Michigan Football: Areas of Focus for Wolverines During Bye Week
Michigan’s season-long roller coaster ride continues. Two weeks ago, Brady Hoke’s squad sat with a scant three wins after being crushed 35-11 by Michigan State. The team’s abysmal record was matched by off-the-field drama which forced the resignation of athletic director David Brandon.
The ax was next poised to claim head coach Brady Hoke, but the team has rallied for two consecutive wins.
Michigan (5-5, 3-3 Big Ten) can become bowl-eligible by winning one of its two final games. Heading into the bye week, the team must prepare for its home finale versus Maryland before a road tilt with archrival Ohio State.
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The Buckeyes are on a roll, battling for the Big Ten championship and possible berth in the College Football Playoff. Maryland is already bowl-eligible as it prepares to play Michigan State this weekend.
Michigan will honor its seniors during its final home game, but if the team can’t beat Maryland it may be Hoke’s final game as well.
Hoke must focus on the following areas to prepare his team for its final two regular-season games.
Quarterback Devin Gardner
Gardner’s decline has been painful to watch. Once considered a potential franchise NFL quarterback, his stock has fallen precipitously.
Hopes that offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier could elevate Gardner’s game have proven unfounded. Gardner’s collapse can be best described as a mystery wrapped in an enigma; in football terms, that means he’ll follow a great throw with an incredulous interception and then add a pick-six for good measure.
The good news is that he put together a brilliant performance versus Ohio State in the season finale after a similar decline last season. Hoke needs a similar resurrection now for Michigan to make a bowl game.
Gardner’s play has been further hampered by a leg injury that prevents him from running the ball. The exact nature of the injury is unclear—Hoke doesn’t reveal details unless a player is knocked out for an entire season. If Gardner can heal up during the bye week and regain his mobility, then the Michigan offense will gain an important wrinkle that might make all the difference versus Maryland.
Receiver Devin Funchess
Funchess and Gardner have struggled to get on the same page all season. Both have had lingering injuries that have slowed their play and had a big impact on their timing.
Funchess has also had a number of dropped passes this season and was hit with an errant snap of the ball versus Northwestern that resulted in a turnover.
Long plays have been open, but Gardner has either thrown late or Funchess has dropped the ball.
Funchess and Gardner need the bye week to get back in sync. Last season they were a dynamic combination, and a home game at Michigan Stadium is the perfect opportunity to rekindle that magic.
Running Back Duo
The good news is that Michigan has had two consecutive 100-yard rushers over the last two games: Drake Johnson (16 carries for 122 yards, one touchdown) versus Indiana and De’Veon Smith (18 carries for 121 yards, one touchdown) versus Northwestern.
The much-maligned offensive line has also shown improvement over the last month of the season.
During the bye week, Michigan needs to keep feeding both Johnson and Smith the ball to keep them sharp and keep pressing the offensive line for further improvement.
At this point in the season, practically every player is battling bumps and bruises, so the timing of the week is ideal to prepare for these final two games.
Forgetting Disasters
The trip to Ohio State has epic loss written all over it. Michigan needs to forget about that for now.
Michigan and Maryland have both beaten their common opponents (Indiana and Penn State) by similar scores.
| Indiana | W, 34-10 | W, 37-15 |
| Penn State | W, 18-13 | W, 20-19 |
| Michigan State | L, 35-11 | TBD |
Maryland will probably head to Michigan Stadium at 6-4 after a projected loss at Michigan State this week. The question for Michigan is whether it can muster enough offense to win the game.
A win over Maryland won’t make up for a lost season, but it will ensure a bowl trip that would help the program salvage some dignity.
Defense
Michigan’s defense has been good—especially when compared to its misfiring offense.
But Frank Clark and his teammates will need a top-notch performance during the next two games to prove their mettle.
Containing the Northwestern (ranked 114th nationally) and Indiana (ranked 64th) offense is far different than the challenge posed by Ohio State (ranked 10th) but very similar to what Maryland (ranked 104) will bring.
Brady Hoke needs to leave the defense alone during the bye week and pay attention to fixing his offense. Whatever slim chance remains for him to keep his job depends on how often Michigan can find the end zone during the next two games.
Phil Callihan is a featured writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations obtained firsthand
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