Nebraska Week: Three Keys To A Michigan Football Victory

The Wolverines hit the road for the first time this season and Michigan will travel to take on Nebraska. Here are three things Michigan needs to accomplish in order to leave with a win.

For the first time all season, Michigan is leaving the friendly confines of Ann Arbor and will hit the road for Lincoln. The Wolverines (4-0) have statistically dominated every opponent they've faced this year. The maize and blue are outscoring the opposition, 127-23. 

Nebraska will enter the game 2-2 after losing its first two games to Minnesota and Colorado. The Cornhuskers are on a two-game winning streak after beating Northern Illinois and LA Tech. 

While Michigan, is once again, a big favorite entering the game on Saturday, it doesn't mean a Matt Rhule-led team won't put up a fight if the Wolverines play sloppy. 

Here are my three keys to a Michigan win on Saturday against Nebraska.

1. Be sound against the Nebraska run

The quarterback situation is up in the air in Lincoln. It's not yet known who will start against Michigan: Jeff Sims or Heinrich Haarberg. Neither option has proven to be effective through the air. Sims has one touchdown compared to four interceptions in three games. Haarberg has thrown four touchdowns with zero interceptions, but he has completed just 51.1% of his throws and has thrown for a meager 278 yards in four total games. 

But what both quarterbacks excel at is running the football. Regardless of who starts Saturday against Michigan, the Wolverines will have to be ready for the option attack. Haarberg has been the better option running football, he has 272 yards and two scores on the ground. But Sims, the former Georgia Tech QB, is no slouch. He has run for 156 yards and a score. Both are averaging 10 yards a carry. 

Nebraska is a little dinged at running back. The Huskers have lost Gabe Irvin and Rahmir Johnson to season-ending injuries. But Nebraska also has Anthony Grant back. Grant, the second-leading rusher on the team behind Haarberg, has been great. He has 208 yards and a pair of scores on the ground.

The Cornhuskers enjoy running the ball and it shows. Nebraska has the No. 6 rushing attack for a reason -- it knows how to run the ball. It may have a ton to do with the lack of passing ability, but either way, Michigan has to be ready to defend the run or it will keep the Huskers in the game. 

2. Michigan needs to be the better team in the trenches on both sides

This goes with the first key, but it's expanded to the entire game. 

Sticking with the Nebraska offense/Michigan defense, it sounds likely Mason Graham will miss his second consecutive game. But, like last week against Rutgers, the Wolverines stuffed the Scarlet Knights' run game. Kris Jenkins, Kenneth Grant, Cam Goode, and Rayshaun Benny were dominant in the middle and those four will need to do the same this week. 

While Nebraska has been really good at running the football, it's been even better stopping the opposition's running game. The Huskers are the second-ranked rushing defense in the country allowing 46.2 yards per game on the ground. 

With that being said out of the four teams Nebraska has played, the only team that has a pulse of a rushing attack is Minnesota. The Huskers allowed the Gophers to rush for 55 yards in that game which is really solid against a Minnesota team that averages 191 yards on the ground this season. 

Arguably, the Gophers have a better running game than Michigan does four games into the season. So this will be a tough task for the Wolverines. But much like last week, Rutgers had the 12th-ranked rushing attack and Michigan ran for over 200 yards on the ground. The key for the maize and blue is for the offensive line to have its way and make some holes for Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards to make plays. As long as the running backs have good vision and the O-line can do its job then Michigan has a chance to run the ball efficiently.

3. Don't let the road venue get in the way

Michigan has a veteran-landen team and this shouldn't be an issue, but the fact is the Wolverines haven't played outside of The Big House all season. Regardless if Nebraska is 2-2,0-4, or 4-0, Lincoln is always a difficult place to play. 

The Cornhuskers' fan base always gets up and is loud for the opposition -- especially for a team like Michigan coming in. The Huskers and their fans would love nothing else but to knock off the two-time defending Big Ten champions. 

Jim Harbaugh has said Michigan will be putting in some loud music and fan noise into practice this week to simulate what the players will be hearing on Saturday, but it's next to impossible to emulate what will actually happen. Again, almost every Michigan player has played in away venues at the college level and most have played at the most intense levels possible, but it's still Week 1 of playing outside of Michigan. 

As long as the Wolverines go into Lincoln and play their game, don't turn the ball over, and take the crowd out of the game early -- Michigan should be fine and win handily. 

Michigan and Nebraska will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Fox.