Wisconsin 35, Michigan 14
That felt like a game of a bygone era, and not the one Jim Harbaugh constantly evokes. Michigan lost to Wisconsin in a start-to-finish debacle that'll shake even the most steadfast optimist's confidence in the program, at the very least until they can play on a big stage without getting stunted on.
Nothing went right. For the third straight game, Michigan lost a fumble on their opening drive, this time Ben Mason deep in Badger territory. There was no running game. Dylan McCaffrey replaced an ineffective Shea Patterson at quarterback until getting knocked out of the game by a dirty hit to the head. Wisconsin back Jonathan Taylor hit the century mark before the first quarter ended. Their quarterback, Jack Coan, completed 13 of his 16 pass attempts.
I’m gonna cry after the halftime show #BigNoonKickoff
— Charles Woodson (@CharlesWoodson) September 21, 2019
The rumored walking wounded, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Zach Charbonnet, suited up but made little impact until well into garbage time. Even on the shutout-breaking touchdown, Sean McKeon appeared to hurt his knee after landing in the end zone. A desperation Wolverine touchdown was overturned just before yet another lost fumble.
This was coming off a bye week.
— Ace Anbender (@AceAnbender) September 21, 2019
Okay, I slightly overstated things. The onside kick was lovely, even if it failed to provide the final score with an unearned veneer of respectability. Patterson's pitch to Jon Runyan Jr. provided a much-needed moment of levity. The late eff-it bombs to Nico Collins and Tarik Black provided a blueprint for what this offense should have been doing all along, for the love of all things sacred and holy.
Sorry.
203 yards on 23 carries. [Bryan Fuller]
A disaster of this magnitude brings with it major questions, the most pressing of which is: where is the offense we were promised in the offseason? And there are so many others. How do we distribute the blame for the offense's performance? When (if?) both quarterbacks are healthy, who starts? What the hell happened to the offensive line? What defensive alignment can be effective with this set of personnel? What the hell happened to those guys, too?
When does this stop? If it doesn't, when do we ask The Big Question that it's still too soon to ask no matter what's said on sports talk radio this week?
I certainly don't have the answers. Jim Harbaugh, Josh Gattis, and Don Brown are going to need to come up with some.
[Hit THE JUMP for the box score.]
September 21st, 2019 at 5:43 PM ^
He'll never get it with this OL.
Which is a damning statement, given that Shea will spend a short eternity dicking around with the ball after the snap, only to overthrow or basically ground it.
Though I'm sure his sycophants will argue that if he was given more time to fully consider the field, positions, aerodynamics of the ball, and so forth, he'd really be great, because he did well at Ole Miss.
September 21st, 2019 at 7:55 PM ^
But the defense was gashed right from the very beginning after the opening busted play by Wisconsin. They had holes and when they didn't they made yards after contact, running and passing at will. The problem today was on both sides of the ball.
September 21st, 2019 at 5:46 PM ^
Defense couldn’t stop them from the first play. Just like osu game
September 21st, 2019 at 3:58 PM ^
Bring back Lloyd.
September 21st, 2019 at 5:10 PM ^
Lloyd could develop OL's.
September 21st, 2019 at 5:10 PM ^
Lloyd could develop OL's.
September 22nd, 2019 at 4:00 AM ^
Lloyd could develop OL's.
September 21st, 2019 at 3:58 PM ^
I did not post much during the game and have enough time to gather myself before I contribute....
Fire Jim Harbaugh. Those kids are not prepared and neither he nor the players look to realize it. There is no overstating how bad that was today. That is a multi-year fix. That is a team several years away from being competitive.
I understand that they are getting a good experience at Michigan. He is not paid over 8 million dollars for a “good experience.” (If they are even getting that from him). I think there should be some real questions about his job. Right now questions.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:30 PM ^
Sorry man, but this is a bad take. These are the kind of takes we heard in 2017 and then the following year Michigan was a top 5ish team that dominated for 10 straight games before Don Brown lost his mind.
This isn't a multi-year fix. Certainly not necessarily. With a good OC (probably not Gattis) and fourth year McCaffrey, this should be a very good offense next year. There will be plenty of talent.
And then if Hinton and Smith a playable to good DTs (very possible) the defense should be very good as well.
