Michigan offense poses near-impossible challenge for UNLV football

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Friday, Sept. 8, 2023 | 2 a.m.

The UNLV football realizes what they’re up against this week when they travel to face No. 2 Michigan on Saturday (12:30 p.m., CBS).

Yes, they’ll be taking on one of college football’s most historic programs, in front of 100,000 hostile fans, but Barry Odom and his players are more concerned about the tangible aspects of Saturday’s matchup. Namely, how to slow down Michigan’s dominant offense.

Michigan ranked No. 6 in scoring last year at 40.4 points per game, and the Wolverines could be even more potent this season, due in large part to the maturation of their Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback.

Odom has spent the week (and, likely, much longer than that) studying Michigan, and he’s come away thoroughly impressed.

“They’re explosive on offense,” Odom said. “They’ve got the skill and the scheme to stress you in every area — run game, pass game, play action, moving the pocket, quarterback run game — they do it all, and they do it at a very, very high level.”

Michigan is becoming scarier as its attack becomes more diversified.

In 2022, the Wolverines made it to the college football playoff by playing a power game. They ran the ball on 60.8% of their offensive plays, which made them the 12^th-most run heavy team in the nation. Now the system has expanded to take advantage of the dual-threat abilities of J.J. McCarthy, and in Michigan’s Week-1 win over East Carolina they achieved a perfect 50% run-pass split.

McCarthy was immaculate in that contest, completing 26-of-30 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns.

Even with McCarthy’s emergence, Michigan is still committed to operating a pro-style offense, with the quarterback under center and a power run game designed to pound away at opposing defense, softening the front over the course of a 60-minute game.

According to senior defensive back Jaxen Turner, there are no shortcuts against an offense like that; UNLV simply has to win physical battles.

“It’s a pro-style offense, so we’ve got to read our keys,” Turner said. “Realistically we’ve just going to have to put our big-boy pads on and fit the run. Make sure our run fits are good, tackle, wrap up, eliminate space and play fast and physical.”

The running game is spearheaded by returning 1,000-yard rusher Blake Corum, who carried 10 times for 73 yards and a touchdown last week. Junior running back Donovan Edwards contributed 12 carries for 37 yards. Those two are capable of grinding a defense into submission on their own, but what makes Michigan exceptionally difficult to defend is McCarthy’s penchant for creating outside the structured offense.

McCarthy has developed into an elite playmaker outside the pocket, capable of turning broken plays into long gains either by tucking the ball and running or by finding an open receiver downfield.

Turner said McCarthy’s ability to extend plays is featured prominently in the defensive gameplan this week.

“We want to keep everything in front of us,” Turner said. “The quarterback scrambles a lot, so we have to do a good job with our eyes and lock on our man and make sure they don’t run away in open space.”

There were some lapses in that area against Bryant. Quarterback Zvi Eckhaus ran the ball nine times for 89 yards, including a 42-yard scramble that saw him escape the pocket and race up the right sideline without much resistance from the defense.

McCarthy can make those kinds of plays. He can also throw on the run, something that keeps defensive coordinators awake at night.

It’s going to test the discipline of UNLV’s secondary. Turner said the defensive backs may instinctively want to chase the quarterback, but they can’t do it at the expense of leaving receivers uncovered.

UNLV is determined not to make a mental mistake that could lead to a long, game-changing play.

“When [McCarthy] is trying to run out, nobody should come up,” Turner said. “Everybody should go to their man and lock on their man and let the underneath help attack the quarterback when he’s scrambling. Because if we run up, he just triggers and he can dump it over our head like we saw on film. So we’ve got to be aware of that and stay disciplined.”

It’s certainly a lot to ask of a UNLV defense that has exactly one week’s worth of experience in Odom’s system.

“Their scheme is tough,” Odom said. “If they’ve got a weakness, I haven’t found it yet.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.