Observations on the loss to Wisconsin, 14-35
Wisconsin pummeled Michigan in a lopsided win from start to finish! The Badgers capitalized on 4 Wolverine turnovers, and a 22 minute time of possession advantage due to a meager Michigan offense coached by Josh Gattis.
Defense was manhandled by the Badgers offensive line! Wisconsin had 487 yards in total offense including 359 rushing yards plus 128 passing yards with 25 first downs; the Badgers were 8 of 16 in 3rd and 4th down conversions. Jack Coan was 13 of 16 for 128 yards, and ran 7 times for 12 yards and 2 TDs. Jonathan Taylor carried 23 times for 203 yards and 2 TDs. Khaleke Hudson had 14 tackles, Brad Hawkins had 10 tackles, Aidan Hutchinson had 9 tackles, Josh Metellus had 8 tackles in the first half, and Jordan Glasgow had 7 tackles. Our defense was out on the field most of the afternoon, and was no match for the powerful Wisconsin offensive line. Michigan managed only one sack on the day, and Coan wasn't hurried much at all. The Badgers converted 3 of 4 red zones for 21 points; the Wolverines converted 2 of 4 red zones for 14 points in the second half after the Badgers led 35-0.
Shea Patterson ended the day with 14 of 32 for 219 yards, 2 TDs and one interception; he had 3 carries for -1 yard, and another turnover on a fumble. This was Shea's "statement" game.
Dylan McCaffrey was 3 of 8 for 40 yards, and ran 3 times for 21 yards until leaving with a concussion. Ronnie Bell caught 2 passes for 81 yards, Nico Collins caught 3 for 66 yards, Tarik Black caught 3 for 57 yards, Sean McKeon caught 2 for 24 yards and a TD, Nick Eubanks caught 3 for 20 yards, and Donovan Peoples-Jones caught one pass for 5 yards and a TD. Our offensive line was a complete joke; they couldn't block the Wisconsin defense so we could run the ball, and as a result, the Wolverines netted 40 yards on the ground in 19 attempts with zero first downs rushing the football. The offense was zero for 10 in 3rd down conversions with 15 first downs including 5 by penalty. The Badger defense forced our offense into 4 turnovers, 3 forced fumbles, 5 punts, 11 pass break ups, 2 interceptions, 7 quarterback hits, and 2 sacks; Doug Skene counted 15 quarterback hits on the day due to a beleaguered offensive line. Michigan could only force 4 Badger punts on the day with no turnovers, one sack, and two pass break ups. Jack Sanborn and Zack Baun led the Badger defense with 7 tackles each including 2 tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble for each while Baun also had 2 quarterback hits.
Special Teams were a non-factor, but it was nice to see the kickoff team recover an onside kick by Jordan Glasgow. Will Hart punted 5 times for a 51 yard average with one downed inside the 20. All of Wisconsin's kickoffs resulted in touchbacks while the Badgers did miss an unnecessary field goal.
This team will be lucky to improve enough to finish better than 6-6 on the season! I had previously predicted 8-4, but observing no improvement in three games leads me to rethink that prediction. Losses to Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame are imminent, and Iowa, Maryland plus Michigan State are also potential further possibilities. There are consequences for the poor play including a negative effect on our recruiting so be prepared for more decommitments. Harbaugh's record at Michigan, 2014-2019, includes an 0-4 record against Ohio State, 1-9 record against Top 10 opponents, 0-7 as an underdog, 1-6 on the road against ranked opponents, and five losses by at least 21 points including 3 of the last five games with Ohio State, Florida and Wisconsin. As far as I'm concerned, the Harbaugh era is over; Michigan needs a new coach. The last 12 seasons since Lloyd Carr retired with 3 different head coaches are the worst era in Michigan Football History with no Big Ten Championship since 2004.
