In the Michigan Wolverines 31-10 victory over the Washington Huskies this past Saturday, the offensive strategy for Michigan as well as the defensive strategy for Washington can be summarized as: “Don’t fix what isn’t broken.” Michigan was staring down their dominating run game when saying this, which picked up 343 yards at 6.1 yards a pop. Apparently Washington was content with keeping two safeties high for the duration of the game, never changing much schematically as they watched the Wolverines gash their defense over 50 times on the ground in this one.
The credit for the Michigan Wolverines run game should be widespread. The offensive line as a whole performed extremely well, especially Ryan Hayes. The running back room impressed, with both Haskins & Corum proving the thunder & lightning duo is a feature that’s here to stay. Finally, give credit to the coaching. They stuck with the run as Washington continued to dare Michigan to pass. Is it boring? Sure. Does it leave open questions about the passing game? Absolutely. But on Saturday night, the objective was to win the game, and Michigan did so through disciplined, smart football.
Let me know your comments on these 13 plays, and if there’s anything I missed in my analysis worth pointing out!