Michigan football: What we learned at Minnesota; what to watch vs. Michigan State

MINNEAPOLIS — Here's a look at what we learned in No. 17 Michigan football's 49-24 win at No. 21 Minnesota, and a look ahead to Saturday's game against Michigan State football:

3 things we learned

Milton looks steady: We've heard about Joe Milton's improvement all offseason, and it appears the Wolverines did not exaggerate. After playing sparingly in his first two seasons and throwing 11 career passes, Milton started at quarterback and played a fine game in Saturday's win over Minnesota. He completed 15-of-22 passes for 225 yards and one touchdown (with a second dropped) and added eight carries for 52 yards and a score. It was an efficient, mistake-free performance from Milton, who wasn't asked to do too much thanks to the success of the run game. But he consistently moved the chains and commanded an offense that scored 42 points and punted only once when he was in the game.

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Still plenty of pass rush: One of the biggest questions this offseason was how the defense would replace the production of Josh Uche and Michael Danna. But the Wolverines had no trouble with that against Minnesota, which was without two starting offensive linemen. Michigan had five sacks, including on three consecutive plays to push Minnesota out of scoring range in the fourth quarter. Defensive end Kwity Paye, who finished second in sacks to Uche one season ago, had two. Defensive tackle Carlo Kemp and linebacker Michael Barrett had one each, while linebacker Cameron McGrone and defensive tackle Julius Welschof split one sack. U-M generated pressure both from individual pass-rushing efforts of linemen like Paye, Kemp and Aidan Hutchinson — and from blitzes dialed up from defensive coordinator Don Brown.

Offense spreads the wealth: The Wolverines may not have a singular talent on par with receiver Nico Collins, who opted out of the 2020 season, but they do have plenty of balance at the skill positions — arguably more than last season. Four running backs played, combining for 176 yards and four touchdowns, while nine different players caught a pass from Milton. Receiver Ronnie Bell, who led the team in receiving yards last season, had a team-best four catches for 74 yards. Coaches have hinted throughout the offseason that Michigan will rotate liberally at the skill positions; Saturday's performance showed that wasn't just talk.

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Next up: Michigan State

Matchup: No. 14 Michigan (1-0) vs. Michigan State (0-1)

Kickoff: Noon, Saturday, Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

TV/radio: Fox; WJR-AM (760), WWJ-AM (950), WTKA-AM (1050).

Line: TBA.

3 things to watch

Rivalry watch: Michigan State opened the season by losing to Rutgers in East Lansing, as the Scarlet Knights snapped a 21-game losing streak in Big Ten play. The Spartans were sloppy, turning the ball over seven times in coach Mel Tucker's debut. Michigan beat the Spartans, 44-10, in 2019. Still, these are two heated rivals who have already met on the recruiting trail multiple times since Tucker took over. This game will mean a lot to both sides — and as we've seen in years past, the favorite is far from guaranteed to come out on top. It'll be interesting to monitor what both sides say entering the game.

Status of Daxton Hill: Michigan's sophomore safety left Saturday's game in the second quarter and did not return, with Jim Harbaugh saying after the game that he was undergoing evaluation. Hill is one of the most important players on defense with his ability in man-to-man coverage; against Minnesota, he lined up over the slot and was a big reason why Rashod Bateman had a relatively quiet first half. The defense seemed to play differently without Hill and also relied upon true freshman safety Makari Paige as Hill's replacement. If Hill is unable to play against MSU, expect the Spartans to target Paige.

Turnover luck: The ball bounced U-M's way Saturday, as the Wolverines recovered a couple fumbles that either would've killed scoring opportunities or led to scoring chances for the Gophers. That was a reversal from last year's early season trend, when Michigan could not stop fumbling the ball away. The Wolverines also scored off a turnover, returning a sack fumble for a touchdown, and was plus-two in turnover margin. The Spartans had significantly worse turnover luck: They lost five of six fumbles. Quarterback Rocky Lombardi, meanwhile, had a miscommunication with receiver Jalen Nailor that led to an interception and threw a second pick late in the fourth quarter. For Michigan State to pull off the upset, it'll have to clean up the turnover issues. In turn, the Wolverines will only be harder to beat if they continue to play turnover-free football and force takeaways on defense.

Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here's how you can gain access to our most exclusive Michigan Wolverines content.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football: What we learned at Minnesota; entering MSU week