The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Top Five Goals In 2018 Michigan fell short of most of its goals last year, losing to the rivals and struggling on the offensive line. There's plenty of talent returning, however, and a lot of hunger to improve, even with a rigorous schedule ahead. Here are our top five expectations for the 2018 Wolverines: 1. Be in contention for the Big Ten Championship Game on Nov. 24 That's the day Michigan travels to Columbus for its annual grudge match with Ohio State, a place the Wolverines haven't won since 2000. "Beat the Buckeyes" was No. 1 on this list a year ago, and while that's always a goal, Ohio Stadium is a tough place to win. The crowd is hostile, the officials aren't always at their impartial best and Ohio State is outstanding at home under Urban Meyer — 40-3 in his six seasons at OSU, in which he's 73-8 overall. This Michigan team is loaded, though, especially on defense, and the breaks are bound to go their way at some point. But they'll have to win a lot of tough games just to be in contention, including road contests at Michigan State and Northwestern, and home tilts with Wisconsin and Penn State. It won't be easy. 52 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2. Keep the quarterbacks clean Michigan's line and running backs al- lowed 36 sacks last year, a 2.77-per-game average that left them tied for No. 110 in the country. Quarterbacks Wilton Speight and Brandon Peters were both hospitalized for periods of time after taking big hits, Peters after a missed assignment up front against Wisconsin gave a defensive player a clear shot at him. New line coach Ed Warinner has gotten back to basics with this group, and there was improvement this spring. It's cliché, but it's true — good offense starts up front, and the best way to get the quarterbacks some confidence and into a rhythm is to protect them and give them time to throw. Senior safety Tyree Kinnel started 13 games last year and totaled 70 stops, 5.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and seven pass breakups. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL