Michigan vs. UCF: What to Watch For

The fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines (1-0) welcome the UCF Knights (1-0) to Ann Arbor for a Saturday afternoon match-up that sees U-M as a heavy favorite for the second week in a row.

Here are a few things to keep an eye on:

Repeat Performances

True freshman running back Chris Evans was a star against Hawaii, rushing for 112 yards and two touchdowns on eight attempts. De’Veon Smith and Ty Isaac figure to be the two leaders in the backfield, but can Evans further establish himself as a gamebreaker that will be a factor this year? Time will tell.

UCF is another weak opponent that will provide opportunities for stats to be padded, but some players just have traits that matter and can be carried over into all games. It will be interesting to see if Evans was a one-game wonder or if he can continue to build on a strong camp and debut performance.

Wilton Speight is a player that people will obviously have their eyes on all season long as Michigan’s starting quarterback. His debut was good sans an early interception. He should be pretty good at taking what the defense gives him and that bodes well for games like Saturday, where the opportunity for plays to be made exist throughout.

Defensive Dominance

Michigan did was it was expected to against Hawaii, but that does not make the performance any less impressive. Great teams smother opponents that they overmatch on paper, so if the Wolverines come to play on Saturday afternoon, it will be another outing like last week where UCF just has no answer for what Don Brown is throwing their way.

Bryan Mone and Taco Charlton are out and it would not be a surprise if Jourdan Lewis was held out again, as well. No need to risk injury in a game that you have no business losing.

Can they Cover?

Michigan comes into Saturday as a huge favorite yet again, this time by 35.5 points. If the drama is not quite there on the field, people will be paying attention to the spread and if the Wolverines are able to cover that number.

On paper, there really is no reason why they shouldn’t. Still, that is why they play the games on the field and not based on what computers say will happen. Michigan should be focused, but you never know. A few bounces here and there could make things interesting, as always.

What will you be looking for during Saturday’s game? Sound off in the comments below!