The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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62 THE WOLVERINE ❱ NOVEMBER 2023 T hose who thought Michigan was as good as it could've been in 2021, a season that ended with a 34-11 loss to eventual national cham- pion Georgia in the College Football Playoff, were wrong. While the Wolverines didn't win their semifinal game against Texas Christian last December and they still have a lot to prove in 2023, they've leveled up each season. They're in a different spot than they were on New Year's Eve 2021. Through seven weeks of college foot- ball (plus "Week 0"), Michigan — yes, the same program that hasn't won it all since 1997 — is the sole favorite to win the na- tional championship (+270), according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The Wolverines and Georgia were tied at +280 coming out of Week 7, but the Bulldogs lost star tight end Brock Bowers for three to six weeks, so their chances have dipped. If there's ever a year for Michigan to get it done for the second time since 1948, this is it. The program isn't going anywhere, but the Maize and Blue have a chance to seize the current champion- ship window. "It's been a happy mission," head coach Jim Harbaugh said of his team's three-year run that's included a 32-3 re- cord. "The thing I've noticed the most is the guys play for each other. And so do the coaches. "Any sports team, any sports organi- zation, any business would probably kill for the kind of culture and vibe that we enjoy on a daily basis." It can't, and won't, last forever. That's just not realistic, or even possible. Michigan takes things one game at a time, but Harbaugh said Oct. 16 that becoming the first college football pro- gram to reach 1,000 wins is something on the checklist, something they think about inside Schembechler Hall. Get- ting to 1,004 this season — not next year — would be even sweeter, culminating with a confetti shower in Houston on the season's final Monday night. "When all the leaves are brown and the skies are gray, that's when the cham- pionships get decided," Harbaugh said, noting that the march toward U-M's goals begins with the Oct. 21 clash at Michigan State. "It's here for us now. "The time is now." EMPHASIZE AND IMPLEMENT The amount of returning contribu- tors from last year's team has allowed Michigan to make corrections and im- provements at a higher level, sixth-year graduate linebacker Michael Barrett said. We've seen that with this Wolverines team on both sides of the ball. "All the guys are buying into learning everything and taking the time to come in and watch extra film, to be able to take our learning to that next level, that 300 level," Barrett said. All offseason, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter stressed the importance of being more disruptive on first and sec- ond down, to get the offense off sched- ule. The Wolverines have already sur- passed last season's total of tackles for loss against the run on those early downs (19) with 20, in half the amount of games. On offense, Michigan had the desire to improve on third downs and in the red zone. This group has done both. U-M has increased its third-down conversion percentage from 45.2 per- cent (28th nationally) last season to 55.4 (fourth) in 2023. The red zone touch- down rate has gone from 66.2 percent (42nd) to 80 (eighth). The red area has been Michigan's friend this season. Inside the oppo- nent's 20-yard line, the Wolverines have completed 20 of their 26 passes with 10 touchdowns to just 1 interception. They've rushed 57 times, too, amass- ing 211 yards and 17 touchdowns. Last season, Michigan completed only 50.9 percent of its 57 pass attempts in the red zone. "It feels good to be out there know- ing that when we get in the red zone we can run the ball and throw the ball, too," said senior wide receiver Roman Wilson, who's amassed a nation-leading 6 red- zone touchdown receptions. The best example that the Wolver- ines have everything at their disposal when attempting to finish drives came when the score was tied at 7-7 against Indiana Oct. 14. Harbaugh rolled the dice on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line, and junior quarterback J.J. McCar- thy found Wilson in the back of the end zone. "It's perfect when you've got a quar- terback like that," Harbaugh said. "Some people ask me fourth-and-2, tie ball on the 2-yard line, what goes into that deci- sion? I know the ball's going to be in No. 9's hands. … Just a great confidence that the odds are in our favor." Senior running back Blake Corum, meanwhile, is nearly automatic at the goal line. On 15 rushes from the oppo- nent's 5-yard line or closer, 12 have gone for touchdowns. McCarthy's efficiency on third down has been eye-popping, too, and the Michigan offense has been extremely tough to get off the field as a result. He's 21-of-26 for 358 yards and 4 touchdowns on third down this year. Good luck stopping this Michigan of- fense. ❑ SAYFIE BLITZ ❱ CLAYTON SAYFIE Don't Look Now, But … Of Blake Corum's 15 rushes from the oppo- nent's 5-yard line or closer through Week 7, 12 of those carries have gone for touchdowns, including this one against Rutgers. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Staff writer Clayton Sayfie has covered Michigan athletics for The Wolverine since 2019. Contact him at Clayton.Sayfie @on3.com and follow him on X (Twitter) @CSayf23.