Observations on the loss to Notre Dame, 17-24
Notre Dame came to this game way better prepared by Brian Kelly and Staff, and stormed out to a two score lead in the first 8 minutes; the Fighting Irish converted two red zones into 14 points. Michigan came away with 10 points in 3 red zone opportunities. The Wolverines came into this game ill-prepared by Jim Harbaugh and Staff. Michigan turned the ball over twice, and Notre Dame once, but neither team came away with any points off turnover. The Wolverines "laid an egg" on the Big Stage!
Offense was poor! Shea Patterson hit 20 of 30 passes to 8 receivers for 227 yards, but was sacked 3 times for -21 yards after gaining 11 on 2 carries, and had two turnovers on an interception and a fumble. Karan Higdon ran 21 times for 72 yards behind our poor offensive line who consistently could not control the line of scrimmage. Donovan Peoples-Jones ran a jet sweep for 7 yards, and led the receivers with 6 receptions for 38 yards. Nico Collins caught a 52 yarder, and had 3 receptions overall for 66 yards. Grant Perry had 5 catches for 48 yards. Michigan was 6 of 16 in 3rd and 4th down conversions for 20 first downs.
Our best chance to get back in the game was at the start of the 3rd quarter after the 52 yard bomb to Collins that set up a red zone at the Irish 16 after another 12 yard pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones; however, the drive stalled after 3 incomplete passes, and the field goal attempt failed. Had we converted the red zone into a touchdown, the score would have been 17-21, and we would have had momentum. Then, on the next drive following a Brandon Watson interception at the Michigan 49, the offense went "3 and out." Notre Dame then drove the field to the Michigan 25, and settled for a 48 yard field goal to make the score, 24-10. Unfortunately, we don't have any guys on offense that we can look to for big plays, and an offensive line who can't get the job done.
It was nice to see Dylan McCaffrey play as Patterson's backup; he was 4 of 6 for 22 yards, and added 10 yards on 3 carries. Tevon Coney led the Notre Dame defense with 10 tackles, a fumble recovery, and 2 quarterback hits. Khalid Kareem had 9 tackles, 2.5 for loss with 2 sacks, a quarterback hit and forced the fumble. Their defense was better than our defense, and their offense was better than our offense.
Defense was horrid! Brandon Wimbush threw 22 times with 12 completions for 170 yards and a TD; he ran 19 times for 59 yards. Jafar Armstrong scored 2 TDs on the ground, and rushed 15 times for 35 yards. Tony Jones rushed 9 times for 45 yards. The Fighting Irish piled up 302 net yards with 132 on the ground including 21 first downs; both teams had 69 offensive plays although Michigan came out with a 3 minute time of possession advantage. The Irish were 8 of 16 in 3rd and 4th down conversions. Tyree Kinnel had 8 tackles to lead the defense; Brad Hawkins, Chase Winovich, and Devin Bush had 6 tackles each. Penalties really hurt us with 7 for 52 yards.
Our defense, similar to 2017, can't stop teams in the red zone. I'm happy that Brad Hawkins is getting reps at Safety; he did get burned on the 43 yard TD to Chris Finke, but he almost picked it off as well as another late in the first half on a screen. Josh Metellus is not the answer for us there; he is poor on coverage, and in tackling. A bright spot for the defense was Brandon Watson's interception, but we couldn't convert it into points. Every time we had a chance to gain momentum, Notre Dame stopped us. Just another game where the Michigan Defense proved it cannot stop a running quarterback.
Special Teams kept us in the game, and gave us hope with a 99 yard TD kickoff return by Ambry Thomas in the second quarter; however, the offense couldn't execute well enough to get us into the game as the Fighting Irish maintained a 2-3 score lead most of the game until the final 2 minutes. Quinn Nordin hit a 28 yard field goal. Donovan Peoples-Jones had two punt returns for 4 yards. Will Hart punted 3 times for a 43.7 yard average with one inside the 20, but fumbled a second field goal attempt as the holder. Notre Dame punted 6 times for a 45.7 yard average wtih 2 downed inside the 20, and kicked a 48 yard field goal. Our special teams only had two tackles, one on a kickoff by Tru Wilson, and another by Cesar Ruiz on the fumble receovery late in the 4th quarter.
Notre Dame had 4 big plays of 20+ yards, and Michigan had 4 as well; their biggest play resulted in a TD.
It is going to be a long season with a putrid offense, and a defense that has strong individuals, but gives up big plays just like they did in 2017. We will not be able to compete for a Big Ten Championship with the current roster and coaching staff in 2018; it is a very disappointing start after we have been told about all the great adjustments that Coach Harbaugh and Staff have made.
Open Practice on Sunday, August 26 at Michigan Stadium from 6-7 p.m.--Observations at the end where the Team Schedule appears (Video)
12 Big Ten Schools posted updated Media Guides at the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon; the only two schools who didn't publish media guides were Michigan and Michigan State, and Michigan State's updated roster and media guide are posted on their website
Michigan Spring Game Cancelled on April 14 due to "weather concerns;" Ohio State played their game before a sellout crowd on April 14 at 1:45 p.m. Indiana, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Michigan were the only Big Ten Teams that didn't play a Spring Game