Not so fast. Before Michigan fans get too excited about Saturday’s rain-shortened 34-10 victory over Western Michigan, let’s take a few things under consideration.
First of all, Western Michigan is not Notre Dame, Michigan State, Wisconsin, or even Nebraska.
The Broncos are a better-than-average MAC team, blessed with a quarterback and receiver who are most likely NFL-bound.
Sure, they have a defensive line with one of those fancy nicknames. At first glance, none of “Team Train Wreck” came close to sacking Michigan’s quarterback.
A few huge plays—a pair on offense, and a pair on defense—primarily made Michigan’s day.
A 43-yard run by Fitz Toussaint, followed by a 44-yard dash by Michael Shaw, provided a chunk of the Wolverines’ offense.
Linebacker Brandon Herron saved a so-so defensive performance with an interception and a fumble recovery, returning both for touchdowns.
Michigan’s pass rush came mainly from blitzes, as the front four rarely pressured Carder.
“Defensively, we've got some things we need to shore up,” head coach Brady Hoke told the Michigan Sports Network postgame show. “We need to shore up where we are on the support, when they want to run the ball outside and some things inside."
The offense, on the other hand, adjusted to the new scheme fairly well. Robinson looked comfortable leading the Wolverines on a pair of long scoring drives. In total, Robinson ran for 46 yards and passed for 98 in just less than three quarters of work.
As was expected, Michigan’s running backs were more productive. Both Toussaint and Shaw ran with authority, and the offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage at times.
Defensively, Troy Woolfolk injured the opposite ankle to the one that caused him to miss the entire 2010 season. It’s unsure if he’ll be ready for Notre Dame Saturday night. Losing Woolfolk again would be a tough blow, since Michigan isn’t deep at the cornerback position.
As it was, Western Michigan’s Jordan White caught 12 passes for 119 yards, and quarterback Alex Carder completed 22 of 31 for 183 yards and the one interception. Another positive note for Michigan was the absence of any big plays by the Broncos. WMU’s longest run was a 24-yarder by Tevin Drake, and the longest pass play was just 20 yards.
"We're getting there,” added Michigan safety Jordan Kovacs. “It was shaky at first, no doubt. I think that this film will be pretty good for us to look at so that we can improve before our next game."
There’s no question Brady Hoke and his staff have made progress, but measuring it under the guise of “Team Train Wreck” is hardly appropriate.
Let’s at least wait until Michigan faces a “legitimate” test, which could come this Saturday against Notre Dame, who lost a shocker to South Florida, 23-20.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/834279-michigan-football-is-ann-arbors-optimism-a-bit-premature
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