2. Can the secondary step up to the challenge?
There were plenty of mistakes made in the loss to Michigan State, but none were brighter than the secondary and what the unit let MSU quarterback Rocky Lombardi do. Wide receiver Ricky White had eight catches for 196 yards and a touchdown. The week before, the group let Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman have nine catches for 101 yards. It wasn’t surprising Bateman got those catches and yards, but nobody expected White to have a huge game.
The secondary has new starters at cornerback: Vincent Gray and Gemon Green. They were tested and will keep being tested all season long. The word is out that Michigan is struggling to cover the pass, and the Wolverines don’t seem to have many answers on how they can fix it. The challenge this week will be trying to cover Indiana’s wide receivers Whop Philyor and Ty Fryfogle, and with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. throwing the ball, it will not be any easier.
Michigan has a talented defensive line and linebackers, and while pressure can help the secondary, if the front seven can’t do its job, the secondary needs to do its own. Those other players aren’t responsible for the secondary’s struggles, and while they can certainly help, the passing game lives and dies with the players at cornerback and safety. If the secondary can’t figure out what issues they have fast, this defense could be the worst ever under defensive coordinator Don Brown at Michigan.