The talent is there. The experience on defense isn't. The coaching on offense isn't. Those are fixable in a year.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:43 PM ^
There is zero evidence that Harbaugh is capable of fielding a "very good offense" at Michigan. He's had five years to prove it. It isn't happening.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:47 PM ^
If the take before is bad, yours is tired. Full of rationalizations, what ifs, pies in the sky and so much other fanciful bullshit that’s been heard for YEARS.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:50 PM ^
I can’t fully agree. Harbaugh has never really had a championship level offense. His best years were when he a top defense that bludgeoned teams and the offense picked up the pieces.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:51 PM ^
TrueBlue, I was with you 18 months ago, but you are not seeing the rot for what it is. McCaffrey was not remotely competent. None of the team was. That was an uncommon type embarrassment. Wisconsin called the dogs off. That game could have been 70-0.
September 21st, 2019 at 5:09 PM ^
McCaffrey was fine when he wasn't being hit in the head.
September 21st, 2019 at 5:41 PM ^
He wasn’t fine. He was not prepared at all.
September 21st, 2019 at 8:38 PM ^
What? Yes he was. He completed his first pass then McKeon dropped what would've been a big gainer. Then he got hit in the head the first time.
September 21st, 2019 at 5:05 PM ^
HahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahAhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahajajajahajahahahahahahajhahahahahahahahahahahahajajahajahajajaja
September 21st, 2019 at 5:28 PM ^
The talent is not there. The recruiting is awful. Top ten classes because each class has 25 kids in it. No breakout athletes, no program changers.
OSU has now recruited the #1 receiver out of Texas the last two years. All UM has is a last minute 3 star basketball player who is forced to play two years too early.
September 21st, 2019 at 6:02 PM ^
Sorry, but we’ve heard that song before. There always seems to be plenty of talent for next year. Problem is that they don’t seem to know what to do with obvious talent (WR this year) already on the team.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:00 PM ^
It looked to me like Harbaugh has lost the team, that his messages are no longer working. This wasn't a scheme issue, it was a heart and execution and will issue.
EDIT: I hate to quote Meyer, but he and Woodson said the same thing after the game: "this wasn't about the spread or the scheme, it was about toughness and effort."
September 21st, 2019 at 4:33 PM ^
Not sure if that's the fault of Gattis as an offensive mind or a failure of the coaches to teach the players but the offense looks totally lost and has looked that way through every game so far. Either way, it doesn't look like anything that could possibly get ironed out over the season.
September 21st, 2019 at 5:48 PM ^
That is exactly my thought too. The players aren’t buying the plan implemented by harbaugh. That is why you see no charge or Fire; it’s as if the players knew this was going to happen
September 21st, 2019 at 6:07 PM ^
Gattis is Rich Rod v2. Bad
Harbaugh is officially on the hot seat.
September 21st, 2019 at 7:24 PM ^
Best take I've read all day. That was the most uninspired Michigan team I've seen in a long time. I saw no fight, no toughness. It's the lack of leadership and heart.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:00 PM ^
Honestly go full Sparty and devote a little bit of practice time each week to OSU. No matter what else happens this year we need that game. Were we to beat OSU who looks like a juggernaut it could completely change the course of this program.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:10 PM ^
That team cannot beat Ohio State. They don’t play the same sport. Unless a literal miracle happens the second half of Ohio State could be a running clock situation.
September 21st, 2019 at 6:09 PM ^
Best OSU ? No way. Just hope we can beat Rutger
September 21st, 2019 at 4:36 PM ^
8-4 with a win against OSU at home does zero for the program.
September 21st, 2019 at 5:12 PM ^
It gets them back to Hoke level.
September 21st, 2019 at 6:15 PM ^
This team can’t beat Iowa. Our ceiling is 8-4. Likely 7-5 right now. Maryland could crap the bed for us to 6-6 if Jim doesn’t take over the offense. We suck.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:45 PM ^
Who the hell cares about that game at this point? It looks like Harbaugh has lost it and the program is rudderless at this point.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:00 PM ^
The backup quarterback led the team in rushing with, wait for it.... 21 yards.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:01 PM ^
You're lying to yourself if you think Harbaugh or Brown can come up with answers at this point. Harbaugh is a slower-witted Kirk Ferenz. Andrew Luck is to blame for all of this. Hey I hear he's available.
