The Michigan Wolverines (4-1, 2-0) will travel to Seattle to face the Washington Huskies (3-2, 1-1) in a Big Ten matchup (and rematch of the 2023 National Championship) on October 5 on NBC. Both teams have been somewhat disappointing this season, so this game could become a statement win for either side.
Washington opens as 2.5-point favorites at home. This will be the 15th meeting between the two programs, with Michigan holding a 9-5 record all-time over Washington.
Words from the first-year head coaches
Both Washington and Michigan lost their head coaches after the national championship. Washington lost Kalen Deboar to Alabama, while Michigan lost Jim Harbaugh to the Los Angeles Chargers. Jedd Fisch comes in from Arizona for Washington, while Sherrone Moore was an internal hire for Michigan. Both teams have undergone much change since their game in early January, so expect this game to look a lot different than the national championship game.
Sherrone Moore has a lot of respect for this talented Washington team, and he didn’t hesitate to express that in his weekly presser.
“They’re just a really good football team,” began Moore. “Start with the quarterback, Rogers. He’s played a lot of football. Hasn’t thrown any interceptions, doesn’t turn it over. Got a great arm and can make all the throws. The offenses is really good, the running back runs hard and physical and it’s a West Coast offense, kind of like ours that could do multiple things. Defensively they’re gonna play man coverage. They’re gonna press the box. They’re gonna Be all up in your face. We gotta do a good job getting separation.”
The Huskies are a good football team; and playing in their home stadium will be challenging. Washington plays a good brand of football that Michigan could struggle with, so matching up with them and capitalizing on weaknesses will be difficult.
Moore also had a lot to say after a tight win last weekend against Minnesota. There is a lot of film that the team can look at to improve; particularly on a couple key plays where they let the game slip away both offensively and defensively. Clock management, playcalling, and execution needs to be better against Washington.
WATCH: Michigan coach Sherrone Moore Washington week press conference #GoBlue https://t.co/QXNMMmO8Ph pic.twitter.com/018GbacrnE
— TheWolverine.com (@TheWolverineOn3) September 30, 2024
For Washington, coach Fisch has gotten out to an underwhelming start for the national championship runner-ups. However, he will look to use this game to get his team going in the right direction. Fisch has this to say about this new-look Michigan team.
“I think that they certainly run the football exceptionally well,” Fisch stated. “Sherrone has been there six years. That’s his run game. He got there [two years] after I left [Michigan as an assistant coach from 2015-16]. He was the tight ends coach, then the O-line coach, then the O.C. During that time, you could see how he built it from outside in. The tight ends became an elite group, then the offensive line became an elite group and then the whole offense last year was very hard to stop. They’re continuing to run the ball at an exceptionally high level.”
Fisch then went on to talk about the team’s defense, which has been a staple of the Wolverines in recent years.
“Defensively, they really have run the Baltimore Ravens’ defense now since 2021,” Fisch said. “When [former Michigan and Arizona defensive coordinator] Don Brown came to Arizona, they hired Mike Macdonald, and then from Mike Macdonald to Jesse Minter, Jesse Minter to Don Martindale. All three of them were together in Baltimore, so they run the Ravens’ defense, so you’ve gotta deal with one of the best defenses, I guess in the world, pro football.”
Fisch has a lot of respect for Moore and what he’s been able to do at Michigan for the past six years, working his way up through the program. He knows the challenge when game planning for one of the defenses most similar to an NFL defense. And as a former NFL coach, he will know precisely how to prepare his guys.
Key Players for Michigan
Offensively, for the Wolverines, it will be the toughest challenge of the year for Alex Orji. Orji will be asked to throw the ball downfield this week with growing confidence and more accurately than he did the last two weeks.
At running back, Kalel Mullings has cemented himself as the starting back and proved that was the right decision last weekend against Minnesota. His performance is the main driving force for this team. Michigan has no chance if he can’t break off big physical runs.
