Keys to the Game: Michigan football at Northwestern 

Michigan travels to Chicago this week to face a Northwestern team that has improved since a 23-3 loss to Tulane to open the season, but still isn’t among even the second-, probably third-tier teams in the Big Ten. The Wildcats played USC tough for a half on the a road, and they bring the effort — they’re just not as talented as most of the teams they play, often giving them a disadvantage when they take the field.

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Still … Michigan can’t afford to overlook anyone, and even the Trojans had to earn what they got offensively against them. The Wolverines aren’t good enough to waltz in and take anyone for granted, and this team plays hard. 

“I don’t want them to have any plays. I want them to have zero plays … zero,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said when asked about some of the Wildcats’ bully ball tactics. “But we understand that’s the type of offense that they are, and we’ve just got to be physical. 

“The D-line’s been challenged. The linebackers have been challenged. Everybody understands what type of game it’s going to be … we’ve got to match the physicality and really oversee that.”

Here are the keys to a Michigan win over the Wildcats Saturday at Wrigley Field …

Michigan Key No. 1 — Match the intensity from the get-go

Last year, the Wolverines came out swinging after the bye week and embarrassed Northwestern in a 50-6 win. It was a stunning beatdown that provided hope the Wolverines could give Ohio State a game the following week in Columbus … and they did, winning 13-10. 

Head coach David Braun is going to be playing the revenge and respect cards, and the Wildcats are going to want to take the fight to this Michigan team out of the gate. The Northwestern offensive line has had success moving good defensive lines off the ball — Penn State, USC — and while Michigan has been stout against the run this year, the Wolverines have also come out sluggish in allowing several teams to march the field on their first possessions. 

The best way to allow Northwestern to hang around is to let them get the momentum and have to play from behind. This is going to be a street-fight type of game, so you want to get the first punch.

Key No. 2 — Don’t let the Wildcats shorten the game with their running attack

This one is easier said than done. The Northwestern offensive line is big, physical, veteran, and capable, leading the way for a running attack that ranks 42nd in the FBS with 181.4 rushing yards per game, 30th in yards per carry at 4.9. Running back Caleb Komolafe has been the workhorse, averaging 5.1 yards per carry with a pair of 100-yard outings in his last two games. 

Furthermore, he’s adept at shortening down and distance with yards after contact (3.1). Tackling is going to be paramount. Make quarterback Preston Stone beat them in the pass game, and they’ll have a great shot to win. 

Michigan key No. 3 — ‘No one touches the quarterback’

That’s a weekly quote from our analyst Doug Skene, a former Michigan All-Big Ten offensive lineman. Though the line has improved run blocking, the Wolverines haven’t been good in pass protection this year. Even poor teams like Michigan State and Purdue got much more pressure than they should have.

Michigan freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood completes two-thirds of his passes when he’s not under pressure, less than 40 percent when he is. That pretty much tells the story of the passing game this year. Keep him clean, let him get comfortable, and this offense could start to click.

Michigan at Northwestern — The Breakdown 

Every game is a playoff game for the Wolverines at this point, and Moore believes his guys are ready for the fight. They’ve shown up guns blazing during practice, to the point that the coach has praised them daily for how they’ve gone about their business.

“The guys are on it,” the Michigan coach said Monday. “They’re on it. They’re on ‘P’s and ‘Q’s of everything they do — meetings, practice, how they tie their shoes, how the locker room looks — just every detail they want to make sure it’s right. And we want to make sure it’s right, because those are the things that help you win the game. It’s the how. It’s not the what.

“We’ve got to continue to emphasize that. That was the message yesterday in the team meeting. That was the message as we’ve gone through practice. It wasn’t as physical as the practice yesterday on purpose, but the speed was what we wanted to be, and we’ll just ramp it up as we go through the week.”

Now’s the time for the Wolverines to make a move and put it all together. Win this one and next week’s game at Maryland and Nov. 29 is going to be electric.