September 21st, 2019 at 5:01 PM ^
Harbaugh has been to a super bowl. Luck never did
September 21st, 2019 at 9:08 PM ^
NFL coach isn’t nearly as important as in college
September 23rd, 2019 at 1:22 AM ^
Bill Belichick is every bit as important to the Pats as Saban is to 'bama.
The only reason college coaches are more important is because they're responsible for personnel acquisition (as is Belichick).
The Niners sucked under Singletary and immediately became really good under Harbaugh. Coaching matters in the NFL.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:01 PM ^
Harbaugh has lost the ability to motivate. Brown has lost the ability to prepare.
Offense is a rudderless ship.
Bowl eligibility is dubious with two injured quarterbacks, no running game, no defensive line depth, and a flailing offensive line.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:25 PM ^
This is Rich Rod v2. Yet with great players. I mean the recruiting classes are 2x. No excuses for the coaches
Harbaugh is officially on the hot seat.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:01 PM ^
Michigan has gotten worse. Compare today with two years ago when a RS freshman QB, many of these same OLs, and DPJ came into Wisconsin when we all knew they’d lose and still looked better on offense.
Its Harbaugh. We got our guy and he’s not good enough.
Honestly, I’m tired. I am happier being less connected to football. We all are. Would you enjoy this afternoon more working on a hobby, spending family, hiking outdoors, working on a car?
I am.
Not throwing in the towel. Not “done with this team.” I am always and will always be a Michigan fan. I’ll be around here, I’ll catch the games
But this year I just can’t get too engaged. It isn’t fun. I’m happier without watching football. I enjoyed working in my office catching up on mail more during the second half than I would have enjoyed watching.
Go Blue. I’m going to work in the garage.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:03 PM ^
Right there with u, quit watching after halftime and will spend Saturday’s with my family vs watching michigan
September 21st, 2019 at 4:10 PM ^
I agree with both of you. I feel about UM football right now the way I feel about the Detroit Tigers. I'll have a game on the radio while I'm vacuuming or boiling soup. But I can't be emotionally engaged in that type of shit-show.
Multiple turnovers. Again. Three games in a row. Five years into Harbaugh's tenure.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:06 PM ^
I've reached the same point, fwiw. I'm not giving up as a fan, but I'm just not willing to be unhappy about sports much anymore. Life is too short for that. There are more important things and many other hobbies to enjoy.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:33 PM ^
Just for my own information, what does giving up has a fan look like? Is it not buying tickets, not buying merchandise, not watching on television? because I've been a Michigan fan for over 50 years and I'm still not to that point... Hope Springs Eternal I guess
September 21st, 2019 at 4:44 PM ^
I think of it as a complete casting aside of one's concern for the program.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:57 PM ^
I hit this point several years ago and honestly it allows me to enjoy sports in general more. First step for me was to stop watching pre game stuff and all the build up and recruiting. Just watch the games etc. and not set expectations.
September 22nd, 2019 at 12:07 PM ^
I like this, especially about not caring so much about recruiting. And no expectations is better than negative expectations, and whatever black pit follows.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:07 PM ^
The emotionally healthy and probably correct decision. You could say the worst thing about this year are the expectations that followed it. Now that those are gone, and a brutal schedule awaits, a smart fan makes a smart choice....
September 21st, 2019 at 8:53 PM ^
After the way last season ended I had 0 expectations.
Those have been met today.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:14 PM ^
You have accurately summarized the way I feel about the team and the season. I will always cheer for my alma mater. "Winning" has not been essential to me for the past 15+ years through the RR, Hoke, and Harbaugh eras. Competence and entertaining football is what I crave. Losing does not hurt as much as "not showing up", getting crushed, and being out-coached.
Blow out losses to ND, Penn State, Ohio State, Florida, and now, Wisconsin are more disappointing to me than close losses. I enjoy competitive football. We are not fielding a competitive team. Until we do, it will be difficult to enjoy watching Michigan football.
September 21st, 2019 at 4:26 PM ^
As a alum, it's damn hard to ease up on the emotional investment that I have built up over 45 years of either going to or watching games. But for my own mental health, I'm afraid that I have to.
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