Previously: Krushed By Stauskas (Illinois 2014), Introducing #ChaosTeam (Indiana 2009), Revenge is Terrifying (Colorado 1996), Four Games In September I (Boston College 1991), Four Games In September II (Boston College 1994), Four Games In September III (Boston College 1995), Four Games In September IV (Boston College 1996), Pac Ten After Dark Parts One and Two (UCLA 1989), Harbaugh's Grand Return Parts One and Two (Notre Dame 1985), Deceptive Speed Parts One and Two (Purdue 1999)

Week One: 1993 Washington Part One, Part Two, 2002 Washington Twitch stream
Week Two: 2011 Notre Dame Part One, Part Two, Twitch stream

This Game: Full game, highlights, box score
MGoBlog Coverage: Preview, punt/counterpunt, recap, game column, GIFs, UFR offense, UFR defense

I got started on this before the FOOTBALL BACK announcement, so I'll finish out the "non-conference" schedule over the next week while turning my focus to season preview content(!). After some consideration, I decided to look for a game that didn't have a deeply stressful ending. This one merely has a deeply stressful beginning.

Despite both teams getting off to dominating 2-0 starts, #4 Michigan and unranked Colorado aren't expected to play a particularly competitive game in week three of the 2016 season. The Buffaloes finished the previous year 4-8 and dead last in the Pac-12 South for the fourth straight season. Head coach Mike MacIntyre is in his fourth year and on thin ice. The first two weeks change the expectations from "abomination" to "a football team":

In this context a rousing blowout of in-state rival Colorado State does mean something. They squeezed by a 7-6 CSU team last year and spent big chunks of the last decade actually losing to them, so roaring out to a 30-point first-half lead and coasting the rest of the way is a notable improvement no matter how off this year's Rams are. How much improvement is an open question, but they could be a 6-6, 7-5 type outfit headed to Shreveport or wherever.

Vegas expects them to be Michigan's stiffest test to date, with a line more than two touchdowns closer than the UCF game. This shouldn't be close, but it should be a football game.

Vegas favors Michigan by 19.5 points. Here are the lineups, courtesy of 2016 Seth [click for big]:

Michigan offense vs. Colorado defense:

Colorado offense vs. Michigan defense:

Michigan enters this game banged up. After the typical obfuscating from Jim Harbaugh and the typical lack of a Wolverine depth chart, Michigan eventually fields a defense down two starters (CB Jourdan Lewis and DE Taco Charlton) and a key backup (DT Bryan Mone). In response to the uncertainty, Colorado issues a game week depth chart that would've been funnier if they hadn't explained all the jokes. Harbaugh gets peeved about it, giving us a controversy silly even by college football standards.

"I saw the depth chart," Harbaugh said. "I was trying to imagine how many people sat around and how many hours they worked on that. We've just found, I mean, when it comes to the depth chart, modern technology seems to have made the depth chart an outdated task by about 20 years. We've found studying last week's film of the opponent is the most accurate way of determining another team's depth chart."

And the jokes were bad!

With all of that out of the way, BTN is kind enough to show (most of) the Wolverines take the field.

Your announcers are Kevin Kugler and Matt Millen, possibly returning from The Joker's funeral.

Let's do the football, after THE JUMP.

Oh, right, before the football, Michigan has an honorary captain of note.

Legendary Colorado coach and former Bo Schembechler assistant Bill McCartney is also out there for the coin toss. The Buffs win and defer to the second half.

Michigan starts off with a deeply weird drive. After De'Veon Smith rushes for 12 yards, Amara Darboh drops a pass that would've moved the chains again. Jim Harbaugh then inserts Shane Morris to toss the ball to Jabrill Peppers, lining up at running back, and then act as a lead blocker. This gains seven yards, but Wilton Speight nearly throws a pick while under heavy pressure to end the drive after four plays. Colorado's Jay MacIntyre, son of the head coach, returns a 36-yard punt for 32 yards. That's the official count, at least, even though MacIntyre is tackled here...

...and the ball is spotted here:

29 return yards, three ref didn't have the angle yards.

The Buffs come out in full nothing-to-lose mode, calling a wide receiver pass to quarterback Sefo Liufau that gains 14 yards on their opening snap. After future Denver Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay is obliterated by Jabrill Peppers in the backfield, Don Brown's defense gets too aggressive with their coverage; Devin Ross gets free over the top because Peppers, tasked with the deep middle of the field, starts the play eight yards off the line of scrimmage and waits a long beat before attempting to get back to his zone.

He never gets there. 7-0, Colorado.

"Everybody is talking about this dynamic freshman" named Chris Evans, who catches a three-yard swing pass. Third down brings disaster. Khalid Hill doesn't see Colorado's version of Peppers, future Dallas Cowboys CB Chidobe Awuzie, blitzing from the slot, allowing a free run and huge hit on Speight that pops the ball loose.

Speight takes a moment to get up and appears in pain. Meanwhile, Derek McCartney—grandson of Bill, since apparently the Buffs are comprised mostly of relative of former coaches—is celebrating a fumble return touchdown. The crowd looks on in stunned silence as CU takes a 14-0 lead. Hawaii and UCF combined for 17 points in M's first two games.

The next drive is fun for a couple plays. Michigan empties the backfield for a Peppers end-around that he curves through the second level for a smooth 17 yards.

Chants of "dooooooooooooom" fill the Big House when Eddie McDoom runs practically the same play in the other direction for another first down. Then the momentum fizzles out. Speight is nearly picked again when he comes up a little short on a deep ball to Darboh, who's mirrored step-for-step by Ahkello Witherspoon. That prompts Harbaugh to insert John O'Korn for a play to hand off to fullback Khalid Hill. Speight returns on third down only to wing a throw high in the direction of Grant Perry. When he's back on the sideline, a trainer tests the strength of his battered shoulder.

