“I’d say it’s a process,” he said of improving the offense.

“I see it getting better, but we’ve certainly got a long way to go … But I see progress, but in the middle of the season, you’d like to see more progress.

“And it’s not just the receivers, it’s the offense. And that includes us as coaches.”

Averaging 380.3 total yards per game, MSU’s total offense is ranked eighth in the Big Ten, while the scoring offense places at 11th, averaging scoring 21 points per game.

Maxwell struggled against Iowa on Saturday, but Warner said the challenge will be preparing the first-year starter for playing before a crowd that likely will exceed 100,000 at Michigan Stadium on Saturday.

“From a pressure standpoint, from a noise standpoint, that’s going to be something that he has not been through,” Warner said.

“But he’s played Ohio State, he’s played Notre Dame, he was out there against (Alabama) a couple years ago so he’s been under the gun. I think with the seven-games experience he has under his belt, hopefully he’s able to hold up.”

Warner said he expects Michigan to throw some things at Maxwell he might not have seen the week before against Iowa, and said the Wolverines likely will blitz early and often.

“(Iowa was not) a big pressure team, (whereas) we anticipate Michigan to put more pressure on us,” he said.

“Whether that incorporates man coverage or not, we’ll find out, but I think they’re going to come after us and try to force us to get the ball out of our hands.”