ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan football took care of business last weekend in the season opener against Florida, and now the Wolverines get to return home for a winnable game against Cincinnati.
Jim Harbaugh's team came into the season surrounded by uncertainty, but many of the questions were answered in the 33-17 win over Florida. The AP voters agreed, moving the Wolverines up to No. 8 in the country.
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Last weekend's goal was simply to win a game against a ranked team with a great chance to capture another SEC East crown. Against Cincinnati, Michigan has a chance to work on some things against a lesser opponent.
The Bearcats beat FCS foe Austin Peay in their opener, but ony by eight points. Cincinnati was actually outgained by 65 yards and only had the ball for 22 minutes. The game was dominated by Austin Peay, which might have pulled the upset if not for a pair of costly turnovers.
On top of winning the game, here's a to-do list for Harbaugh as Michigan looks to improve as a young team.
Get Wilton Speight back on track
This is the most obvious and most urgent task at hand for the Wolverines, as the passing game was a major concern against Florida. Not only did Speight complete fewer than half his passes, he threw two interceptions that were returned for Gator touchdowns.
Speight was excellent in Ann Arbor last season, completing 65.8 percent of his passes for an average of 244 yards, 14 touchdowns and only two interceptions in seven games. He clearly needs to improve on the road, but after a rough opener, Michigan needs to build his confidence in general. A home game against Cincinnati is the perfect chance to do so.
Harbaugh switched up the game plan in the second half against Florida, putting Speight in more short passing situations. He found tight ends Sean McKeon and Nick Eubanks and receiver Grant Perry on short passes and the offense moved the ball more effectively.
Michigan has a chance to flip the script Saturday, building Speight's confidence with the short passing game and then working on the downfield passing game. Speight has to be able to stretch the field to make the underneath game effective, and he has the talented young receivers to do it.
Pass the ball to Donovan Peoples-Jones
Speaking of talented young receivers, it's important for Michigan to get the ball to Donovan Peoples-Jones, who came to Ann Arbor as the No. 1 wide receiver commit in the nation.
Peoples-Jones looked over-anxious to make a play in Michigan's opener, likely because he wasn't very involved in the offense. Even on two punt returns that probably should have ended with fair catches, Peoples-Jones caught the kick in heavy traffic and tried to make a big play.
He has the skills to score any time he touches the ball, but sometimes the safest option is also the best one, and he'll learn that with experience.
That experience starts Saturday, when Michigan should get him the ball on offense so he can start to settle in at the college level. Peoples-Jones is a huge piece of Michigan's future, so his early maturation is extremely important.
Right now, Peoples-Jones looks as if he doesn't want to play it safe and waste one of his rare opportunities to help the team. If he's involved in the offense, he might not take as many risks in the return game.
Give Chris Evans touches in space
Coming off a year in which the offense didn't run the ball effectively in big games, Michigan's rushing attack was a positive against Florida. But starting running back Chris Evans never really got into a groove.
Evans was Michigan's best overall option out of the backfield as a true freshman, averaging 7 yards per carry and scoring four touchdowns. He averaged just 3.5 yards per carry against a stout Florida defensive line in the opener.
Ty Isaac looked like Michigan's best running back with more than 100 yards against Florida, but Evans will given more chances to succeed this week against Cincinnati. He's lethal in space, especially against a team with far less speed than the Gators.
The running game is vital to Harbaugh's offense, and Evans is the most talented player in the backfield. Saturday is an opportunity for him to bounce back and kick off a breakout campaign.
Hold Cincinnati under 50 rushing yards
The most impressive part of Michigan's win over Florida was the defense's utter dominance in stopping the run. Much like Don Brown's defense from a year ago, the Wolverines swarmed ball carriers in the backfield and beat them to the sideline when they tried to stretch the field.
Cincinnati couldn't even muster 100 rushing yards against Austin Peay, so it could be a struggle against the much more formidable Michigan front seven.
Devin Bush, Khaleke Hudson and Noah Furbush led the pack in terms of shutting down Florida running backs. They were constantly around the ball and should have a field day against Cincinnati.
Inside, Michigan's entire defensive line was dominant. Maurice Hurst and Chase Winovich combined for nine tackles, and the Gators ended the game with just 11 rushing yards.
All signs point to Michigan controlling the line of scrimmage, so holding the Bearcats under 50 yards rushing isn't as unrealistic as it sounds.
Pick off two passes
I thought Michigan's defense would force more turnovers this season, as Harbaugh loaded the roster with athletes who make big plays. That was partially true against Florida, as the Wolverines forced five turnovers and recovered three of them, but it would be encouraging to see the young secondary get in on the action.
Michigan hasn't been particularly good in terms of interceptions recently, though it has improved drastically from 2014, when it recorded just five picks. But the combination of Lavert Hill, David Long, Josh Metellus and Tyree Kinnel should be good for another increase from last year's total of 13.
There's a chance Cincinnati will trail for most of the game, so quarterback Hayden Moore will have to throw a lot of passes. Moore threw 11 interceptions as a freshman, but only seven last year, so two interceptions would be a step in the right direction for the inexperienced secondary.
Michigan has a few weeks before a tough road matchup with Penn State, so these games are important for the young team's development.