Observations on the loss to Michigan State, 6-15
Michigan State converted four red zones for 12 points; Michigan gained two red zones, and was held scoreless until 1:37 to play with the outcome of the game determined with a 6 point touchdown. The Wolverines had 4 turnovers, and the Spartans converted two of those miscues for 6 points.
Offense was completely incompetent. The Wolverines gained 192 yards with 54 on the ground, and 13 first downs; they were 3 of 11 in 3rd and 4th down conversions. Tommy Carr was horrible from start to finish; he completed 14 of 26 for 138 yards with 2 interceptions, and missed open receivers throughout the evening; he was unable to run with 6 sacks, and finished the game with 7 carries for -19 yards. Bryson Kuzdzal ran 9 times for 49 yards, and coughed up a second half fumble turnover; he also caught two passes for 7 yards. Andrew Marsh caught 4 passes for 38 yards, and also fumbled away a second half turnover. Travis Johnson caught 3 passes for 38 yards. J.J. Buchanan caught 2 passes for 35 yards. Salesi Moa caught a pass for 14 yards. Jalen Hoffman caught a 4 yarder. Savion Hiter ran 6 times for 17 yards and a TD, and caught a 2 yard pass. This offense had made no progress this season. We have a poor offensive line, and are so predictable with our play calliing; the Spartans are ready for every play we run. Coach Pat Fitzgerald not only outcoached Whittingham in this game; it was obvious the the Spartans were well prepared to stop the Wolverine offense, and they did so all four quarters. Nikai Martinez led the Spartan defenders with 7 tackles. NiJhay Burt had 6 tackles plus an interception, and a forced fumble. Michael Richard, Trey Lisle, and Dion Crawford had 4 tackles each.
Defense allowed the Spartans to dominate time of possession by 16 minutes, and it resulted in 23 more offensive plays. This so-called "elite" defense did not play elite defensive football against Michigan State. The Spartans gained 298 yards with 110 on the ground; they had 17 first downs, and were 9 of 21 in 3rd and 4th down conversions. Alessio Milivojevic shredded the Wolvlerine secondary to complete 21 of 32 passes for 188 yards; he was sacked three times for -15 yards. Brandon Tullis rambled for 861 yards on 25 carries, and caught 3 passes for 3 yards. Kenneth Williams caught 4 passes for 23 yards, and ran 10 times for 41 yards. Chrishon McCray caught 6 passes for 92 yards. Samson Gash caught 2 passes for 16 yards. Fredrick Moore caught 2 passes for 14 yards. Bryson Williams caught a 36 yarder. Michigan was led by Troy Bowles with 15 tackles.
Special Teams played extremely poorly. Cam Brown punted 4 times for a 42.5 yard average with two downed inside the 20. Jacob Baggett missed a chip shot 26 yard field goal. The onside kick was a failure as it didn't go 10 yards. Salesi Moa's nice 24 yard punt return was negated by two penalties; Bryson Kuzdzal was guilty of holding, and it reduced the return to 8 yards. Kuzdzal had a 21 yard kickoff return. The Spartans hit all five field goal attempts by Liam Boyd. The Spartans recovered their own fumble on a punt return by McCray. Michigan State dominated the game all four quarters, and outplayed Michigan offensively, defensively, and on special teams. Michigan State wanted to win this game more than Michigan did, and it showed from start to finish; the Wolverines could not match the Spartan desire to win nor their emotional edge.
I've observed this rivalry since 1959, and over the 67 meetings this game has stood out as the poorest performance by a Wolverine team in the Paul Bunyan rivalry. The only game that comes close in lackluster performance was the 1984 game when an unranked Spartan squad upended the #13 Wolverines, 7-19, in Ann Arbor. Michigan was shutout by Michigan State in 1961 and 1962, 0-28, in both games, and the Spartans were ranked #5 and the Wolverines were ranked #6 in the 1961 game in Ann Arbor. Coach Willingham and Staff didn't prepare this team for this rivalry game, and it really showed on the field.
Michigan will get clobbered by Oregon, UCLA, and Ohio State and finish this season, 5-7, without a bowl game. Since Michigan's bowl streak ended in 2007 after 33 consecutive seasons, the Wolverine football program has lost a lot of respect. This year's squad lacks leadership, and that lack of leadership really reared its ugly head in this game today. Coach Whittingham has a lot of work to do to help the program regain respect. It is obvious to me that this team hasn't really "bought in" and accepted Coach Whittingham and Staff as previously thought, and there will be significant attrition at the end of the season. Hopefully, Michigan can utilize the transfer portal window to strengthen the squad for 2027. Go Blue!
