FootballSaturday, September 21, 2018 6B Breakdown: Michigan vs. Nebraska By MAX MARCOVITCH Daily Sports Editor Michigan opens up Big Ten play with a matchup against Nebraska that seemed far more intriguing a few weeks ago. The Cornhuskers (0-2) came from 14 points down in their season opener against Colorado to take a 28-20 lead, then handed the game right back after true freshman quarterback Adrian Martinez left the game with a leg injury. The next week, without Martinez, Nebraska fell to Troy — an embarassing loss on its face, but a slightly less embarassing defeat given the Trojans’ understated quality. Still, the Wolverines (2-1) come into this game an 18-point favorite for a reason. Nebraska is on its first six-game losing streak since 1957, as the Scott Frost era has begun with a turbulent start. For the Cornhuskers, this game is a chance to right the ship (coaches have referenced “Rocky” in the run-up to this one). For Michigan, it’s the opening of a Big Ten season filled with pressure to perform. The Daily breaks down Saturday’s matchup: Michigan’s pass offense vs. Nebraska’s defense If Nebraska is going to win, it seems like two things need to go right. One of those requires the Cornhuskers’ defensive line taking advantage of Michigan’s inconsistent pass protection. Nebraska has 10 sacks in two games this season, the second- highest per-game total of any team in the country. Though the Cornhuskers have plenty of questions, their front seven will pose a test for a unit that hasn’t been tested since the debacle at Notre Dame. If Nebraska can get junior quarterback Shea Patterson and co. into obvious passing downs, there’s reason to believe they’ll have some success. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Patterson has opened the season as well as any Michigan quarterback in quite some time, completing over 70 percent of his passes for 589 yards and six touchdowns. Patterson said this week he has “never been this comfortable in a system.” All of a sudden, external pleas have come to unleash the offense — to open up Patterson’s skillset and allow more than the present 22 pass attempts per game. Nebraska isn’t SMU or Western Michigan; this is a legitimate test to see whether strides have been made in the passing game since Sep. 1, or whether the recent run of success has been a mirage. Advantage: Michigan Michigan’s run offense vs. Nebraska’s defense Michigan could have Brett Favre in his prime at quarterback and it wouldn’t run a full-on air raid attack. While the passing game has been the talk of the town, the Wolverines — who run the same percentage of running plays as they do passing plays — will continue to rely on balance. This week, that comes with the caveat of health. Junior running backs Karan Higdon and Chris Evans are both recovering from injuries. Both have practiced this week. When asked whether they would play Saturday, Jay Harbaugh responded “that’s what we expect.” Against a formidable Big Ten foe, at a position of relatively scant depth, that’s an important development, if it holds true. Nebraska has allowed a respectable 278 yards on the ground in two weeks. But Troy and Colorado didn’t possess the duo that Higdon and Evans can become when healthy. Advantage: Michigan Nebraska’s pass offense vs. Michigan’s defense It looks like Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez will play, as he was upgraded from “questionable” to “probable” on Thursday. It may seem inconsequential to some whether the true freshman Martinez starts or if the nod goes to walk-on sophomore Andrew Bunch. But in an offense that relies heavily on its quarterback’s skillset, Martinez has the tools to be special. In his start this year against Colorado, he posted 187 yards and a touchdown on 15-of-20 pass attempts, in addition to 15 carries for 117 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. He was the offense. And when he left the game with a leg injury, the Cornhuskers held a 28-27 lead. He left, they lost, then lost against the next week to Troy with Martinez watching on. Martinez will give Michigan a test in discipline similar to the one it faced against Brandon Wimbush in the opener. Wimbush kept the Wolverines’ defense honest with the threat of quarterback runs and ability to escape the pocket. On the run, Wimbush was able to effectively EVAN AARON/Daily Junior running back Chris Evans and junior running back Karan Higdon are both expected to play in Michigan’s matchup with Nebraska after sustaining injuries last week. For in-game updates Follow @MikeDPersak, @ethanewolfe, @Max_Marcovitch and @MWCalcagno on Twitter during Saturday’s game.