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After a long summer and with the season getting canceled then reinstated, Big Ten football is back and on opening week in primetime, Michigan football takes on No. 21 Minnesota on the road. Michigan is entering the season with plenty of questions on both sides of the football, with new starters at cornerback, the offensive line, and the most important position of them all, quarterback.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines starting the season with a big win over Minnesota would be a huge confidence boost as they head into a rivalry game against Michigan State next week. With not much wiggle room in a nine-game season and no non-conference games, each game just got more intense and important for every team in the Big Ten. Michigan would love nothing more than to go into Minnesota and take down the Golden Gophers and finally see how they can play in a real game instead of just having practices.
With kickoff in less than a week finally, here are the three things to watch for Michigan against Minnesota.
1. How will Michigan’s secondary fair against Minnesota’s passing offense?
Last season, Minnesota finished as the 27th ranked offense in the country. With two wide receivers finishing with over 1,200 yards and quarterback Tanner Morgan throwing for 3,253 with 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The bad news for Minnesota is one of those wide receivers is now in the NFL. The good news is the other, Rashod Bateman, opted back in after opting out earlier this year. Bateman had 60 catches for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.
Bateman’s return isn’t good for the Wolverine secondary, who lost cornerback Lavert Hill and now cornerback Ambry Thomas who opted out of the 2020 season to focus on the 2021 NFL Draft. With that, the only returning cornerback with starting experience is Vincent Gray. The other starting cornerback spot is still up for grabs as German Green, DJ Turner, and Andre Seldon are fighting it out in practice.
This inexperienced secondary will have its hands full with Bateman, but the good news for them is outside of Bateman, the receiving core for Minnesota isn’t as daunting. The next best returning wide receiver is Chris Autman-Bell who had 28 catches for 371 yards and five touchdowns last season. This secondary will be tested heavily and often by Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck. Morgan will have to find help elsewhere if Bateman finds himself in double coverage and with the Wolverines having the 10th best defense last season, even with new starters at the cornerback position, could be a tough matchup for Morgan to start the season out.
2. Will Joe Milton be the answer at quarterback?
After months of practice, quarterback Joe Milton will finally start for the first time in his career in Ann Arbor. Milton took on Dylan McCaffrey for the starting job and came out the winner, while McCaffrey would transfer out. Milton brings a different look at the position for the first time under Harbaugh with the possible playmaker that Milton can be with his arm as he can create big plays with the help of the speed he has at wide receiver.
Milton’s cannon of an arm will have to be on display as he tries to take on the Minnesota defense, which was ranked eighth last year but lost a lot of pieces. Milton will have plenty of weapons to throw to as well with a loaded backfield and receiver room, there is no lack of help for him to find on the field. The only question mark will be the offensive line and if they can keep Milton up and give him time to throw the football, Milton will be able to sling it deep on the Golden Gopher secondary.
Milton won’t need to put up big numbers in his first career start, but if his completion percentage can be positive, limit the turnovers, and avoid careless mistakes, it’s all the team can ask for if the others can do their job as well. The strong arm that Milton has will be on display and it’s something the Wolverines haven’t had in a long time. Milton making big plays can also instill more confidence in himself, especially on the road and against a ranked opponent.
3. Can Michigan get over the GameDay hump?
When all eyes are on the Wolverines, they seem to struggle. When Michigan is involved with a game that is on ESPN’s College GameDay show, they are 1-7 with their only win coming against Wisconsin in 2018. Another record that is 1-7 for Michigan is Harbaugh when he is on the road against a ranked opponent, his last win was also in 2018 against Michigan State.
Harbaugh has been able to defeat the teams they should beat, but when the challenge increases, that’s when Harbaugh and Michigan struggle. Road games are tough, but now with no fans in the crowd, there shouldn’t be too much of an advantage anymore. When the bright lights are on, Harbaugh and his team need to shine bright.
This matchup against Minnesota will be the first primetime game for the Big Ten this season and a win over an impressive Golden Gophers team would be a big help for the Wolverines who look to climb up the AP polls and be a team to talk about when the College Football Playoff polls begin on November 24. Harbaugh would get another win over a ranked opponent on the road and a win on Gameday in one week, two of his struggles taken down week one. One win won’t fix everything, but it can be the start of a huge season for the Wolverines.
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