Ad Disclosure
Michigan football: Wolverines face critical challenge vs. Northwestern
By Adam Biggers
Published:
Only Northwestern stands between destiny and Michigan: Remaining undefeated headed into rivalry week with Michigan State.
However, looking past the Wildcats would be a mistake for the No. 6-ranked Wolverines. Their “one game at a time” mantra — that of every team, really — has worked out well through the first 7 weeks of the season. Fresh off a bye, Michigan should come out with a rejuvenated feeling when it hosts an up-and-down team that was once thought to be a contender in the Big Ten West Division.
An efficient outing Saturday will, of course, set up the Wolverines nicely for rivalry week.
Northwestern and Michigan haven’t played since 2018, so it’ll be interesting to see how they interact this weekend. Michigan won that contest, 20-17. There isn’t anything more recent to compare this with, but it’s safe to assume that the Wildcats could be outmatched. They don’t have a signature win this season and have struggled to get their footing.
No. 12 in the B1G in scoring offense, Northwestern averages a meager 22 points per game. Defensively, they’re ranked No. 11 in the conference, allowing 23.8 points per game.
When it comes to rushing, the Wildcats are No. 7 in the Big Ten, averaging 169.7 yards per game. When it comes to stopping the rush, Northwestern is dead last in the B1G, giving up 205.7 yards per game.
Milestone moment for Cade
The Wolverines (6-0) are off to their best start since 2016, the year they started 9-0 before losing at Iowa. A win over Northwestern would continue the push toward a B1G championship and be a great learning experience for QB Cade McNamara, who would benefit from a statistical explosion after putting up a season-high 255 passing yards during a 32-29 win at Nebraska.
McNamara went 17-for-28 for 197 yards and 2 TDs against Wisconsin on Oct. 2 and completed 22-for-38 vs. Nebraska. He has only thrown 1 INT all year and has dramatically increased passing frequency throughout the past two weeks.
In the first 4 games this season, McNamara never threw more than 16 times in a game. Now with 66 attempts over his past 2 games, the junior has primed himself to really let it fly during the latter part of the season. If Michigan wants to remain in the race for a B1G banner, it’ll have to continue to expand its playbook and allow McNamara to test his arm.
Run game reboot
It has been 3 weeks since RB Blake Corum has rushed for 100 yards. The past three weeks, he turned in solid performances but nothing comparable to the first month of the season. Two weeks ago, he came close against Nebraska, rushing for 89 yards and a touchdown. He’ll have to get his wheels moving against Northwestern to be confident heading into the matchup Oct. 30 with the Spartans, who had trouble with Indiana RB Stephen Carr on Saturday in Bloomington.
If Corum can’t carry the weight, there’s always Hassan Haskins, who came through with 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns vs. the Huskers. Haskins averages 4.9 yards per touch and has scored 8 TDs this year, so the Wolverines have a potent 1-2 punch in the backfield. When they’re both in tune, Corum and Haskins make up the best RB tandem in the Big Ten.
Big picture for UM
Michigan has the pieces of a championship-caliber team. And for the next few weeks, the Wolverines will really see where they stack up in the grand pecking order of the Big Ten. At most, just one can remain undefeated. Michigan and MSU are the only ones left with a spotless record. Ohio State has lost. Penn State has lost.
Either UM or MSU will lose on Oct. 30 in East Lansing.
The Big Ten will look entirely different once the dust settles.
If Michigan wants to remain in that picture, it’ll have to make sure it takes care of business against Northwestern, which would love nothing more than to score a signature victory while ruining the Wolverines’ season.
Adam Biggers brings his expertise on the Michigan beat to Saturday Tradition. Follow him on Twitter @AdamBiggers81.