Michigan has no time to waste after scraping past Western Michigan 13-12, and the Week 2 matchup with Oklahoma should force a different look from the Wolverines. The Sooners are headed to Ann Arbor, and if Michigan wants a shot at evening things up after last season’s loss, it may need to get more out of a few players who barely showed up in the opener.
One of the biggest surprises from Week 1 was how much Michigan leaned into its “Rhino” package. The Wolverines spent half their offensive snaps in max protection, and Manuel Beigel, who started at Rhino, was on the field for 26 plays.
That approach also kept Michigan out of 11 personnel nearly as often as expected. WR3 Channing Goodwin played 21 of Michigan’s 52 snaps, while Jaime Ffrench was used for just one.
That last number stands out. Ffrench was one of the offseason additions with the clearest upside as a deep threat, and Michigan could use another receiver who can stretch the field for Bryce Underwood. The Wolverines need Underwood on the move, outside the pocket and throwing on the run, and Ffrench is the kind of weapon that could open that up.
Tight end usage was just as revealing. Jalen Hoffman ended up with 38 snaps at tight end, while Zack Marshall got only five.
Marshall was Michigan’s top tight end threat a season ago, largely because Marlin Klein was injured. He may not be a top-10 tight end in the Big Ten, but he has shown he can produce and create some yards after the catch.
Hoffman’s workload suggested Michigan was trying to lean even harder into the run game with more size on the line.
That same theme showed up on defense, where Michigan spent plenty of time in a three-linebacker look to help keep eight in the box. Against Western Michigan, that made sense.
The Broncos ran the ball, chewed up clock and averaged 3.3 yards per play. Zeke Berry, a starting cornerback, played 35 snaps in a game where Western Michigan had 69 total.
Oklahoma should force Michigan to adjust. John Mateer can hurt the Wolverines with his legs, but he can also beat them through the air, and the Sooners have wideouts who can make that dangerous. Berry should be heavily involved, and Jay Hill will likely keep three corners on the field for most of the game with Oklahoma bringing multiple receivers into the picture.
Up front, Nate Marshall looks like another player whose role should grow. After Kyle Whittingham said Marshall could be the best pure pass rusher on the team, he logged only eight snaps against Western Michigan.
Meanwhile, Dom Nichols, John Henry Daley and Cam Brandt all played 32 snaps or more. But DE coach Lewis Powell said on Wednesday that Marshall will be used more this weekend, and Michigan appears ready to rotate more at the position.
That matters because speed could be the difference if the Wolverines can push Oklahoma behind the chains. In that kind of situation, Marshall becomes a weapon on third-and-long, where his burst can actually change the game.
In Other News...
Sooners Protection Plan Just Changed Ahead Of Michigan
A week after opening the season with some shuffling up front, Oklahoma is set to get a little healthier where it matters most against Michigan. Jake Maikkula and Ryan Fodje are expected to be available after sitting out the opener, giving the Sooners more options on the offensive line as they prepare for a far stiffer test in Week 2.
Michael Fasusi, though, will reportedly be unavailable after re-aggravating a shoulder injury, leaving one more question mark in a group that already needed sorting out. There is also some good news elsewhere on the depth chart, with defensive end Danny Okoye expected back and wide receiver Parker Livingstone cleared through concussion protocol, but the line news is the part Oklahoma will be watching most closely heading into the matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners Fans Have A Bittersweet Tress Way Story To Process
Tress Ways NFL run has entered its final chapter, with the longtime Washington Commanders punter saying he expects to retire after the upcoming season. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Way has spent his entire pro career with Washington since 2014 and built a rsum that includes multiple franchise punting records, making him one of the more durable and recognizable specialists of his era.
For Sooners fans, it is the kind of update that lands with a little extra weight because Way has been part of that familiar Oklahoma pipeline to the league. He was also just named a team captain for the season alongside Jeremy Reaves, a sign that Washington still values what he brings even as the end of the road comes into view. The only real question now is how one more year in Washington will unfold before the goodbye arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Sooner Nation Could Take Over More Of Michigan Than Expected
Less than 24 hours before kickoff in Ann Arbor, the market for Oklahoma-Michigan tickets has turned surprisingly soft, with some seats available in the $44 to $60 range. What had looked like one of the weekends pricier Big Ten-SEC matchups earlier in the summer has become a much easier entry point for Sooners fans who are still trying to make the trip north.
That drop has only added to the sense that Oklahoma could be backed by more than the usual traveling crowd. With Michigan fans cooling on the game after their recent performance, the balance in the stadium may lean more heavily toward crimson than many expected when the matchup was first circled. For a road team in a setting like this, that kind of noise shift can matter almost as much as anything that happens on the field. [Read more 🡒]