaming: BTN
This is actually just the fifth game between the in-state programs, which is a lower total than with the other two directional schools. Michigan’s most recent of the four wins came in the 2013 opener, a 59-9 beatdown behind rushing scores from Fitz Toussaint, Derrick Green, and Thomas Rahls. Devin Gardner also had a rushing touchdown, as well as one through the air to Jeremy Gallon, though he did throw a couple picks. Shane Morris threw an interception too…ok, enough time spent on the Brady Hoke era.
Offense: Comfort food
Regardless of what PFF or the national media might say, Bryce Underwood should not be the lightning rod for the offense’s struggles in Norman. Yes, he missed some throws, but the play calling was quite questionable and the offensive line is clearly limiting Chip Lindsey’s flexibility. Perhaps that means Michigan needs Underwood to overcome these deficiencies, but that is not something this team seems willing to do — and should not need to do so this weekend.
The Chips certainly would certainly provide the opportunity for the freshman quarterback to feast, as Pittsburgh’s Eli Holstein went for 304 yards on 10.9 YPA and four touchdowns and one pick last week, but the Panthers also ran for 4.8 YPC, which should allow the Wolverines to keep it simple and march down the field on the ground. This is a boring approach, but one consistent with how nearly every non-conference game has gone against a mid-major this decade.
While pass blocking is what concerns me more, I do see Saturday as an opportunity for the offensive line to establish itself, even if Giovanni El-Hadi is out. A couple CMU defenders earned Preseason All-MAC honors, including linebackers Jordan Kwiatkowski and Dakota Cochran, but the lack of strong defensive tackles should give Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall plenty to work with. We might not learn a ton about the line this game, but a good outing is a good outing, and dominating on the ground is sure to make the suspended Moore pleased.
Defense: High expectations
On one hand, things could have looked a lot uglier if Oklahoma did not make so many mistakes, but at the same time, the Michigan defense was so close to having a significantly better day. Instead, John Mateer was unstoppable, leading to existential questions on how good this defense actually is and if it is reliable enough to anchor the floor of this team (as necessitated by the offense’s struggles).
Like the offense, the defense will not get a chance to fully prove itself when facing an anemic CMU attack, but that does not mean people will not be paying attention on this side of the ball. The secondary still could use some reps (including Rod Moore??) and there are definitely going to be plenty of passes thrown by whichever quarterback the Chips choose to send out at a given moment. CMU is bottom-20 in passing yards per game but is averaging 7.3 YPA, so the defense will need to be ready for some unabashed attempts.
That being said, I think the Chips are going to run more than one would expect from a significant underdog. I looked into this matchup a bit earlier this week, including the 41-to-27 run-pass split against Pitt that yielded just 1.72 YPC. The running backs are fairly mediocre, and while there could be some action from the quarterbacks in the run game, none of them are anything like Mateer. I really cannot see much working when the visitors have the ball on Saturday.
One game at a time
Look, I get it. This is an overmatched, local opponent the week after a humbling shutdown in primetime. This game is probably boring, but the Wolverines could use a boring win with Nebraska, Wisconsin, USC, and Washington up as the next four games. Michigan more or less has to win all four in order to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive, meaning there is no room for any struggles this weekend.
Even if the game itself is mostly forgettable, the odds are high that Underwood does make an impressive throw or two that gets everyone excited again. But until the coaching staff shows that the playbook is truly evolved, it is hard to believe this will translate against better opponents. Therefore, a big day on the ground and a complete smothering by the defense, starting at the line, would be enough to quiet the complaining for a week.
