After a rough loss to Notre Dame in Week 1, Michigan football bounced back in a big way, blowing the doors off Western Michigan.
The questions mark were swirling around Michigan football after its season-opening loss to Notre Dame on the road. Jim Harbaugh fielded plenty at the post-game presser, but many were questioning his ability to lead this program back to national relevance.
The Wolverines silenced some doubters, at least for the time being, smashing visiting Western Michigan on Saturday afternoon.
Western Michigan didn’t exactly stand a chance as the Broncos are a far cry from what they were two years ago under P.J. Fleck. They were unable to get anything going offensively against that elite Wolverine defense while Michigan’s offense was scoring at will.
The game was over by halftime but Michigan fans were more than happy to see the blowout continue in the final 30 minutes.
Here’s what we learned from the win.
3. The defense is exactly what we thought it was
Elite. If there’s one word that can accurately describe the Wolverines’ defense, it’s just that. Michigan knows how to smother opponents and the Wolverines showed that in the second half against Notre Dame and carried that tenacity over to Week 2 against Western Michigan.
Michigan held the Broncos in check all game long and they preserved the shutout until the final three minutes against the in-state foe.
LeVante Bellamy had a decent day running the ball but the Broncos found themselves down 21-0 in the blink of an eye, so the run game was abandoned early on and he wasn’t given much of a chance to add to his impressive numbers.
Other than that, the Wolverines didn’t give up much of anything to Western Michigan and held Jon Wassink in check.
This defense is scary, but no surprise there.