Michigan vs. Illinois: 5 Halftime Adjustments the Wolverines Must Make

This is a huge game for both schools in Champaign today. No. 24 Michigan is still hanging on to hope of a Legends Division title and must keep pace with Nebraska and Michigan State, who already won, to do so. 

And Illinois has already clinched bowl eligibility but sits in the middle of a logjam in the Leaders Division, still with a shot to take a better bowl spot away from the teams above them. For both Illinois and Michigan, a win would do wonders for their respective paths to the Big Ten Championship game.

This should be a pretty tough game for Michigan, as the Fighting Illini are 5-1 at home this year. Their exciting offense will be challenged by a tough, underrated Illinois D.

Here are five big halftime adjustments the Wolverines must make to get the road win:

1. Stop the QB

Nathan Scheelhaase is the poor man's Denard Robinson. He's got pretty good passing numbers, but where he's really dangerous is on the ground. So essentially, the Wolverines have to game plan against their own. Scheelhaase is going to make good throws, but not allowing him to break a big run is almost more important.

Basically, if Michigan can game plan to stop Denard Robinson's running abilities, they will stop Scheelhaase too. The last thing Michigan fans want to see is a QB in a different uniform running all over their defense en route to a big score.

2. Get Denard Moving

Speaking of Robinson, he needs to be let loose. Completely. Illinois' defense is ranked 13th overall, so and they aren't going to take it easy on this Michigan attack. They know the passing attack is a little bit soft, so they will key on Robinson and the run game.

The Wolverine coaching staff needs to recognize this and design a play other than the option to get Robinson and the running backs some space. If you can run some gadget plays to get him running room, it will keep the defense on their heels and lead to big gains.

3. Boss Up on Defense

Okay, so the Illinois defense is ranked 13th. Well, the Michigan D is ranked sixth. With this small lead the offense has granted them, the defense needs to step up and play like the ridiculously talented unit they are. Again, Scheelhaase is a dangerous dual-threat QB, so containing him is priority number one.

It's going to have to take a stellar effort to keep this offense off the board. They haven't garnered much yardage yet today, but they definitely have the big-play ability that can change the course of a game. Key on the QB, stuff his runs and play solid coverage and the game will belong to Michigan.

4. Run Like Crazy

Besides Robinson, the Michigan running game really needs to get rolling. If the Illinois defense starts to key in on the QB scrambles and options, a big facet of this Wolverine offense is shut down. So the offense needs to have more running options with the actual tail backs as a back up procedure.

Fitzgerald Toussaint has the skills (as he showed against Purdue) to carry that load. If they can get him going, this rushing attack will be impossible to stop. And opening that up will force the Illini to abandon the pass defense, which allows all sorts of possibilities for Michigan's offense.

5. Watch Out for Jenkins

One guy Michigan really held in check in the first half was Illinois WR A.J. Jenkins. He's a lesser-known guy at the position. But his lack of national attention allows him to sneak up on some teams. This year, he's racked up 68 catches for over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns.

If you're going to let Scheelhaase beat you, make him do it through the air to anybody but Jenkins. He's far and away their top target, and if you shut him down, Scheelhaase and the Illinois offense is essentially left with the running game and QB scrambles.