Keys to the Game: Michigan football vs. Arkansas State 

Michigan failed in all three of its keys last week against Texas in a 31-12 loss (making quarterback Quinn Ewers uncomfortable, ball control, and communication mistakes), not to mention losing the turnover battle. The Wolverines might get away with it if it happens this weekend, but that’s not the way to go into a potentially season defining game with USC next weekend. 

RELATED: Staff predictions: Michigan football vs. Arkansas State

So … it’s back to basics this weekend, cleaning up mistakes, knowing and carrying out assignments, etc. Everything but placekicking needs to improve, frankly, and if a lot isn’t cleaned up quickly, this could be a long year. 

In that sense, Arkansas State is the right opponent at the right time for this squad. Butch Jones is a solid coach, and his teams play hard … however, Michigan has a huge talent advantage and should be able to “get right” this week. 

Receivers coach Ron Bellamy promised the Wolverines wouldn’t overlook this opponent. 

“[They’re a] very solid football team,” Bellamy said. “They’re 2-0 and had a big win last week against Tulsa, and these guys are coming to the Big House and want to show that they belong. They have our attention, and we just want to be detailed and make sure we show up on Saturday.”

Here are this week’s keys to a Michigan win over Arkansas State, but more:

Michigan Key No. 1: Get back to fundamentally sound football on offense

That means eliminating the ridiculous mistakes we saw Michigan make against Texas — guards pulling into the backsides of their teammates, forgetting who to block, etc. Receivers with bad spacing, guys running wrong routes, fumbling without contact because they were holding the ball like a loaf of bread … the list goes on. 

This team has enough talent to be much better than it showed offensively the first two weeks, but it starts up front. We can talk about play calling, quarterback play, etc., but your offense is usually only as good as your line, and the line as good as its weakest … uh, Link. 

We’re already tired of hearing “it was one or two guys not doing the right thing” on different plays, and we’re only two games into the season. It needs to get fixed and now, or they need to play guys who won’t make those mistakes. 

Key No. 2: Better communication and tackling on defense

Let’s be clear — Texas had a great game plan and executed it well behind an outstanding quarterback in Quinn Ewers. At the same time, the Michigan defense made it easier for the Longhorns than it should have been. 

As head coach Sherrone Moore noted, the Wolverines gave up 135 yards after contact. That hasn’t been an issue the last several years, and it shouldn’t be this year. There’s too much talent on that side of the ball. And while the Michigan defense misses Rod Moore in the secondary, the communication was admittedly terrible. There were too many receivers wide open and way too much room.

Like the offensive mistakes, these are fundamentals for any defensive football team. You need 11 guys on the same page to make it work. Sometimes you can get away with mistakes against worse opponents, but it’s not going to fly against teams like Texas, USC, Oregon, etc. 

Michigan Key No. 3: Run the ball

This Arkansas State team is not good against the run. It should be a field day for the Michigan line and backs if they all do their jobs (maybe even if they don’t). 

This is a game in which the Wolverines should impose their will, and we’d like to see some explosives, too. Long, sustained drives means less margin for error. This is a game in which Kalel Mullings and/or Donovan Edwards needs to break runs bigger than 7 or 8 yards.

The breakdown: Michigan football vs. Arkansas State

“How would we be feeling about this team if it had last year’s schedule? That was a question posed on The Fort, our premium message board forum, today, and it’s an interesting one. 

These Wolverines, as flawed as they’ve been offensively, would likely have the same record as last year’s through at least the first four games, maybe more. That would have given them time to correct their mistakes, get younger or more inexperienced guys a chance to improve slowly.

That’s not a luxury this year, and it’s time to grow up … and this is the week to start. Arkansas State doesn’t have the horses to hang with U-M, and the Wolverines should own the trenches if they all do their jobs. 

It’s not about winning this week — that should be a foregone conclusion — but improving across the board and looking like the Michigan team we’re used to.