Ten Reasons Why Michigan Lost The Game
1. The Inability of Michigan's Defense to Stop Michigan State Early.
-On State's first drive, they had 4 penalties for 50 yards. Their drive was 80 yards. That's 130 yards total of offense they had to create. Anytime a team gets a personnel foul 15 yard penalty, it normally KILLS the drive. There are two reasons why it didn't here: Both times it was AFTER the play, so it merely set MSU back, rather than 2nd and 25, it was 1st and 10 from 15 yards back. Second, Michigan failed to make MSU pay for the chop block penalty that set them at 2nd and 25. Instead, they allowed Cousins to scramble and practically erase the penalty. More on that later. Through out the entire first half, Michigan's defense did not stop State on 3rd down until late in their drives, if at all.
2. The Inability of Michigan's Defense to Contain
-A couple plays come to mind: namely every time Cousins scrambled out of the pocket, he picked up at least 10 yards because our defense lost contain and could not close in fast enough. We got KILLED by this the whole game. Give props to Cousins for seeing that massive hole to run through, because it was his for the taking. Our defense just could not stop him at all. And let's not mention that end-around where Michigan had the play resolved and just had to make the tackle, but somehow managed to allow Martin to run around the entire defense and turn a 3-4 yard loss into an 18 yard gain.
3. The Inability of Michigan's Defense to Get Turnovers
-MSU presented plenty of opportunities for the Wolverine's to get a turnover by having I believe three or four fumbles during the game, only one of which was recovered. Granted one bounced literally into the arms of MSU's Grant as he was getting up from a block, but the others were recoverable. We were able to force the turnovers but we just couldn't recover them.
4. The Inability of Michigan's Defense to Get Pressure And Disrupt The Pocket
-This goes hand-in-hand with number 2. Giving Cousins and Nichol over 5 seconds to throw and not coming up with a sack is ridiculous. Giving them over 5 seconds to throw and then letting them scramble for 15 yards is just inexcusable. Our defensive front got beat all day long. Yea you can say they showed poise on the early goalline stand, or the Brandon Graham I'll-Knock-You-Into-Next-Year-When-I-Don't-Get-Blocked tackle on MSU's Winston, but overall they didn't show up.
Okay, enough gripe about the defense, we know they sucked coming into this game, but how about the offense with Tate the Great?
5. The Inability of Michigan's Receivers to Catch a Pass
-Seriously, how many dropped balls did we have in the first half? Like a billion? Ok, only about 4 or so, but still. It seemed like our receivers just could not hang onto the ball or make a catch all game long. Tate would scramble around and make the throw only to have it fall through someone's hands, or be caught and then jarred loose. Give credit again to MSU for delivering big hits on a couple of those, but some had the receiver wide open and they just dropped it.
6. The Inability of Michigan's Offense to Adjust to MSU's Defensive Front
-When you continuously try to run the ball up the middle the whole game, and continuously get stuffed, how does that make a good game plan? Carlos Brown thrives on speed and being able to blow by people, not run up the middle and pound it out; that's Minor's job. Michigan needed to find ways to get Carlos outside in space, rather than have him try to get yards by going forward up the middle.
7. The Inability of Michigan's Offense to Convert Turnovers
-Biggest case, the opening series. Got a great turnover early and a touchdown would have been icing on the cake to start the game. Instead, the most Michigan can muster is a net 5 yard loss and tack up the field goal. Had Michigan scored there, the entire game is different. Then again later in the 3rd quarter, a clutch interception takes away three points, and what does Michigan do? Makes the most confusing play call of all-time.
8. The Worst Play Call of All-Time
-4th and inches, deep in their own territory, Michigan opts to kick it...except not. Instead, Zoltan tries to run from 8 yards deep to get to the first. Normally on fake punts it goes to one of the guys setting up the block, not the punter. And if it does go to the punter, it's normally a pass, because he's so far deep. In that scenario if Michigan truly wanted to go for it, give the ball to Brandon Minor, or have Tate get under center and push. Either way, that play could have changed the game had Michigan's defense not miraculously held MSU to a field goal.
9. Michigan Did Not Want It
-If you watched the game, you could see the hunger and desire in the eyes of the players of MSU. They wanted this win. This win could turn around their season and give them a shot at a Big Ten Title run. This win would define the rest of their season. For Michigan, it seemed the players were content with starting 4-0 (and then 4-1) and the passion was not there as it was for MSU. Granted, it was in East Lansing, but that does not excuse the fact that Michigan's effort was severely lacking compared to MSU the entire game. I don't know if players weren't focused or what, but they just didn't seem as into it as MSU.
10. Tate Can't Do Everything Himself
-Out of the Michigan players, this is the one kid that did want it. His two fourth quarter drives proved it. He wanted to win, and he wanted it badly. He did everything in his power to guide his team to victory, but in the end it wasn't enough. He can't carry the whole team by himself; he needs support from the other players. Tate will be great, of that there is no doubt, as it already has been proven. But every great player has a great supporting cast, and others now need to step up.
Michigan did not win this game, because they had no business being in this game. Those last fourth quarter drives were unearned and Michigan did not deserve to be in overtime with Michigan State. The result is what it should have been, a loss for Michigan. The Wolverine's took their early successes as an excuse to look past MSU, especially given MSU's 3-1 start. But now Michigan needs to regroup and refocus for next week, and continue to take the season one game at a time.
This was a tough loss to handle, especially after tying the game and going into overtime. But next week's game is going to be harder. Iowa brings a defense that is 3rd in the Big Ten behind Penn State (#1) and Ohio State (#2). They won't need to outscore the Wolverine's if their defense does their job, and their offense should be fine against Michigan's porous defense. Michigan needs to step up and find other role players on both sides of the ball that can make plays. This is the spot of college football, and on any given Saturday, any team can win.
October 3rd, 2009 at 4:59 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:00 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:26 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:30 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:44 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:53 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:03 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:02 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:02 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:12 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:45 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:39 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:05 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:16 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:33 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:41 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:06 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:12 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:23 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:24 PM ^
October 4th, 2009 at 4:52 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:15 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:28 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 8:02 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:18 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:20 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:22 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:28 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:46 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:55 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:25 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:28 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:11 PM ^
October 4th, 2009 at 1:20 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:36 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:39 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:42 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:44 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:45 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:49 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:54 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:37 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:43 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:37 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:02 PM ^
October 4th, 2009 at 7:30 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:56 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:16 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:00 PM ^
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:09 PM ^
Comments