Year one of the Jim Harbaugh era with the Michigan Wolverines has been an unquestioned success so far. Sitting at 3-1 heading into a very winnable home game at Maryland on Saturday, the #22 Wolverines have perhaps the biggest boom/bust potential of any team in the Power Five conferences this year? Are they a New Year's Six team? Will they slide into the lower-tier bowl muck? Here's 5 Things That Will Decide The Remainder Of Michigan's Season.
1. Is The Defense As Dominant As They Appear?
Michigan's defense has given up just 14 points during the team's three-game winning streak. Both of those were low impact TDs given up to Oregon State and UNLV. The problem here is that we can't judge the Wolverines defense by games against the spotty defenses of OSU and UNLV. Last week's 31-0 home shutout of BYU was mighty impressive, but none of this will matter if the D regresses and starts bending a ton during the heat of Big Ten competition.
2. Can Jake Rudock Cut Down On His Turnovers?
Rudock came to Ann Arbor following a 2014 season where he threw just five picks against 18 touchdowns for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He's matched that five-interception total already in 2015. His decision making has been inconsistent at best, both due to significant stretches of overarching indecision and moments where he goes into full Brett Favre gun slinger mode. Rudock needs to get his house in order and soon or Michigan will be headed for some deflating losses in conference play.
3. How Big Of An Overall Impact Will Jabrill Peppers Have?
Rumors have surfaced around Ann Arbor that the coaching staff is considering a Wildcat package revolving around Peppers. If done right, such an offensive wrinkle will turn a serviceable Michigan offense into a legit all-purpose monster. Add that to his already-sizeable impact in the secondary and on kick/punt returns and Peppers could end up being the X-factor piece for the entire team going forward.
4. Will The Running Game Produce Against Big Ten Competition?
Michigan is averaging over 200 yards per game on the ground -- a complete turnaround from the pass-happy days under former OC Doug Nussmeier and HC Brady Hoke. It's been majorly effective so far, but the real key will be whether or not the supporting pieces around De'Veon Smith (Ty Isaac, Derrick Green, etc.) can continue to provide quality change-of-pace carries behind him when the rushing defenses get stouter in Big Ten play.
5. Will The Passing Game Develop A Deep Threat?
A lot of this has to do with Jake Rudock's constant overthrows on the deep ball, but Michigan hasn't put together a workable gameplan to cut the tops of opposing secondaries in the aerial game. WR Amara Darboh is the only wideout currently pushing defensive backs onto their heels on a consistent basis, and even he has had to cut routes off short to stay in Rudock's short-to-middle comfort zone. If Darboh or someone else can start to get in rhythm as deep threats, this Michigan team is a legit Big Ten title contender. If not, they may be relegated to also-ran status.
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