Utah visits Ann Arbor this weekend, likely, as the best opponent to play in the Big House this season. Although this game doesn’t mean too much for the Wolverines, getting a little winning streak going can’t hurt the confidence of a young team. Regardless if this game doesn’t factor into the B1G Championship it is a very intriguing matchup on paper and should be one of the best games around the country this week.
Utah’s defense is extremely untested so far on this young season. The Utes have played two cupcakes and have dispatched with them as expected. Even though Utah has been known to have a stout front 7 the past few years, this year’s squad seems undersized and vulnerable to be overpowered by competent offensive lines. The jury is still out on whether Michigan fits into that category, but so far results tend to be leaning towards yes. While the Utah run defense will not be the most formidable the Wolverines will face this season, consistent offensive line push would be another step towards separating from the 2013 disaster. I expect Michigan to be able to run the ball reasonably well. Since Utah’s base defense is the 4-2-5, the offensive line could be confused in their blocking schemes in the beginning, but by the 2nd half Derrick Green and De’Veon Smith should have room to run. Perhaps the most interesting matchup when Michigan has the ball will be how the Wolverines block Nate Orchard. A 6’4” 255 pounds DE/LB hybrid type player, Orchard is Utah’s version of Jake Ryan. We have seen the terror Ryan can cause while rushing the passer. If Cole and Braden can hold up to the speed rushes on the edge Devin should be able to keep his eyes downfield where big completions await (even if Funchess is kept on the sidelines again). Utah’s coaching staff knows their weakness is in their man coverage in the secondary and will try to bring many different look blitzes at the young offensive line and Gardner. This should be a great stepping stone test for the big uglies up front as Michigan State week gets closer. The line will need good communication to stop free blitzers on Devin, and if this can happen Michigan should top 30 points. If Gardner is getting flushed from the pocket consistently.. well we all know what can (and probably will) happen.
When Utah has the ball…
Michigan should be able to move the ball reasonably well against Utah, but the most anticipated matchup comes when Michigan is on defense. Utah is scoring nearly a point a minute en route to their 2-0 start. Yes the competition has been lacking, but nearing a 60 point average is impressive. The Utes will run a high tempo spread offense (think 2013 Indiana). Remember how the Wolverine’s defense looked in that one? Utah has two receivers that complement each other really well. Dres Anderson is one of the best receivers in the country and is the definition of speedy deep threat, and Dawan Scott is an under-rated possession receiver. After the cornerbacks continually got beat by Notre Dame’s 2nd and 3rd options, these two should terrify any Michigan fan. It will be interesting to see how the Wolverines adjust their coverage. Press coverage was drastically reduced last week against an inferior opponent, so look for Michigan to drop more into zone coverage to try to have turnover prone Wilson orchestrate long drives down the field. The pass rush has been consistent so far this season, but has yielded little results in the score book. Look for the sack numbers to increase this week as Utah wants to run long routes with Anderson and Scott down the field. I expect Frank Clark to finally break into the sack column, and possibly for one of the inside guys to join him as well. I am very excited to see how the young corners (Peppers and Lewis) match up with two of the best receivers they will see all season. The Peppers hype could reach even more insane proportions if he holds his own tomorrow.
Even though portions of the Miami game were frustrating, I didn’t think the Wolverines came out flat. Beating a bad MAC team by 50+ would have been more enjoyable, but I do think the Maize and Blue got better last weekend. At this point that is a bigger win than the one on the scoreboard. This week will offer a good measuring stick to see if the embarrassment in South Bend was a fluke or this Wolverine team really has no chance of beating the other two rivals later on this year.
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