The No. 11 Michigan Wolverines are 2-0 heading into Big Ten play, but they are far from playing their best football. They’ll need to kick it up several notches and land a statement win over the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers to silence their critics.
When the No. 11 Michigan Wolverines hit the road this weekend for an away matchup with the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers, there’s only one way to summarize what Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh’s squad needs to do. To do that, I have to quote the great Woody Harrelson in the all-time classic film Zombieland: “It’s time to put up, or shut up.”
Okay, so maybe that’s not exactly the line and I substituted a letter n, for a letter p. And maybe Zombieland isn’t actually a classic film (to anyone other than myself, that is). But the one thing that’s for sure about that entire first paragraph is that to silence the critics, Michigan needs to deliver a beating to Wisconsin in Madison.
Though they have begun the season at 2-0, but it would be a blatant lie to say that the Shea Patterson-led Wolverines have played anywhere near their best brand of football to start the 2019 season.
That little fact, is why Michigan has so much to prove when they take the road on their first real contest of the season. To silence the critics that have continuously been dragging on their early-season performances, they need a big-time win over Wisconsin.
To give credit where it’s due, despite the Wolverines looking unprepared, the Army Black Knights are an incredibly underrated team, and to go on the road to face them is no small task for any football team. And to not give credit where it’s certainly not due, Michigan wasn’t prepared for the road test, and certainly were lucky to walk out with the win in the fashion that they did in the second overtime period.
If they’re really as good as Harbaugh and AP and Coaches Poll voters thought at the beginning of the year, it’s time for Michigan to make a statement.
The Wolverines have a lot to prove as they enter Madison as underdogs, despite being the preseason pick by the media to win the Big Ten. To rightfully reclaim that title in the early goings of this season, they’ll need a big win over Wisconsin on the road.
That won’t be small feat.
The pressure will be on and turned all the way up for quarterback Shea Patterson and the offense to do a better job. The Wolverines also go against one of the top running backs in Jonathon Taylor.
The Wolverines will rely on the same defensive style they used against Army to hold the run-heavy (which is an understatement) team to just 3.3 yards per rush, their lowest since 2015. When you lose players like Devin Bush, Chase Winovich and Rashan Gary in the same offseason, it’s hard to bounce back.
Luckily for Michigan, they’ve got Donovan Jeter, Josh Metellus and team-leader in tackles, Khaleke Hudson to make up for the losses on the defensive side. On the offensive side, there are playmakers like Patterson and last year’s team leader in catches, Donovan Peoples-Jones. The offensive line will get a boost with the return of Jon Runyan, Jr.
It won’t be easy to beat the Badgers on the road. It definitely won’t be easy to blow out the Badgers in Camp Randall Stadium. The catch, however, is that is just what Michigan needs to do to prove they belong among the nation’s best.
Every great season is marked by multiple statement wins, and Harbaugh’s squad gets their first chance at one this Saturday.
For Michigan, it’s time to put up, or shut up in one of the Big Ten’s biggest early-season tests.