That's always a good sign, right?

Peppers shuts down a swing pass to Lindsay; nothing is getting to the edge and it's weird that Colorado is testing him. Colorado gets a first down through the air before the defense boots them off the field. When the Buffs' punter goes to boot the football, Michael Jocz gets his body in the way, and Grant Perry is in the right spot to grab the loose ball and score.

This is Michigan's third deflected punt in two weeks. They'd also blocked two field goals against UCF. Special teams wizard John Baxter may have left for USC in the offseason but his spirit (and perhaps a few tricks) remains in Ann Arbor.

The defense gets to the verge of a three-and-out before Mike McCray jumps offsides on third-and-four. A strong Linsday run and two Liufau completions later, the Buffs have first-and-goal at the six. Ross gets his second touchdown on a well-thrown slot fade. 21-7, Colorado. That's a costly penalty. The broadcast notes this is the first time in 22 games Michigan's defense has allowed multiple passing touchdowns; the first quarter isn't over.

Again, Michigan starts a drive with some chunk plays—a ten-yard Smith rumble, a 13-yard drag route to TE Jake Butt—before stalling out. Speight tosses another near-interception and is forced into a throwaway on third down. Any energy left in the building from the punt block is long gone.

Colorado is now seriously threatening a major upset. The threat of a bubble screen and poor tackling by Delano Hill turn a quick slant to Bryce Bobo into a 50-yard gain. As the first quarter comes to a merciful close, Lindsay turns the corner to gain a first down in the red zone.

In the second quarter, the defense starts hitting. MLB Ben Gedeon gets in a strong shot on Liufau on a second-down sack, then Peppers dusts a blocker and wrecks a flash screen in the backfield to bring on the field goal unit. The kick is hooked just a bit outside.

Michigan stays within two possessions, which feels critical at the moment. That feeling doesn't abate after a quick drive features two wayward throws by Speight; a few boos are audible on the broadcast as Kenny Allen comes out to punt.

Colorado tries more misdirection to see if they can edge Peppers. It fails miserably. Not usually a numbers compiler, Peppers already has six tackles. He gets one more on the drive as the defense forces another punt and the crowd comes to life again. They get much louder when said punt is drilled into a Colorado blocker's armpit.

This goes in the box score as a "TEAM" punt for a loss of seven yards, setting up Michigan at the CU 28. Butts are out of their seats.

Another drag route to Butt gets a first down; this one doesn't go to waste. On the next play, Khalid Hill clears the corner for Jehu Chesson, who takes an end-around to the house.

That formation screamed run—the tight end isn't an eligible receiver—but it didn't matter.

Now the crowd is out for blood. The defense delivers. Freshman phenom Rashan Gary rips Lindsay down at the line of scrimmage. Chris Wormley, alternating between end and tackle with Charlton sidelined, powers off the edge to blow up Liufau as he's throwing.

ouch [Patrick Barron]

Liufau takes his time getting up, enough so that Colorado burns a timeout. The break does not solve the core issue.

Gary's hit begets another punt, though not before Buffs take a delay of game.

"If you’re Colorado, you can’t let the wheels fall off here," says Millen, sensing the potential of the moment.

Peppers returns the punt to the CU 37 and is a tackle away from breaking it for a touchdown.

That would've been useful; after the offense is stopped just inside the red zone, Allen misses a field goal that never travels inside the hash mark. The two kickers are now a combined 0-for-2 on hitting the net behind the uprights, let alone splitting them. The wheels stay on, for now.

Another Colorado drive means another big hit on Liufau.

They're adding up and impacting his pocket presence. The punter trots out again when Liufau and Fields can't quite hook up on a short pass that looks like it could turn into a long gain. Peppers again looks on the verge of busting the return into the open field, spinning his way for 12 yards.

The Wolverines catch a break when Colorado defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt gets in the way of an official on the sideline during a Jake Butt catch-and-run, turning a 12-yard gain into 27.

Hill runs through an Awuzie arm-tackle to put the Wolverines in scoring territory. Speight and backup RB Ty Isaac smack into each other on a handoff, prompting Millen to say "that was a good hit by Speight, stopped him right in the hole." Solid line. Two shots to Darboh are well covered by Colorado's clearly better-than-advertised secondary, bringing Allen on for another attempt—this one right down the middle. 21-17, Colorado, with 1:59 remaining in the half.

Liufau's two-minute drill never has much of a chance; a long first-down pass to Fields is negated by an obvious hold on Maurice Hurst that puts the Buffs into clock-killing mode. After stuffing Liufau's second straight rush attempt on third down, Michigan uses their final timeout with 53 seconds on the clock. Peppers, again, is an ankle away from housing the punt. This is lamented for one play.

From the UFR:

Take a bow, Grant Perry. Perry’s assigned to cut the corner on Darboh, which he does a crappy job of. Newsome(+1) has to adjust and kick that guy out and Michigan is now down a blocker, except Perry gets back up and gets Awuzie, blasting him back a few yards; Awuzie discards him but Darboh’s already past. Perry then starts running for the safeties and gets a shove in on the last guy to help Darboh break that tackle. +3 even with the biff. Meanwhile Kalis(+1) and Cole(+2) get out in space and get their guys, with Cole burying a DB. Darboh(+2) does have to run through an arm tackle at the sticks and stiffarm that last guy Perry hit.

I can't remember another individual +3 that began with a missed block.

Colorado, reeling from Michigan's 17 points in 8:17 of game time, kneels out the clock and heads into the tunnel to regroup at halftime. The home team holds an improbable 24-21 lead.

Stay tuned next week for the thrilling conclusion. No stream on Saturday because I'm now due to work a lot of Saturdays. This is not a complaint.