PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. — The biggest test for Michigan football on Saturday when it takes on TCU in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl will likely be TCU’s vaunted passing offense against the Wolverines secondary.
The Horned Frogs have a variety of options at receiver — led by standout Quentin Johnston and slot receiver Taye Barber — but overall just has speed, explosiveness, and a penchant for making big plays. There’s no team in college football that has as many explosive plays — especially for touchdown — than TCU.
On Thursday, we spoke with Michigan safeties coach Jay Harbaugh about what he’s expecting from the Horned Frog passing attack, and he broke down why they’re such a daunting challenge.
“They’re all explosive, very, very well-balanced, they can all make big plays, and the quarterback in this scheme, it’s just a great match between the two of them to be able to put those guys in position to make plays,” Harbaugh told WolverinesWire. “They create a lot of space, you’ve got to be great at tackling. I think that’s gonna be a huge, a huge part of it. They do great breaking tackles after the catch. The running backs are phenomenal players. So I think tackling — you’ve got to cover them, but an offense like that is going to complete balls. There’s gonna be times when they get the ball in space. If you can’t tackle you’re gonna have real problems. Gonna be a key.”
What’s more, TCU is more than capable of running the football. While the passing attack is what gets the most attention, ranked No. 25 in the country, the run game is also ranked 25th overall.
Given that it is capable on both fronts, defenses can’t simply lock in hoping to stop one element without expecting the other.
Harbaugh says that Michigan understands the balance that TCU strives for, and what he feels the Wolverines need to do to slow or stall the Horned Frog passing attack.
“It really takes everybody,” Harbaugh said. “They’re just like any other…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Football | WolverinesWire…