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After starting the season with a big win over Minnesota, Michigan took a big step back as it was upset by Michigan State, 27-24. The loss was an unexpected disaster that could derail the Wolverines’ 2020 season.
The Wolverines offense was shut down against the Spartans defense, a complete 180 after putting up 49 points the previous week. The Wolverines had issues passing and running the football. Neither could move the chains.
Michigan didn’t lose because one unit or one play changed the outcome. Overall, Michigan was outplayed by the Spartans, and it seemed MSU wanted it more than Michigan. The loss puts Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and his team back to the drawing board. It starts by looking back at how each unit performed in the game. How would each position grade out in the loss?
Offense
Quarterback: B
Starting quarterback Joe Milton was asked to do more than what was expected coming into this game. Milton finished 32-of-51 for 300 yards and 12 carries for 59 yards. Despite Milton throwing for 300 yards, the passing attack wasn’t very effective in putting up points and moving the ball down the field against MSU. Milton’s wide receivers weren’t able to get open, and multiple drops didn’t help.
Milton faced a lot of pressure and had to leave the pocket countless times. There was even a moment where Milton stood up in the pocket and took a huge hit while throwing a pass that was completed. Milton made a few risky decisions, and on the final drive, he kept throwing short passes over the middle when the time was important. It wasn’t as good as a performance last week, but Milton still played a sound game overall.
Running Back: C
Michigan’s rushing attack went from being the main source of offense to being a unit that struggled to get the ball rolling. Hassan Haskins was the top running back once again, finishing with eight carries for 56 yards and a touchdown, while he was also 0-of-1 on a halfback pass play that was almost intercepted. He wasn’t the only running back to find the end zone. Freshman Blake Corum scored twice with five carries for 15 yards.
Zach Charbonnet was held to a quiet five carries for three yards, while Chris Evans had three carries for 10 yards. Milton was the leading rusher, and when your quarterback is your leading rushing threat, that isn’t the best thing for your running backs. The group struggled all game to break tackles and find any hole to gain yardage against this defense. It seems as if you can slow or stop the Wolverines ground game, you have a better chance of winning.
Wide Receiver: C
Despite having 300 yards in the air, Michigan only scored on the ground. Multiple wide receivers dropped passes yesterday, and there were issues with separation between the receivers and the MSU defensive backs. Giles Jackson was the top wide receiver with seven catches for 58 yards. Freshman Roman Wilson got involved heavily and finished with five catches for 71 yards.
The top wide receiver last year, Ronnie Bell, had four catches for 46 yards. Cornelius Johnson, who didn’t get involved last week, had five catches for 52 yards. Michigan’s wide receivers couldn’t elevate their level of play when the Wolverines needed it most. When the Wolverines needed a strike downfield, they weren’t able to do so. This offense is dependent on the receivers beating their defenders, and if they are unable to do so, it falls flat on its face.
Tight End: C+
Starting tight end Nick Eubanks made his 2020 debut, but he couldn’t do much through the air with just one catch for five yards. Erick All, who started last week, had three catches for 13 yards. All had an impressive double block in the game where he blocked one player, then moved over and blocked another to help the running back gain yards. Overall the group wasn’t effective through the air, and the blocking was fine but could have been better to help the running game.
Offensive line: D
No offensive unit did worse in the loss than the offensive line. This line went from looking like a top line in the conference to looking like the unit has four new starters across the board. The linemen faced a lot of heavy pressure from Michigan State. While they only allowed one sack again, the pressure Milton faced was different than what he faced last week. Milton had to leave the pocket countless times to keep plays alive and to avoid sacks.
Not only did linemen struggle to help the passing attack, but they also struggled heavily helping the running game move the ball. There were never really holes for the running backs to find. Michigan State stuffed the running lanes and force the running backs to bounce outside, where they wouldn’t find much success either. Starting right tackle Jalen Mayfield left the game early with an injury, so this unit could face even more struggles with its best player possibly missing time.