The Michigan Wolverines beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers 30-27 on the road this past Saturday giving them a mark of 3-1, 1-0 in the Big Ten and ranked 19th in the country going into the open week.

THE GOOD

The Wolverine offensive line has improved week after week and the unit was at its best at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln on Saturday as the Wolverines rushed for 290 yards, averaging 9.4 yards per rush against the Cornhuskers. The Wolverines offensive line also only surrendered 1 sack during the game, keeping the Nebraska pass rush in check.

Michigan’s defensive front has also become stronger as the season has gone along, recording 7 sacks against Nebraska and 15 hurries on 41 dropbacks from Dylan Raiola. The Nebraska rushing attack was mediocre as star back Emmett Johnson rushed for 65 yards on 19 carries, averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. Jaishawn Barham playing on the edge opened up a lot for the defense as he recorded a sack and two TFLs. The trenches should prove to be Michigan’s strength this year.

THE BAD

The conservative play calling whenever Michigan is playing against any real competition has become a pattern which is extremely concerning because we saw the downsides of this overly conservative play calling against Oklahoma. When the coaches have allowed Bryce Underwood to use his legs or get him easy completions early, he’s been more effective and the offense has been less predictable. 

Michigan’s passing game was once again held under 200 yards which is once again becoming an issue. The wide receivers have been awful through 4 games this year with the struggles to consistently get open and the dropped passes. The coaching staff has also failed to call plays that get tight end Marlin Klein involved which has truly hurt the passing game because Klein seems to be the team’s best receiver. If the Wolverines can’t fix the passing game, then the playoff is no longer a real possibility. 

NEXT WEEK

The Wolverines are idle this week as they get head coach Sherrone Moore back in the building for the rest of the season. They have a week to self scout and fix the team’s problems before they take on the Wisconsin Badgers on October 4th at the Big House.