Michigan Football: 10 Things You Need to Know About San Diego State

The Michigan Wolverines host Brady Hoke's former school school on Saturday, as the San Diego State Aztecs visit the Big House for a noon showdown.

San Diego State is led by senior quarterback Ryan Lindley and is potentially explosive on offense.

Here are 10 things you must know about them before Saturday's game in Ann Arbor.

Their Quarterback Has NFL Potential

Ryan Lindley is a definite NFL talent. With a strong, accurate arm and a good ability to read defenses, scouts will be watching him closely throughout the 2011 season.

Michigan will need to limit his ability to pick them apart through short, quick routes to his speedy receivers.

Lindley will likely be the best quarterback Michigan has played so far, and this will be a big test for the defense.

Their Running Back Will Also Likely Play Sundays

Ronnie Hillman is a very talented runner coming out of the San Diego State backfield.

He is only a sophomore, but ran for over 1,500 yards as a freshman, making him a serious threat to a Michigan defense that seems to get off to a slow start.

The Wolverines need to make sure to start off the game like they've finished the first three and avoid those early drives we've become accustomed to seeing this year.

They Struggle on Third and Long

The Aztecs have struggled to move the ball on third and long this year, so forcing these situations will be key.

If Michigan can limit yardage gained on first and second down, the defense will have a very successful day while looking at third and long for the opposing offense.

The Defense Needs a Big Game

I'm not trying to beat a dead horse here, but the performance of Michigan's defense will be essential to winning this football game.

The Wolverine offense will be able to score on San Diego State, but the defense must limit points.

With NFL-caliber players at the skill positions, the Aztecs are explosive on offense and will be a huge test for Michigan.

Rocky Long Is the Current Head Coach

Rocky Long was the coach at New Mexico for 10 years before joining Brady Hoke's staff at San Diego State in 2009.

Once Al Borges and Brady Hoke took off for Michigan, Long was named the new head coach and has got his team off to a good start.

Long is a solid coach, and it will be interesting to see what he has planned for his former head coach Brady Hoke.

They Run a 3-3-5 on Defense

Yes, it's the brutal 3-3-5 defense that we saw Michigan unsuccessfully try to implement during the Rich Rodriguez tenure.

It appeared that Michigan couldn't stop anybody with it, and I think the only team I can come up with that has had real success with it is TCU.

SDSU is decent defensively, but Michigan's playmakers should be able to chew up yardage and score points against this team.

Schemes Will Look Very Familiar to Brady Hoke

Even though San Diego State has a new head coach and offensive coordinator, they look very much like the same team from last year.

This should be an advantage to Brady Hoke, who will have a little bit of an idea of what the Aztecs will want to run.

Hopefully this will give the defense a bit of a leg up when they take the field Saturday.

Michigan Could Have a Big Day on the Ground

OK, the rush defense numbers of San Diego State are a little bit inflated because two of the three teams they have faced run the triple-option, but Michigan should still have a great opportunity to establish a run game against them.

The Wolverines feature the ever-explosive Denard Robinson and appear to have found themselves an effective tailback in Vincent Smith.

Michigan will need to run the ball in Big Ten play, and could work out a few kinks this weekend against a San Diego State defense that can be pushed around.

This Will Be the Aztecs' First Ranked Opponent

Michigan will be the first big test for San Diego State, as they have not faced a ranked team yet.

Michigan is ranked 21st and 22nd in the AP and Coaches polls after getting off to a 3-0 start to the 2011 season.

This is a big game for both teams and a real test on both sides of the ball.

This Is a Good Barometer for Where Michigan Is

This is a good game to get a feel for where this Michigan team is heading into Big Ten play.

It's a game that the Wolverines should win at home, and it's a quality opponent.

If Michigan really struggles to get by, then there should be some serious concerns about where the team is at.

You wouldn't think of San Diego State to necessarily be a big test for Michigan, but they will be, and this is one to definitely pay close attention to.

Erik Underwood is the creator of Saturdays in the Fall.  Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/ErikUnderwood