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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It didn’t turn out the way it was supposed to. No one was predicting that the unranked Spartans — who had lost to lowly Rutgers in Big Ten Week 1 last week — would come to Ann Arbor and upset Michigan in The Big House.
The stats were close to even, this is true. Michigan out-gained MSU, 452-449. It out-rushed the Spartans, 152-126. QB Joe Milton threw for 300 yards on 51 attempts, completing 63% of his passes.
But when a team needed to make a play the most, it was MSU making acting like the favorite, executing on Saturday, while the Wolverines allowed the big plays all game long.
And where Michigan needed to be ahead, where it mattered most — the final score — it wasn’t.
Spartans QB Rocky Lombardi passed for 323 yards and 3 TD on 32 attempts, but he only completed 53% of his passes. MSU rushed for just 126 yards. In normal circumstances, that would equal a win. Though his stat line was often unimpressive, Lombardi shined making the big plays, with five throws for 30 yards or more. In fact, 204 of his 323 yards came on just five plays — as the inexperienced Michigan cornerbacks found themselves busting, time and time again.
Now it matters very little that Michigan showed out in prime time against Minnesota or that MSU lost to Rutgers. The reality is both have a one in the loss column, and the rival Spartans have bragging rights. And in a year they had no business doing so.
First up to the podium after the game, Milton placed all of the blame on himself after the game, saying, ‘It’s all on me, the O-line played great,’ before noting he had ‘happy feet.’ That’s just a leader shouldering the blame, but it’s not true.
While it’s great to see that from your first-year starter, however, the truth is, MSU was dominant up front on both sides of the ball. It blitzed and blitzed and Michigan’s inexperienced offensive line had Milton running for his life for much of the game. By the time it had settled in, it was too late. Even down just two scores, the lead was insurmountable for an offense that never could find its rhythm.
“Defensively, they played a bit over-front defense early,” Harbaugh said. “And got some tackles for loss. Early in the game, we were making plays or they were negative plays. Their offensive line did a really good job protecting. We didn’t get any sacks or any kind of type of havoc type of plays defensively. Up front, it was pretty darn even. Both sides, the statistics were even throughout the game.”
Still, Milton shouldered that which wasn’t on him, searching for answers amid the inexplicable.
“None of their pressures really affected me, that was just me as a person, and I’ve gotta fix it,” Milton said. “I was a lot more poised last week. I got more poised throughout this game. But I don’t know why my feet was busy. I think my mind was just roaming everywhere. That’s totally on me. Everybody did what they need to do. It’s just on me.”
Time after time, Michigan tested MSU’s middle, and nearly every time, it faltered. The perimeter worked — especially with true freshmen WR Roman Wilson (5 rec., 71 yards) and RB Blake Corum (5-for-15, 2 TD), but over and over, the Wolverines attempted to force a square peg into a round hole.
Harbaugh certainly exempted Milton from those at fault — and rightfully so.
“We didn’t – there was some exceptional throws,” Harbaugh said. “As I said earlier, my take of it right now – I have to rewatch it: we’d be in rhythm then we wouldn’t, or we wouldn’t be in rhythm then we’d get it. And it just didn’t – didn’t finish the drives and be in rhythm throughout the drive like we wanted to.”
But why wasn’t the offense able to find its rhythm? Whenever it seemed like it was moving the ball, it would stop itself. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis called an exemplary game in Week 1, but this week, he tried to get too cute. Or bull-headed — unsure which.
Now the only satisfactory version of a 2020 season, one that this program clamored for, despite the university president, is to win out. A tall task with Wisconsin, Penn State and Ohio State still on the schedule. Just days ago, it appeared that the Wolverines were poised to win 2-of-3. But given the way the team performed on Saturday, that seems unlikely.
But, it’s college football. Good teams lose bad games.
For now, we don’t know what kind of team this will be — good or bad. There are six regular season games left, and then a crossover after that. While nothing will likely satiate a fanbase craving blood — a much deserved reaction to Saturday’s debacle — if Michigan somehow finds a way to win out, while not all will be forgiven, much will be forgotten.
One thing is certain: nothing less is acceptable for this program. Which may be where the problem lies at the moment.
Now the program will do some soul-searching, in attempt to stave off a reckoning as the schedule progresses. In order to gain any semblance of trust back from the fanbase after Saturday, it better hope it finds some answers — and sooner than later.
“Team’s gonna own this,” Harbaugh said. “Congratulations to Michigan State, but we’ve gotta own the loss, come back and find out where we can improve. This is a high-character team, and I believe they’ll do just that. Each of us looking at ourselves – player, coach, all of us. Strive to be a lot better. Try to find the places we can make improvements.”