Michigan Wolverines: Top 3 Takeaways From Championship Week
The Michigan Wolverines comfortably dispatched the Iowa Hawkeyes to win their third straight Big Ten Championship.
What did we learn about Michigan this weekend?
Iowa’s Offense Was Never A Threat
As was expected, the Michigan Wolverines were never threatened by the toothless offense of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Michigan flexed its muscles on defense, holding Iowa to only seven first downs and 155 total yards. The Wolverines had the ball for nearly 37 minutes, and Iowa ran just 56 total plays, averaging 2.8 yards per play. The Hawkeyes wanted to run the ball, but Michigan locked down the line of scrimmage, limiting Iowa to only 35 yards rushing. The longest rushing play of the night for the Iowa Hawkeyes was a six-yard rush for Leshon Williams. In addition to preventing Iowa from moving the ball, the Michigan defense aided the offense, setting up the Wolverines with a short field after a fumble recovery. The outcome was predictable but impressive.
Is It Time To Worry About Michigan’s Offense?The Michigan Wolverines won the game 26-0, and the outcome was never in doubt. Still, concerns about the Michigan offense are very valid. Michigan had the ball for 36:53 of game time and ran 64 plays. With all that time of possession, they only managed 213 yards of offense. That’s just 3.3 yards per play, and they were limited to 66 yards rushing. The lack of explosiveness from the offense is a concerning trend. Blake Corum ran the ball 16 times for 52 yards to lead the attack, but the central issue was a complete absence of a downfield passing attack. J.J. McCarthy threw the ball 30 times, completing 22 passes and gaining 147 yards. The longest pass completion was 14 yards. This game was not much different than the Wolverines’ win over Penn State. They did not need to stretch the field, so they didn’t even attempt to. It’s fair to question whether this attack is capable of that, and will the lack of a dynamic passing attack cost Michigan a national title?
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Blue Blood Clash On Deck
After the win over Iowa and Georgia’s loss to Alabama, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee elevated Michigan to the number one seed. Michigan would have been heavy favorites against the wounded Florida State Seminoles. Still, the ACC Champions were left out, and the SEC Champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide, were moved into the No. 4 seed. That means the Michigan Wolverines must get past Nick Saban and the Tide to break through and win a College Football Playoff Semifinal. This is the third straight season that Michigan has been in the playoff. They fell the previous two seasons without a win. Michigan is a slight favorite, with the line at -1.5 (BetMGM). Alabama has improved dramatically throughout the season, with quarterback Jalen Milroe getting more comfortable in the offense and his rushing skills being unleashed more by the coaching staff. The Wolverines versus the Crimson Tide in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl is a blue-blood showdown in an iconic location.
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