Where Michigan’s offense needs to improve before the Rose Bowl

In addition to winning the Big Ten Championship for the third time in a row, Michigan also punched their ticket to the College Football Playoffs on December 2 with a 26-0 victory over Iowa.

The Wolverines will face Alabama in the CFP semifinal on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl. For any side, this is a protracted break, and the actions taken by both programmes in December will have a significant influence on how they play each other on January 1.

In addition to watching Alabama’s film, Michigan is aware of the areas in which they fundamentally need to improve in the weeks preceding the Rose Bowl.

Even though Michigan’s victory over Iowa included a shutout and a defensive masterwork, the offence struggled at times against a superior Iowa defence. The offence of Michigan averaged 3.3 yards per play, which was a low for the team since 2014. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy was sacked four times, and there were problems with pass protection as well.

After defeating Iowa, head coach Jim Harbaugh stated, “Uncharacteristically, we had some drops and uncharacteristically, we had some protection issues and things that we’ll work on.”

Michigan’s test against Iowa, who is ranked fifth in total defence, was well-timed. Alabama’s defence, which is ranked No. 18 in total defence, is also quite good.

“Pass pro, we dropped passes. On December 2, Corum stated, “There are just things we can tidy up, but we still have a month left.” “We need to get the boys healthy in a month. We have a whole month to see a lot of films. We will be practicing a lot for a month. We still have time. We have time, but we can’t waste it.

Since Corum’s remarks, more than half of December has passed, and the Rose Bowl will begin in a heartbeat. For the Michigan offence to be effective minute by minute, attention to detail is essential.

This month, achieving greater unity along the offensive line will also be crucial. Trente Jones took over as the starting right tackle after right guard Zak Zinter suffered a season-ending leg injury against Ohio State, moving teammate Karsen Barnhart from right tackle to right guard. The line versus Iowa appeared to be a work in progress, which was not surprising. It’s difficult to replace someone like Zinter, a unanimous First Team All-American selection. The Michigan line will need to play more cohesively because Dallas Turner, an Alabama linebacker, is an excellent pressure producer. Turner finished with 50 total stops (14.5 for loss), nine sacks, two forced turnovers, and was awarded SEC Player of the Year.