After a ton of offseason hype starting with Big Ten media days and moving into fall camp, the No. 2 Michigan football team has not exactly impressed many media onlookers. Or fans, for that matter.
That’s despite having won by an average of 32 to 5.3 in each of the first three games.
The starting defense has only given up two field goals — both in the last game — but the offense hasn’t exactly rounded into full form as of yet. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy was electric in the first two weeks before having his worst game as a Wolverine in Week 3. Still, Michigan drove the field before McCarthy turned into an interception machine at the end of drives.
CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd isn’t particularly concerned over the seeming woes of the maize and blue. In his latest power rankings, Dodd still has Michigan football at No. 2, behind only Georgia.
The preliminaries are over. The Jim Harbaugh-less Wolverines get through the Charmin soft nonconference slate and hit the Big Ten grind this week against … Rutgers. Defense has given up one touchdown in three games.
Our working theory? Without Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines and with the level of competition not exactly being one that anyone would get hyped up for, Michigan football is a little disinterested — and a little vanilla. The defense has been incredible, but the offense hasn’t exactly tried to open things up, save for a couple of tricky plays — such as the J.J. McCarthy touchdown pass to Cornelius Johnson in Week 3 off of a flea flicker.
With Jim Harbaugh returning this weekend, perhaps we’ll see a Michigan team more in line with what we’ve seen over the course of the past two seasons.