Week 3: 15 car., 153 yds, 2 TD
Week 4: 17 car., 159 yds, 2 TD
Week 5: 24 car., 111 yds, 2 TDKalel Mullings just continues to pick up big yards and find the end zone 😤#B1GFootball x @UMichFootball pic.twitter.com/BVESAyrxuk
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 28, 2024
On the receiving end, tight end Colston Loveland will again be vital as an over-the-middle and downfield threat. Also, the absence of wide receiver Semaj Morgan last weekend proved how thin Michigan is at receiver, so his presence alone will be a big boost for this team.
On the offensive line, left tackle Myles Hinton may be out with an injury. Hinton has been the team’s best offensive lineman this season and their go-to guy to run behind in the run game. His absence could make running the ball difficult.
Defensively, Will Johnson and Josiah Stewart will return after missing last week with injuries. Their absence was felt as this defensive unit is getting wrecked with injuries. Having them against Washington would be massive.
Last weekend, Mason Graham showed the world why he is arguably the best prospect in the draft with his stellar performance. Look for him to have another big week.
At cornerback, Jyaire Hill is settling into his role as the team’s CB2, and he is excelling. Last weekend, he made an acrobatic interception to put the Wolverines in a great field position.
Jyaire Hill. My goodness.pic.twitter.com/jvpupEaPgb
— The Rivalry Podcast (@RivalPod) September 28, 2024
Linebackers Jaishawn Barham and Ernest Hausman have struggled to start the year. However, both have improved as the year continues. While Barham still has some missed tackle issues, he is slowly eliminating them week after week.
Key Players for Washington
Transfer quarterback Will Rogers has been phenomenal for the Huskies. He has a completion percentage of 75 with 10 touchdowns to zero interceptions in five games.
Jonah Coleman, a top running back prospect in this year’s draft, has also burst onto the scene. He has complied 627 scrimmage yards while averaging over seven yards per touch.
Denzel Boston and former Michigan wide receiver Giles Jackson have been the go-to receivers for Washington. They have over 800 receiving yards combined, and eight of the team’s touchdowns. Washington possesses an explosive offensive, matching even the best in college football.
Defensively for the Huskies, their line are the stars of the show. Their edge rushers are a formidable group, and their depth at the position allows them to constantly rotate this position. Voi Tunuffi is the group’s best player. Meanwhile, Carson Bruener has been one of the best linebackers in the nation this year, both in pass coverage and run defense.
In the secondary, cornerback Thaddeus Dixon headlines the group as their best player. After losing a lot of defensive talent through the transfer portal, Washington did an excellent job of developing internal talent after losing a significant portion to the transfer portal last offseason.
Keys for Michigan to Win
Run the ball effectively
Whether or not the Washington run defense has been good or bad, Michigan has to be able to run the ball effectively. If they cannot run the ball, they will not be able to win this game. The passing offense is not at the level it needs for them to win without the run game.
The team must rely on Mullings chunk plays to bring them in the redzone. Along with the Orji and Donovan Edwards, this team will rely heavily on these three guys to create mostly their entire offensive yardage on Saturday.
Wide receivers need to get separation
This is a becoming an every week conversation for this unit. Still, the wide receivers have not been able to get any separation this year. It has severely limited the passing offense regardless of quarterback play.
With Michigan being so run-dependent, the wide receivers need to give Washington a reason to respect the passing game, or they will be able to stack the box on every play against the Wolverines. Players like Semaj Morgan, Tyler Morris, and Fred Moore will have to start creating separation. That is, if this offense has any hopes of moving the ball down the field consistently and not relying on good field position through defensive turnovers like they did last week.
Force Washington to kick field goals
This Washington offense is too good to be contained for the entire game. The Huskies had 521 yards of total offense last weekend versus Rutgers. This explosive and dynamic offense will be a tough test, even for this physical Michigan defense.
Washington will get into Michigan territory and the redzone often in this game. Yet, forcing them to kick field goals not only dampens the offense but potentially keeps points off the board. Washington kicker Grady Gross missed three field goals against Rutgers and is kicking just 63.6 percent on field goals this year. His career-long is also only 47 yards.
If Michigan can force Washington to kick 35+ yard field goals offense, it could keep points off the board long enough for the Wolverines’ offense to grow a lead.
