Michigan has a test on its hands Saturday when Army rolls into town for a Noon ET game at the Big House (TV:FOX). Playing Army is always a pain because of its old-school option rushing attack, so it will be interesting to see how this one plays out.

No. 7-ranked Michigan is 1-0 after a 40-21 win over Middle Tennessee last weekend that really wasn’t that close. Army opened with a win as well, beating Rice 14-7. The Cadets only threw 8 passes all day and rushed 56 times for 231 yards. Expect more of the same on Saturday.

Here are five things I want to see from Michigan against Army:

1. If Shea Patterson isn’t healthy, then don’t play him

Senior quarterback Shea Patterson got hit early in last week’s game and seemed to battle through some sort of ailment. It’s been kept hush-hush for the most part — is it ribs, knee, back??? —and they say he’ll be good to go for Saturday. But should he? If he’s not 100 percent, then let him sit this one out and give Dylan McCaffrey his shot. With a huge Big Ten opener just two weeks away at Wisconsin, taking this week off and then getting better through the rare early bye week might get him back to 100 percent. That’s something that might make a difference during the course of the season.

2. Show some respect for the Army football team

Let’s not forget that Army went 11-2 last year and one of those losses was at No. 5 Oklahoma, where the Cadets lost 28-21 in overtime. They can be a pain to deal with on offense because Michigan never sees that triple-option attack anymore. But what often gets overlooked with this Army team is that their defense can really get after you at times as well. This is one of those “be careful” games, to be sure.

3. And go end Army’s 14-game winning streak

Michigan is a 22-point favorite, and the sharps all think the Wolverines are a good lean because they will be able to play great on defense. I’m not entirely sure that’s true, so we’ll have to see how that plays out. As we say often, there can be no slip-ups on this schedule if the end goal — earning a College Football Playoff spot — is to be accomplished. Army coach Jeff Monken has a 14-game winning streak and it’s the second-longest streak in the nation, behind only No. 1-ranked Clemson. It’s going to be on the Michigan defense to stand strong and not let Army get on a roll.

4. Watch the continued growth of freshmen

I love what Zach Charbonnet is going to be at Michigan, so that means every game will bring a bit of excitement over what he’s going to do. The freshman running back had a great debut, gaining 90 yards on just 11 carries. I’m really looking forward to seeing more from him,

5. Simply put, just be better

After the slow start, I actually thought Michigan’s offense looked pretty good once it got rolling. The three long touchdown passes are a good sign that some big strikes will occur under new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. Army’s defense will provide a good test, so it’s going to be interesting to see if the Wolverines look any better on offense. “A win is a win, but I don’t think anyone in that locker room felt like we lived up to our standard,” Patterson said after last Saturday’s win. “We’ve got to play better. I’ve got to play better.” We all agree, and now let’s see it.