Top three problem areas Michigan football must address during the bye week

Heading into the bye week prior to its final critical three-game stretch to close out the season, it is vital for the No. 21 Michigan Wolverines to clean up some areas of the squad.

Despite being 7-2 overall and 5-1 in Big Ten play, there are clearly things that need to be improved when you watch the 2025 Wolverines.

Special Teams

An overlooked area of the game of football, special teams has been nothing short of a disappointment, particularly punt return.

On the surface, it makes sense why the Wolverines want Semaj Morgan returning punts. He is a fast, shifty wide receiver. But it is time for a change, and the numbers back that up.

UofM ranks 131 out of 134 in average yards per return at 1.92, with only TCU, Northwestern and Ball State posting a lower number than that.

There has been talk of the Wolverines putting Andrew Marsh deep to return punts, as the freshman already serves as the primary kick returner.

Michigan wide receiver Semaj Morgan (0) waves at fans as he runs out for warmup ahead of the Washington game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan’s field goal unit has also been disappointing compared to expectations. A season ago, Dominic Zvada was purely automatic, finishing the season 21-for-22 in field goals and a perfect 7-for-7 from 50-plus yards.

Now in his senior season, Zvada has posted a career-low kicking percentage (71.4), which ranked 90th across the FBS.

Zvada is more than capable, but the Wolverines will need him to return to 2024 form if they want a chance to win-oui.

Passing Game

A season ago, watching the Wolverines try to throw the ball was miserable. There is no doubt it has improved from that, but there is still a long way to go.

There was a lot of hope that Bryce Underwood would single-handedly resurrect the UofM offense, but that was never going to be the case.

The true freshman currently ranks in the bottom half of the Big Ten in passing efficiency (132.5), passing touchdowns (seven), passing yards (1,671) and passing yards per game (185.7). It doesn’t mean the five-star quarterback is a bust; this doesn’t all fall on his shoulders.

Wide receivers, in particular Morgan, have had trouble holding onto good throws and there are times pass protection breaks down too soon.

We all understand the Wolverines will always be a run-first team, but it would be nice to have a more consistent threat through the air.

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) makes a pass against Purdue during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, November 1, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In the Red Zone

Short and sweet, Michigan needs to start finding ways to finish drives.

As it stands, the Wolverines rank 104 out of 134 teams in the FBS in red zone percentage. Michigan has secured points, whether that be a touchdown or a field goal, on 78 percent of its red zone trips.

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