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There is one more world for No. 1 Michigan and coach Jim Harbaugh to conquer. The Wolverines have overcome Ohio State and ended their Big Ten title drought in the process. This season, not only did they make the College Football Playoff, but they beat No. 4 Alabama to win their first playoff game.
Now, No. 2 Washington stands between the Wolverines and the program’s first national title since 1997. Michigan is favored to win the game, but the Huskies present a challenge the likes of which Michigan hasn’t seen this year. They come to Houston, Texas, with one of the top quarterbacks in the game (Michael Penix Jr.) and a trio of wide receivers who would make NFL general managers blush.
Finishing the job will not be easy, and these are the five keys to Michigan hoisting the trophy Monday night.
1. Control the tempo with the run game
The biggest mismatch in this game is between Michigan’s ground game and the Washington run defense. In short, Michigan’s strength plays to Washington’s greatest defensive weakness. The Wolverines offense leans heavily on the ground game, though it isn’t explosive; it’s more a war of attrition than anything. The Wolverines get behind an excellent offensive line and send Blake Corum and company crashing into it like so many waves against a rocky shoreline.
While there aren’t the same big runs we saw last season (the knee injury Corum suffered late last season has impacted him heavily in this department), the Wolverines stay on schedule. Their negative play rate of 17.49% in the run game ranks No. 8 nationally. In Washington, they will face a rush defense that ranks No. 130 nationally in success rate against the run and negative play rate against the run.
Michigan will likely choose to get three or four yards at a…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/national-championship-2024-five-keys-to-michigan-beating-washington-winning-college-football-playoff/
Author : Tom Fornelli
Publish date : 2024-01-06 17:02:27
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