3. TCU’s defensive front held up
The Michigan offensive line was the best in the country, and the team didn’t follow the playbook when it came to how this thing worked all year long.
Get through the first half, keep grinding, maybe be behind or maybe not, and then everything starts to break wide open in the second half. That’s how Michigan beat teams time and time and time again.
But the problems on defense forced Michigan to change up its game plan a bit, there was too much panicking with big downfield shots – it was like the Wolverine coaching staff tried to score 20 points with every play – and it all helped give the TCU defensive front a little bit of a break.
TCU’s Dylan Horton had a massive game with four sacks and four of the team’s 13 tackles for loss on a line that kept Michigan from taking over up front.
How many tackles for loss did the Wolverine allow per game this year? 4.31. How many sacks per game did it give up? One.
Of course, neither defense did anything amazing in this, and it’s not like the Horned Frogs were a brick wall. But Michigan was supposed to win this because of its huge advantage up front, and it didn’t.
Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff 5 Thoughts
5; Michigan was off from the start
4. Michigan got hosed on 2 calls, but …
3. TCU’s defensive front held up
2. The first College Football Playoff shocker
1. TC-freaking-U is in CFP National Championship