Michigan is now 2-1 heading into a home game with hapless Rutgers following a 35-14 loss at Wisconsin that probably wasn’t as close as the final score. The Badgers bullied U-M, especially with their offense, and left head coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff searching for answers.
There’s only one thing to do, Harbaugh said in the aftermath — get back to work and make sure one loss doesn’t lead to two, which is highly unlikely given the opponent.
“To respond,” Harbaugh said when asked what he expected of himself. “Same thing we’ve asked our players, coaches to do. Put the best possible game plan we can to get a win this week, win the next game … for the players to respond and learn that, understand it and eventually execute it on Saturday.”
Michigan alums were embarrassed, especially those who wore the uniform, and once again they were pitied by former Buckeye and current analyst Chris Spielman.
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“I’m not being facetious or I’m not speaking in hyperbole. Take the helmets off, and I might as well turn on Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Ferris State, Wayne State, any other state up there, Grand Valley State, because that's not a Michigan team," he said on his podcast this week. "When you go to a place like Michigan, there’s a certain standard that needs to be upheld. When you're not upholding that standard, there's going to be blowback.
"So I want to see if this 'Michigan Man' thing is anything to these guys. Are they going to come together? Are they going to respond? Are they going to have pride? Because this offense is not what they are. That offensive line was decimated and destroyed by Wisconsin.”
If that doesn’t motivate them, nothing will.
Saturday’s win (and it had better be that) will do nothing to prove anything to anyone, nor should it. The next test is Iowa the following week, a well-coached team that — like Wisconsin — wants to out-tough, out-physical and wear teams down with their toughness. That’s when we’ll find out more about this team’s resolve.
In the meantime, here’s what the Wolverines need to do to in order to get back on track and beat hapless Rutgers:
Figure it out up front defensively: Redshirt sophomore Donovan Jeter had a big spring and summer, and earned praise for his play, but he struggled in his first significant taste of action at Wisconsin. Senior nose tackle Carlo Kemp has been playing his butt off, even if he’s undersized, but they need redshirt junior Michael Dwumfour back — or for others to progress quickly — to compete against the more physical teams on the schedule.
“Wisconsin played physical up front, the back had some really incredible runs, found the softness in the defense, exploited fits … there were some [bad] fits and poor tackling,” Harbaugh said of last week.
But it starts with establishing the line of scrimmage. This week probably won’t tell us much (unless Rutgers is able to move the ball on the ground — then there’s a problem), but the following week against Iowa will be the week we find out if this defense really has a chance.
Protect the ball: This one seems like a broken record, but that’s where we are. This team was great in that respect a year ago — this season the ball’s like a hot potato to senior quarterback Shea Patterson and Co., and after four more turnovers Saturday, the Wolverines rank last nationally among teams that have played three games with nine giveaways. They’re also tied for 118th overall against all NCAA teams.
Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis seemed lost as to how to fix it.
"We’ve devoted so much time to it. It’s uncharacteristic, it really is, the time we’ve devoted to ball security,” he said this week. “I wish I had an answer. I know each and every one of these guys don’t want to put the ball on ground … it’s become a little bit of an issue with so many turnovers so early in the game.”
One in each opening drive of the year, in fact. Gattis admits it’s indicative of an undisciplined team.
“We’ve got to keep stressing the issues of ball security. Each and every player has got to make it important on each and every play that we’re protecting the ball, and those who have it,” Gattis said. “It’s not just the ball carrier. It’s everyone finishing on blocks, blocking on the perimeter, blocking the secondary players so guys don’t get hit at the second level.”
Figure out who really wants to play … hard, on every play: Some of Michigan’s best teams weren’t its most talented. The 1985 defense, for example, was undersized at many positions, not particularly fast, but it played well together like few teams in the country.
Likewise, some of U-M’s past wide receivers and linemen weren’t even the most talented in the Big Ten, but they went on to long NFL careers because they laid it on the line every play.
Harbaugh is looking or guys who ‘want it,’ and he made the clear this week.
“Emphasis on physicality, emphasis on toughness and emphasis on hustle. We'll make that part of the practice plan more, and also playing the players that are dedicated and playing physically at all times,” Harbaugh said. “Get those players in the ballgame."
Sometimes it takes a kick in the rear to get the best out of a guy.
The Breakdown: Rutgers at Michigan
We’ll ask it here like we do every year … what was Jim Delany thinking?
The Big Ten Commissioner had New York market TV money on his mind, etc., when he pursued Rutgers, but it’s been a failure. The Scarlet Knights haven’t been competitive on the gridiron in most of the years since joining the conference, and this season is no different.
Harbaugh praised Rutgers’ running back duo of Raheem Blackshear and Isaih Pacheco, who ran for 193 yards total on 33 carries against U-M last year (including Pacheco’s 80-yard touchdown run), but this is a bad football team. The Scarlet Knights were shut out and held to 125 total yards by Iowa, and are 27.5-point dogs for a reason.
It would be disappointing if this were a game at halftime.
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