On Saturday the run-at-all-costs Wolverines played right into the hands of their decided underdog opponents from Southern Methodist University. If only the Mustangs had the horses to make them pay for 60 minutes, the maize and blue may have been in trouble.
As it turns out, they were able to slug their way to a 45-20 win that looked much better on paper than it did from any seat in the stands. A win that for nearly 30 minutes better resembled an extended attention exercise, with Michigan holding a slim 14-7 lead until cornerback Josh Metellus, who ten minutes earlier had been scorched on a 50-yard strike from quarterback Ben Hicks to wideout James Proche, jumped up to snare Hicks' pass and zig-zagged his way through SMU linemen all the way to the end zone (see my pic below) as time expired.
Those two plays and a 35-yard touchdown delivery from Shea Patterson to Donovan Peoples-Jones awoke 110,000 fans from a 25-minute slumber, brought upon by a scoreless first quarter and a monotonous Wolverine touchdown drive that included SIX plays from inside the Mustang 8-yard line--all runs of course (see my pic).
It shouldn't be this painful to watch this Michigan football team. It just shouldn't. A squad as loaded on both sides of the ball as this 2018 version of the Wolverines offense under former Florida Gator head coach Jim McElwain should be fast-paced, dizzying, prolific. Their dominance should be evident, not assumed. At the halfway point of the second quarter Michigan had a 17:00-to-5:00 time of possession advantage, yet led just 7-0.
Instead of mixing it up to open the field to their talents, the Wolverines attempted just 18 passes and kept it on the ground 41 times. Most of which the defense knew was coming, and much of the times they had the ability to stop the Wolverines because of it. Fans got the occasional tease of an impressive pass from their rifle-armed Ole Miss transfer without getting the feeling that they've actually seen what he's made of.
As was the case with its unimaginative offense, Michigan's undisciplined defense is a defeat waiting to happen. While they may be able to horse around with it against the Broncos and Mustangs and get away with a win, it's not a sustainable plan for their visitors from Madison and Happy Valley, much less late-season trips to East Lansing and Columbus. One need only look back a few weeks to see what the same establish-the-run strategy looked like against a solid defense.
Soon, the offense will be allowed to break out. Soon, the pass will be opening up the run. With one loss already in the books, there's too much to lose in waiting too much longer.
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