Michigan football is coming into Week 2 with a lot of questions about the offense. Western Michigan could be a good opponent to build confidence against.
Michigan Wolverines football can’t seem to get over the quarterback woes of the Jim Harbaugh era. Since Denard Robinson left Ann Arbor, it seems Michigan has just been a revolving door of mediocre at best quarterback play.
Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson was 20-of-30 for 227 yards and an interception but didn’t have any impactful plays during the game. Poor offensive line play also attributed to a bad night overall for the Wolverines, but they could have the medicine they need to get things back on track facing the Broncos.
The Broncos made the Syracuse offense look like one of the best in the nation. They gave up over 200 yards rushing to quarterback Eric Dungey, and the Orange averaged over five yards per carry and scored five rushing touchdowns.
Can the Wolverines get things going on the ground in this matchup? The odds are in their favor and I expect Harbaugh to try his best to keep Patterson in the 15-20 attempts range and use the Wolverines depth at running back.
Date: September 8
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Venue: Michigan Stadium
TV: FOX Sports 1
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go or FuboTV
Keys to Victory
For the Wolverines to avoid the upset at home they will have to take the ball out of Patterson’s hands. The Broncos had one of the worst defensive performances of the weekend, and I fully expect Karan Higdon to run for over 100 yards and find the end zone twice in this game.
Western Michigan will be smart to line up talented wideout Dwayne Eskridge all over the field. The Wolverines have one of the best secondaries in the country, and simply keeping Eskridge on the outside could hurt the Broncos chances of moving the ball down the field consistently. If they can get him into a few favorable matchups it could lead to quick points.
Betting Odds
Courtesy of OddsShark
Point Spread: Michigan -28
Over/Under: 56.5
Prediction
Although Michigan’s offense laid a stinker against the Fighting Irish, the fans will have a lot to cheer about after this game. The Wolverines offense has more talent top to bottom than Syracuse (even at quarterback), so I’m making a safe assumption that the Wolverines can get to at least 42 points in this one.
Their defense will shut down the Broncos passing attack, and if they are faced with long third down situations the Wolverines front seven will put enough pressure on Western Michigan quarterback Jon Wassink to force a few turnovers. The Wolverines should secure an easy win and have this game wrapped up by the middle of the fourth.
Final Score: Western Michigan 14, Michigan 49