Keys to the Game: Michigan football vs. Minnesota

Michigan will try to sink P.J. Fleck‘s boat — again — Saturday in Ann Arbor, and we should learn much more about the Wolverines. The passing game, for one … is there one with Alex Orji under center? The offense has a lot to prove here, and as much as we’d all love to believe they can get away with passing for only 32 yards like they did vs. USC, it’s just not realistic.

RELATED: Staff Predictions: Michigan football vs. Minnesota

We fully expect them to at least try to open it up a little bit this week. It would help, of course, if junior tight end Colston Loveland returned. He’s a big safety net in there, the team’s best receiver regardless of position, and his presence is huge.

“We’re definitely going to stay balanced, and I think you saw that [Orji] can throw … and he can throw the ball downfield,” head coach Sherrone Moore said Monday on the “Inside Michigan Football” show. “He can throw the short game; he had a lot of touch on the balls that he needed to.

“For us, we’re just going to try to keep people off balance in any way possible, but if we have to run the ball to win the game, that’s what we’ll do. We’ve proved that formula has worked, and we’ll do whatever we have to do to win.”

Here are the keys to winning Saturday against the Golden Gophers:

Michigan Key No. 1: No communication breakdowns on defense

This might be the most important given the offense’s struggles. The best way to allow an overmatched team to stay in a game is with an easy score on a blown coverage, as we saw a couple times against USC. One in particular was egregious — a third-quarter score in which Michigan safety Zeke Berry blitzed and there was nobody home to cover. Those just can’t happen to a defense that’s going to need to be a much bigger factor in wins and losses.

“There are some communication errors to it,” Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said. “There are a couple things that we should have made the play and we just didn’t make the play, but that happens.”

The safety play, especially, is something to watch here. Veteran captain Makari Paige needs to pick it up.

Key No. 2: Get more from the passing game

Something. Anything. We know Michigan wants to run the ball first, second, and third, but teams are going to scheme to take the run away. USC did it successfully in the second half before Kalel Mullings’ third-and-one heroics, going Cover 0 on every play and bringing the safeties up to give the Wolverines’ less room to move.

At some point, the receivers need to get involved in the game other than as blockers, maybe get behind the defense a time or two to keep the defense honest. We’d also like to see better blocking on the edge from right tackle, maybe giving him some more help over there with some added protection, if necessary.

Michigan Key No. 3: More good special teams play

Veteran Tommy Doman was back in form Saturday, and his kicks made a huge difference against USC. He backed the Trojans up time and again. In field position games, like many could be here unless the Michigan offense improves dramatically, he’s going to be absolutely huge.

We expect more long field goal opportunities from Dominic Zvada — he’ll have to make those — and Semaj Morgan on punt return can help with field position, too. Every yard matters.

The breakdown: Michigan football vs. Minnesota

We’re going to agree to disagree with Moore’s “I think you saw that he can throw” statement on Orji until he shows us a little more than 32 yards passing. The fact that they’re so hesitant to even throw downfield with him is an indictment on the passing game as a whole, not just Orji. And while Michigan would love to win every game with the running game, it’s not realistic.

Fleck is a good football coach, and he and his staff will have a good plan for the offense. This is likely going be a rock fight, but the Wolverines have the edge with a potentially difference-making difference and a running back in Mullings who should wear down most defenses in the fourth quarter … if you ride him.

We like Michigan in a lower-scoring affair.