The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 65 INSIDE THE NUMBERS ❱ DREW HALLETT Finishing Drives Is An Imperative Staff writer Drew Hallett has covered Michigan athletics since 2013. Contact him at drew.c.hallett@gmail.com and follow him on X (Twitter) @DrewCHallett. I t is no guarantee, but it would not be a big surprise if Michigan enters The Game with a 9-2 (7-1 Big Ten) record and a chance to clinch a Big Ten Cham- pionship Game and/or College Football Playoff berth. After a critical, 24-7 crossroads win against Washington, the Maize and Blue (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) can cruise to finish the regular season strong. The Wol- verines are entering the softest part of their conference slate. Although three of them are away, the team's next four contests are against Michigan State, Purdue, Northwestern and Maryland. According to SP+, a tempo- and op- ponent-adjusted measure of efficiency created by ESPN's Bill Connelly, the Wolverines should be projected to win by at least 10 points in each of their next three games, and even though the line against the Terrapins may be closer than expected (U-M by 3.6), the Terps have dropped three straight. Therefore, while Michigan must, of course, prioritize getting wins over anything else, this is an opportunity to improve on areas that could propel it to a fifth straight win against Ohio State. One of those areas that must be a focal point for Michigan is its offense finish- ing its drives. There is no question that the Wol- verines' offense has improved with new coordinator Chip Lindsey and true freshman quarterback Bryce Un- derwood. The Maize and Blue are 45th in Offensive SP+ (31.8) after being an abysmal 94th in 2024. They also have skyrocketed from 127th (4.69) to tied for 26th (6.62) in yards per play. Most of this improvement has been on the backs of Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall and the developing chemistry between Underwood, on the one hand, and the emerging Donaven McCulley and An- drew Marsh at wideout, on the other hand. U-M is doing a much better job of moving down the field and gaining yards. However, that has not translated into many more points. Michigan is averag- ing 28.7 points per game, which is tied for 69th in the country. This figure is also being propped up by a 63-point ex- plosion against a mediocre MAC team in Central Michigan. In looking at Michi- gan's conference scoring, the Wolver- ines have posted 22.8 points per game. That is only one point more per game than the 21.8 they recorded per Big Ten game last season. While Michigan has been better at moving the ball this season, at certain times U-M tends to decelerate on high- leverage downs and come to a halt when in scoring position. The Wolverines are nothing better than a middling 66th on third-down conversions (34-for-84 for 40.5 percent), and they are dead last (134th) on fourth-down conversions (1-for-9, for 11.1 percent). This can be attributed to multiple issues. Some- times, it is due to a poor, predictable play call. Sometimes, it is a perfect play call that is bumbled by execution, such as a dropped pass. Whatever it is, the Wolverines have not been able to put all the pieces together to capitalize on critical fourth downs. This also has contributed to Michi- gan's so-so quality-drive and red-zone scoring as well. The Maize and Blue are 64th on points per quality drive (3.46), which is points per drive that crosses the opponent's 40-yard line. They are also tied for 81st in red-zone scoring rate (83.3 percent) and tied for 69th in red-zone touchdown rate (15-for-24 for 62.5 percentage). Michigan tends to go for it on fourth downs more once they have traversed midfield, so these failed fourth downs are squandering excellent chances to produce more points and put more pressure on its opponents. Michigan also has left some points on the field because kicker Dominic Zvada, the preseason favorite for the Lou Groza trophy, has not been himself this sea- son. After knocking through 21-of-22 kicks, including all his 50-plus yarders, in 2024, he is only 9-of-13 on field goals this year. This will not be a recipe for success against archrival Ohio State. The Wol- verines cannot make mistakes when they have their golden scoring chances Thanksgiving weekend. If they do, OSU will punish them. Not only are the Buck- eyes arguably the best overall defense, they undoubtedly are the best red-zone defense. Their opponents have scored only six times on 12 red-zone trips (a 50 percent scoring rate), and only two of those earned six points (16.7 per- cent touchdown rate). OSU is also tops in points allowed per quality drive with a staggering 1.30. They become a brick wall inside the 20-yard line. Michigan will need to find a way around or through that brick wall. The Wolverines will need to find the sticks on third or fourth downs and punch their way across the goal line every chance they get. If they want to finish their season strong and advance, they need to finish their drives. That will not happen overnight though. If U-M wants to accomplish all its goals, it starts now. ❏ Jordan Marshall scored one of Michigan's 3 touchdowns in the 24-7 win against Washington, but through seven games, the Wolverines' offense was only tied for 69th in red-zone touchdown rate (15-for-24 for 62.5 percent). PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL