Michigan Radio sideline reporter Doug Karsch delivers his weekly, exclusive, From The Sidelines report for TheWolverine.com subscribers.

Here’s Karsch, on…

• The whipsaw that cut Michigan’s 28-0 lead to 28-25 at Illinois: “I noticed what everybody else did. All the stuff the Wolverines were doing earlier in the game they weren’t doing. They weren’t running the football with any degree of effectiveness.

“While the defense made some plays, they weren’t getting off the field on third down. Those are what I call possession plays, a play that costs you a possession. They would get Illinois in a third down, and then Illinois would make a play. They would not make a play to get off the field.

“They’d get a stop, and there was a defensive hold, or they’d allow a fade route down the sideline on third-and-long, or a short pass on third-and-six for a first down. They weren’t living in the backfield. Early in the game and late in the game, they were living in the backfield, defensively.

“It was so stark, the contrast, that it was shocking. They were as dominant as they could be, both offensively and defensively, for almost two full quarters. Then until there were about 10 or 11 minutes left in the game, it was like there were almost a completely different team.”