ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Even when it appears that one of the teams on Michigan’s schedule starts providing a challenge, it’s been awfully short-lived. Such was the case for Indiana in Week 7, much like Rutgers in Week 4 and Bowling Green in Week 3.
After two straight weeks of shutting down the opposition from the jump, the Wolverines returned home and let the Hoosiers march down the field for a touchdown on the second drive. Conversely, the offense couldn’t seem to move the ball, going three-and-out on the two opening offensive possessions.
But after that — pure domination.
Joel Klatt, the Fox Sports analyst, has likened Michigan football to a boa constrictor being in a small room with you. You’re going to have some fight, but eventually, the serpent will choke you to death. With the Wolverines having won 10 straight games by 30 or more points, you’re seeing the death in live action.
These players can even sense the moment when the opposition has given up, and it appears to be the focus of the team every game now.
“My favorite thing is watching them like their hope slowly go away,” sixth-year linebacker Michael Barrett said. “Watching that fight, just kind of diminish away from them. And just kind of get to the point to where they’re just like, ‘Let’s go home.” That’s kind of my favorite feeling. When you can just kind of feel that extra oomph go away. I think that that’s kind of what it is.”
“Similar to what Mike B. said, over the course of the game, how are we playing, we start to see some of their passion diminish,” sophomore safety Keon Sabb added. “Like a boa constrictor, you want to just keep applying pressure at all times until the end of the game.”
Ultimately, this is a confident bunch that knows what the ultimate goal is: a national championship.
The schedule has not yet been a challenge, but that will change in short order with a rivalry game against Michigan State coming up and Penn State, Maryland, and Ohio State forthcoming in November.
And, in the meantime, as Michigan dominates, the team appears to be a reflection of its head coach, as Barrett says.
“Like coach always says, ‘We’re in the (expletive)-kickin’ business, and business is booming!’ You got to keep it going.”