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This game wasn’t what anybody expected. Michigan was upset 27-24 against Michigan State. While rivalry games can bring out the best in each team, Michigan State came out better than what anyone expected when taking on the Wolverines. They outplayed the Wolverines for all 60 minutes and deserved to win the game.
The Michigan offense that put up 49 points on the road against Minnesota struggled to put up over 24 points at home. Michigan put up 452 yards of offense after putting up 481 the week before, but the number of yards wasn’t equal to the number of points they had the previous week. The offense this week took a step back, and it allowed Michigan State to stay in the game.
The defense was the biggest unit that changed from last week. The secondary suffered the most, allowing 323 passing yards as big plays through the air as wide receiver Ricky White had eight catches for 196 yards and a touchdown. He was a bigger threat than what Minnesota had last week in wide receiver Rashod Bateman. Check out my five takeaways from the 27-24 loss against Michigan State.
1. The offensive line and secondary got hit with a dose of reality
Michigan’s biggest question marks coming into the season were the secondary and the offensive line. While the offensive line impressed heavily in the week one win over Minnesota, the secondary showed some weak points but still held its own up. This week against MSU, both took a step back in its performance.
The offensive line allowed pressure on quarterback Joe Milton, and the running attack for the Wolverines didn’t have many chances to move the ball with a lack of holes from the line. The secondary was tested multiple times to start the game, and it ended up being the reason why MSU was able to score both times. MSU quarterback Rocky Lombardi went 17/32 for 323 yards and two touchdowns and was able to pick apart the Wolverines secondary.
2. The offensive freshmen stepped up for the team
While the freshmen on both sides of the ball have had plenty of playing time to start the season, the offensive freshmen that came up big and had the team’s biggest impact. Running back Blake Corum had five carries for 15 yards and two touchdowns. While he didn’t see the field that much, offensive coordinator Josh Gattis trusted him inside the red zone to put up points and give the Wolverines offense some life.
When it came to the passing game, freshman wide receiver Roman Wilson was a big part of it. Wilson had four catches for 67 yards, and he had a huge third-down catch in the third quarter as the Wolverines needed to score to tied the game up at 17.
3. Lack of pressure from the defensive front seven cost the defense.
Last week against Minnesota, Michigan was able to get in the backfield countless times. Defensive end Kwity Paye had two sacks, and viper Michael Bennet made a huge forced fumble on a sack that turned into a touchdown for the Wolverines defense. The front seven was a huge factor in the win as they also helped the secondary not see as many attempts in its first test.
This week that was the opposite. The secondary saw more action as the front seven couldn’t get much pressure on Lombardi when he dropped back to pass. Lombardi was never sacked and only saw pressure just once or twice throughout the game. With the front seven not doing what they could, it hurt the secondary and made it easier for MSU to move down the field.
4. Michigan shot themselves with penalties
Last week against Minnesota, Michigan had seven penalties for 80 yards, and while they didn’t hurt them, it needed to be addressed. Going into the game against MSU, penalties needed to be less of a factor as tensions are usually high in this rivalry. While there wasn’t much trash-talk and play by either side, Michigan still made costly mistakes with penalties.
The secondary was the main issue when it comes to getting those penalties. From holding to defensive pass interference, these mistakes kept MSU in the game and would plague the defense to stop the Spartans offense. Michigan had 10 penalties for 86 yards, and these penalties were costly in the end. To lose this game, Michigan needed to limit turnovers and avoid costly penalties; they could only do one of the two.
5. Lack of a run game slowed down the speed in space offense.
Last week we saw three different running backs find the endzone, and the Wolverines had an easy time moving the chains. This week that wasn’t the case. The longest run of the game was just 19 yards for the Wolverines, and overall, Michigan only had 125 rushing yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns.
The MSU defense is a stronger group than what Minnesota was, but with the offensive line not being able to make holes and help the running backs find them, that was a big factor for the group to get going. Michigan had to pass the ball more with the ground game failing, and with an inexperienced quarterback in Milton, that is what MSU wanted to see.
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