Observations on the loss to Minnesota, 14-20
Michigan gained one red zone for 7 points; Minnesota converted 4 red zones for 20 points. The Wolverines scored 14 points off two first half Gopher turnovers, but Minnesota came back in the second half capitalizing on 3 Michigan turnovers for 13 points. Michigan was completely dominated by Minnesota in the second half, and outscored, 13-0.
Offense was beyond pathetic! The offense gained 180 yards with 79 on the ground; they converted 3 of 11 in 3rd and 4th down with 11 first downs. Bryce Underwood was 10 of 21 for 101 yards with 2 second half interceptions, and ran 10 times for 20 yards after deduction of 3 sacks. Jordan Marshall had 10 carries for 50 yards, and a TD. Savion Hiter had 8 carries for 9 yards. J.J. Buchanan caught 4 passes for 50 yards. Andrew Marsh caught 3 passes for 29 yards. Hogan Hansen had 3 receptions for 22 yards. Zach Harden led the Gopher defense with 7 tackles and an interception. Kerry Brown and Maverick Baranowski had 6 tackles each. T.J. Bush had 2 sacks for the Gophers.
Defense held Minnesota most of the game, but the time of possession advantage wore them out along with the poor field position from the turnovers. Minnesota gained 262 yards with 126 on the ground; they were 5 of 15 in 3rd and 4th down conversions with 17 first downs. We couldn't stop their running game particularly on first down; they had 8 first downs by rushing the ball. Drake Lindsey hit 17 of 25 for 136 yards and a TD, but unloaded two interception turnovers. T.J. Thomas had 12 carries for 56 yards, and caught 2 passes for 14 yards. Darius Taylor had 18 carries for 32 yards and a TD, and caught 3 passes for 32 yards and a second TD. Darius Thomas is a senior from Walled Lake, and he was offered by three Ivy League Schools in 2022: Yale, Princeton, and Dartmouth. Noah Jennings had 7 receptions for 70 yards, and ran a reverse for 31 yards to set up a Gopher red zone. The Gophers had 15 more minutes in time of possession that resulted in 16 more offensive plays; the Wolverines only had 47 seconds of possession time in the 3rd quarter. Troy Bowles led Michigan with 9 tackles plus 2 quarterback hits. Nate Staehling scored a TD on a 79 yard pass interception; he also contributed 6 tackles. Aisa Moa and Rod Moore had 7 tackles each. Trey Pierce and Chris Bracy had 5 tackles each. Smith Smowden also had an interception that resulted in our only red zone opportunity; he also contributed 4 tackles. Enow Etta contributed tackles as well.
Special Teams punted 6 times by Cam Brown for a 43.2 yard average with two downed inside the 20. Lugard Edokpayi had a punt block, but our ridiculous offense used that great play to go "3 and out." Minnesota won the special teams battle forcing Andrew Marsh into fumble turnover that resulted in a field goal. The Gopher special teams unit outscored Michigan, 6-0 with two field goals by Luke Drzewiecki, and that was the difference. The Gophers also pinned the Wolverines twice inside the 20 with 5 punts.
If I were in charge of the Michigan Football Program, I'd first fire Jason Beck as Offensive Coordinator; he has had 5 games to improve the offense, and they are one of the worst offenses in the conference. They are not a competitive Division I offense, and they make defensive planning for opposing defenses a breaze by employing safeties near the line of scrimmage. Second, I'd bench Bryce Underwood, and play Tommy Carr. Third, I'd take Andrew Marsh off punt returns. Whittingham was outcoached by P.J. Fleck in this game; Fleck's halftime adjustments far exceeded what strategies that Whittingham employed. Whittingham must now feel like his team is 0-5. This team will be lucky to get into a bowl game with a 6-6 record. For sure, they'll lose to Ohio State and Oregon, and they'll probably lose to UCLA and Indiana. That leaves possible wins with Rutgers, Penn State and Michigan State. I'm not sure what this team will accomplish this season, but it doesn't look like they're going to accomplish much.
