Michigan Football: Week 7 will tell us everything we need to know

Chris Breiler | 5 Hours Ago

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Michigan Wolverines

Although Michigan entered the bye week at 4-2, I think most fans would agree that it feels worse than that. Offensively, the Wolverines passing attack has been one of the worst in the country through six weeks. Defensively, the Wolverines are are inconsistent and have yet to put together a solid four quarters of play. Over the last four weeks, Michigan has been outscored in the second half against Arkansas State, USC, Minnesota, and Washington - and each of those four teams were within striking distance of winning the game late. Fortunately for Michigan, Washington was the only team that was able to secure a win.

Due to the many struggles on both sides of the ball, fans are taking aim directly at Sherrone Moore and the Michigan coaching staff. For those folks, they point to questionable coaching decisions and a lack of creativity/adjustments as the primary reason why Michigan has looked like one of the worst teams in the Big Ten conference through six weeks. While some of the criticism directed at the staff is valid, it's still too early to be calling for coaching changes at this point.

But that could change on Oct. 19.

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When Michigan emerges from the bye week next Saturday for another road test against No. 23 Illinois, the expectation is that many of the issues we've seen through the first six weeks will be corrected.

Offensively, veteran quarterback Jack Tuttle should help provide more production through the air, leading to a more balanced offense. Tuttle's presence should also allow for offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell to open things up in the passing game, particularly when it comes to getting the wide receivers involved. While tight end Colston Loveland has had solid production so far, there isn't a single wide receiver on the Michigan roster that has made a meaningful impact through the air.

Prior to the Washington game, Campbell admitted that Michigan's lack of a passing attack was something that wouldn't be sustainable for the duration of the season. Although we saw a glimpse of what was possible with Tuttle behind center, there's no question that far more will be needed through the air in order for Michigan to salvage the second half of the season.

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Defensively, it feels like Wink Martindale needs to reevaluate his scheme. You don't have to be a defensive coach or football expert to see that what Michigan is doing defensively through six weeks just isn't working. From a personnel standpoint, the Wolverines are far too talented and experienced to be playing so inconsistent from week to week. While there's no doubt that some of those inconsistencies fall on the players themselves, the reality is that it's Martindale's job to get it figured out.

Heading into the season, most analysts (and fans) expected that the Michigan defense would be elite once again. With guys like Will Johnson, Mason Graham, and Kenneth Grant leading the way, there was every reason to believe that the defense would be good enough to give the Wolverines a shot to win every single game. Instead, the defense has almost become a liability from week to week, particularly in the second half of games.

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So, will those issues be corrected during the bye week? Will we see a more balanced offense, or will we continue to see an offense that lacks creativity and the ability to move the ball through the air consistently? Will we see a dominant defense that can put together a full four quarters of solid play, or will we continue to see a defense that gives up a lot of yards through the air and allows teams to crawl back into the game in the second half?

Ultimately, it's Sherrone Moore's job to make sure that the issues from the first six weeks don't carry over into Week 7. If we see necessary (and reasonable) improvements from this team after the bye, that will tell us that this staff is capable of making meaningful adjustments. However, if we see the same inconsistencies and lack of creativity coming out of the bye week, I think it will be fair to question whether or not Moore has the right pieces in place on his staff moving forward.

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