No. 10 Michigan Football at Washington

No. 10 Michigan (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten) faces Washington (3-2, 1-1) in its first road game of the season tonight at Husky Stadium in Seattle.

The Wolverines are coming off back-to-back three-point wins against No. 11 USC and Minnesota and are looking for their fourth straight win. Meanwhile, the Huskies suffered losses to rival Washington State (24-19) and new Big Ten foe Rutgers (21-18) to earn a road win at Northwestern (24-5).

Michigan's offense was carried by running back Kalel Mullings earlier this season, but is looking for better balance through a porous passing attack. Washington has outrebounded both opponents it lost to, but has struggled to finish drives with touchdowns and missed several field goals. With that in mind, here are three things to keep in mind when these two teams meet tonight:

This is the area where Michigan may have its biggest advantage. The Huskies' offensive line has struggled with short yardage most of the year and they will face the best defensive line they have seen all year in the Wolverines. Similar to the game against USC, if Michigan can stop Washington's running game and routinely get them on third-and-long, the Wolverines can pin their ears back and take on UW quarterback Will Rogers.

On the other side of the ball, the Husky defense this season has been excellent against the pass (No. 6 nationally) but weaker against the run (No. 52). The Wolverines will have Mullings, Donovan Edwards and likely quarterback Alex Orji on the ground, but they will need some form of downfield passing threat to make their rushing attack as effective as possible.

Washington has suffered two losses in five games and is averaging just 25 points per game, but that obscures the fact that this offense has moved the ball up and down the court quite well so far. The Huskies rank 21st in the country with an average of 469.4 yards per game, but have struggled to finish those drives in the end zone. Washington ranks 116th in red zone scoring percentage (72.2%) and has scored touchdowns on just half of its 18 trips inside its opponent's 20-yard line.

Michigan's defense has improved over the last two weeks, but has been pretty average in terms of red zone defense. The Wolverines have allowed 17 trips inside their 20-yard line, given up 10 touchdowns, forced four field goals and stopped their opponent from scoring three times. With an offense that went through significant dry spells in the second half, it is imperative that Michigan's defense stiffens within 20 points and holds the Huskies to three points instead of seven.

Several Wolverines will make their first road starts today, including quarterback Alex Orji and Michigan's entire offensive line. UM's offense hasn't demonstrated the ability to be consistent and put together eight, nine or 10 games this season, all within the friendly confines of the Big House. Add to that crowd noise and an unfamiliar atmosphere, and that could cause problems for the Wolverines.

Although these are the same two programs that played for the national championship last year, most of the starters and several other players are no longer with those teams – especially in the case of Washington. However, this Husky fan base hasn't changed, and you can be sure they want revenge on the program that denied them their first national title since 1991. I expect Husky Stadium to be packed and extremely hostile towards the Wolverines tonight, and that could play a big factor in the game.

Game Predictions: No. 10 Michigan at Washington

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