Already through two weeks, the No. 23 Michigan football team has been tested. Just like a season ago, the Wolverines start the season with a 1-1 record after beating an unranked opponent at home and then losing to a ranked opponent in the SEC.
Although the circumstances were different — losing to then-No. 1 Texas at home last year by a large margin and against then-No. 18 Oklahoma on the road by a slimmer margin this year — Michigan finds itself, yet again, playing against an unranked opponent in Week 3.
Following two different performances to start the year, the Wolverines are looking to rebound against Central Michigan after looking stagnant offensively and moderately lackadaisical defensively.
Will the Wolverines follow the pattern from a year ago, or will they lose a game unexpectedly and go down a different path? Only the final score of Saturday’s game can answer that question, but there are some other important questions to which the answers will impact the outcome.
Can Chip Lindsey turn the offense back around?
This category might look a little familiar to something mentioned before Week 1. But it remains true. After a solid showing against New Mexico from both freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood through the air and also junior running back Justice Haynes with multiple explosive runs, Week 2 saw a much more stagnant offense from Michigan.
Aside from one explosive 75-yard touchdown run from Haynes, the only touchdown of the game, the Wolverines didn’t establish their running game. A typical staple of the program turned into a liability as Michigan averaged less than 3 yards per carry.
The glaring issue for the Wolverines against Oklahoma and for they to focus on in Week 3 — even against a weaker, non-Big Ten opponent — is staying on schedule so it doesn’t get behind the sticks on third down.
“That’s the story of the game, our goal is to be 50% on third down and we weren’t that and therefore we didn’t get to stay on the field,” Michigan offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said Wednesday about conversions against the Sooners. “Their offense plays more plays, everything kind of ties together. So for us, we didn’t play to our standard, that’s for sure. The standard I expect us to play here at Michigan and the standard that I have set for our offense.”
A combination of the offensive line struggling to open up gaps for the running backs to go through, and getting behind the sticks, kept the Wolverines’ offense on the sideline for much of the game against the Sooners. So against the Chippewas, more time establishing the running game and bringing back similar success through the air can be good foreshadowing for the weeks to come.
Will Bryce Underwood be more dynamic?
To say Underwood hasn’t been dynamic would be a fallacy. He had 251 yards on a 68% completion rate with a touchdown in his debut. But against Oklahoma he had just 142 yards on a 38% completion rate and had frequent miscommunications that alluded to growing pains for the young quarterback.
It’s likely Underwood will have more success through the air as a consequence of playing less formidable opponents, but playing a team like Central Michigan could be a chance to see if Underwood can get things going with his legs.
“Quarterback runs are in our game plan every week,” Lindsey said. “In fact, last week, for three we had to give the ball just based on what the defense was doing. Another was a design keep run that we didn’t block correctly. So we’ll continue to have that opportunity. It’s definitely something we want to showcase when possible and when it makes sense. And Bryce is very capable of doing a great job with that.”
Underwood being effective on the ground is contingent on the success of the offensive line. They need to step up their game for both the running backs and Underwood to be successful. Even though Michigan obviously doesn’t want its quarterback to get injured, establishing him in the run game against a weaker opponent and showing off his dynamic abilities could lead to a more versatile offense against stronger opponents.
Underwood doesn’t need to be perfect by any means to take down the Chippewas — but for him to show off more of his skillset could open things up more down the road.
Is that three quarterbacks?
That’s right, Central Michigan will likely trot out Joe Labas, Jadyn Glasser and Angel Flores to all play under center at some point on Saturday.
The Chippewas are under the direction of coach Matt Drinkall who is in his first year with the program after spending the past six years with Army. The Black Knights are known for their dedication to the run game, so naturally Army has attempted a dozen less passes through two weeks compared to the Wolverines. But if their three-quarterback system is any indication, Central Michigan is confident that with any of the three of them in the game, the offense will run fluidly.
“When you watch the tape, there is no rhyme or reason why they would do it,” Michigan linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary said Wednesday. “(Rather than) one is the thrower, one is the runner, one is the short yardage guy — they’re all equally as good at running the ball and throwing the ball. Stats might say one does it better than the other, but all three of the quarterbacks operate the offense at a high level.”
While playing three quarterbacks might be seen as a lack of consistency for Central Michigan, it brings unpredictability. The Wolverines better have studied up on their film, because each time a different quarterback goes out, an entirely different package with the same level of effectiveness enters the competition — granted for a MAC school.
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Drinkall was in Michigan Stadium when Army nearly took down Michigan in 2019 after the game went to double overtime. Even though he’s with a different program now and at the helm, the physical mentality he was once a part of could come to Ann Arbor and take over the Wolverines.
Saturday’s game can either be a repeat of 2019 against Army, or it will be a rebound game for Michigan looking to move past its Week 2 woes.
The post What to watch for: Central Michigan appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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