Michigan State 29, Michigan 6
Bryan Fuller/MGoBlog
Michigan had two weeks to prepare for Michigan State. This resulted in a record-setting day.
Michigan's -48 yards rushing is school's all-time low in a game (surpassing -46 vs Minnesota in 1962). #MSU
— Chris Mackinder (@Chris_Mackinder) November 2, 2013
Sorry, that should've said that the first half yardage is an FBS worst since Notre Dame rushed -45 yards in a first half in 2007.
— Chantel Jennings (@ChantelJennings) November 2, 2013
It takes a special kind of failure to achieve such lows: complete, utter failure from top to bottom. The gameplan from Al Borges lacked coherence, an issue that's plagued him during his entire tenure at Michigan. The play-action from under center isn't fooling anyone and still gets brought out several times a game, yet the shotgun runs somehow lack any sort of constraint or misdirection. A piecemeal offense isn't going to beat MSU's defense.
The offensive line couldn't open up holes for the running game, nor could they keep Devin Gardner upright. MSU registered nine sacks, and even with that yardage removed along with kneeldowns and a negative-20-yard bad snap, the Wolverines mustered 1.3 yards per carry.
Gardner often held the ball too long, for his part, and missed some open receivers, then capped the performance with an ugly interception when he hucked a designed back-shoulder fade three yards in front of Jeremy Gallon. By that point, however, he'd earned considerable respect simply for standing up and facing the inevitable beating.
Eric Upchurch/MGoBlog
Michigan mustered 168 yards on a meager 2.8 yards per play despite Gardner averaging nearly eight yards per pass when he could actually get one off. The defense fought valiantly, holding the Spartans to just 237 yards and 16 points through three quarters and setting up the offense with a chance to make it a game when Raymon Taylor picked off Connor Cook and returned it to the MSU 41. The Wolverines subsequently took a five-yard loss on an blown-up option followed by consecutive sacks—burning a timeout before the second one—to lose 21 yards in three plays; a Matt Wile punt, his eighth of the afternoon, opened the fourth quarter.
By the time Jeremy Langford capped the scoring with a 40-yard touchdown run, Devin Gardner's day was done—it would've been unconscionable to put him out there for another possession—and fans from both sides steadily streamed out of Spartan Stadium.
On Michigan's final offensive play of the game, Shane Morris tried to scramble on fourth-and-four, only to faceplant at the line of scrimmage. It was a fitting coda to a miserable day.
November 3rd, 2013 at 12:42 PM ^
want to leave SF? First, there is no love lost between him and UM, that much has become readily apparent over the last seven or eight years. Then there is his continued success as an NFL coach and compensation. Nah, if you want a former college coach that is now an NFL coach, there is none more available than the bumbling Greg Schiano. Say, wasn't he once on Martin's short list?
November 3rd, 2013 at 1:24 PM ^
Hoke has had 2 good years in his career. That doesn't instill a lot of hope against a lot of his headscratching decisions, cheif amongst them his offensive coaching staff
November 3rd, 2013 at 12:05 PM ^
November 2, 2013, Dia de Los Muertos Wolverinos.
November 3rd, 2013 at 1:13 PM ^
2009: Rich Rod was 5-7
2010: Rich Rod was 7-5 and lost in a 3rd tier bowl
2011: Brady was 10-2, beat Ohio and then won the Sugar Bowl, with Rich Rod's players
2012: Brady was 8-4, beat MSU and lost in a 2nd tier bowl, with some of Rich Rod's players and some of his own
2013: Brady nearly loses to two of the worst teams in the nation (Akron and UConn), probably ends up 7-5, loses to MSU and OSU, and goes to a third tier bowl, pretty much with HIS players.
2014: Will UM be 6-6 and continue the mediocrity?
Two things are glaringly obvious:
1. It ain't RR
2. It ain't getting any better
November 3rd, 2013 at 2:21 PM ^
Hold on. We're 6-2 right now. We have no idea what is to come, but I don't know why you assume 7-5. Nebraska is at home and NW/Iowa are nothing special. NW is currently on a 5-game losing streak.
As for RR, while he left good talent in some places, his OL recruiting in 2009-11 certainly is hurting us right now.
November 3rd, 2013 at 2:29 PM ^
We are not being Ohio State. Iowa and Northwestern are nothing special? They're on the road. Guess who else was "nothing special" and on the road. UConn. There is not a single "surefire" win left on this schedule.
November 3rd, 2013 at 5:03 PM ^
November 3rd, 2013 at 6:42 PM ^
November 3rd, 2013 at 4:29 PM ^
But of course, in year three of the Rodriguez era, according to you, prior staff recruiting mattered little.
Why didn't Hoke target OL in 2011? Even if they were generic three stars? He couldn't have flipped anyone? He did it at other positions that weren't nearly as necessary.
November 4th, 2013 at 7:31 AM ^
Plus we have so e pretty decent looking talent coming in over the next several years. That was not the case under rr.
So thanks for making me feel better about the horrific scheming by the coaches and horrible play by our ol and rb (singular) this week, could have been worse but could still improve (apparently post Funk and + a qb coach).
November 3rd, 2013 at 1:19 PM ^
I swear... It's the same damn story every single year with these teams... We're always "one thing away" from being a good team, and it's always looking on to the next season...
Why will next season be ANY better than this season? We have the worst home schedule I've ever seen, and it will be more expensive than ever.
We lose the only 2 decent players on a HORRID OL.
November 3rd, 2013 at 7:38 PM ^
Hopefully we will also lose the most horrific offensive line coach in the history of the program, as well as others.
November 3rd, 2013 at 1:55 PM ^
I've missed a grand total of 5 home games in the last 7 years. I'd like to see more than one victory over MSU and OSU before I retire and move to Florida. The question has to be asked:
So if it's not ever gonna be JH, then who?
I've got to give this some thought........I'll get back to you.
November 3rd, 2013 at 7:35 PM ^
Basketball
November 4th, 2013 at 11:34 AM ^
I've never seen a game where a UM QB got sacked three times in a row.
I've never seen such a crappy UM O-Line. What is the deal on pass protection ?
Taylor Lewan did bad with that Personal Foul. Man-Up and block.
D Gardner is the MAN. Hard to pass when the other team is in your face.
Funch-a-Tron could have caught more but he is very good. Was nice to see Chesson get a grab. He looks like a giant.
Well, if the OLine could pass protect we'd be doing a lot better. I see other college games with Freshman oLinemen playing well. Not sure what the deal is with UM oline.
MAN UP!
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