We take a look back this morning at what went right and what all went wrong for the Michigan Wolverines' football team in Saturday's loss to Wisconsin. The coaching and performance of U-M's team were both subpar once again this weekend, though there were a few bright spots we've singled out as well.
It was another all-around disappointing performance that we've summed up below in this season's fourth edition of "Monday Morning Quarterback."
Key Moment of the Game
On Michigan's first offensive play of the game, redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe Milton threw a pass to fifth-year senior tight end Nick Eubanks in traffic. The pass hit Eubanks in the face, ricocheted into the air and was intercepted by Badger safety Scott Nelson.
The play set the tone for the night perfectly – Milton throwing into coverage, Eubanks failing to make a contested catch and Wisconsin making a nice play on the ball. The Badgers already led 7-0 at this point and would capitalize off the turnover by finding the end zone again just a few plays later.
That turnover and score was probably enough to crush the already-weak mindset of a group of Wolverines who have no clue how to handle adversity. It was a pathetic offensive play on a pathetic night for a U-M squad who doesn't seem to mind letting themselves get embarrassed.
Three Things That Worked
1. Cade McNamara's First Drive
The redshirt freshman quarterback was put into the game in favor of Milton late in the third quarter and immediately gave the club a spark. He drove the team 74 yards in just four plays, capping things off with a beautiful 23-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Mike Sainristil in the end zone.
2. Punting
We're really digging here, because there so few positives to be found from this one. Redshirt junior Brad Robbins had another nice night punting the ball, averaging 42.4 yards on five attempts.
3. N/A
Three Things That Didn't Work
1. Rush Defense
Michigan let Wisconsin run all over it the entire night, en route to 341 yards on the ground. The Badgers averaged 6.7 yards per carry, and were especially good at embarrassing U-M by running the same jet sweep play to perfection over and over again, as if the Michigan coaches had never seen it before.
2. The All-Around Offensive Effort
The Wolverines' rushing attack was nonexistent once again (47 rushing yards), and the passing attack saw Milton throws picks on the team's first two series before getting benched in the third quarter. All in all, Michigan only put up 219 yards on a Badger defense that hadn't taken the field in three weeks.
3. Pride
If these U-M coaches and players have any pride left, it was nowhere to be found on Saturday night. So many question marks reside surrounding this program's incompetence right now, with perhaps none more pressing than why these players or coaches don't seem to take pride in anything they do.
Position-by-Position Battles
Michigan's offensive line vs. Wisconsin's front seven
This was a domination on Wisconsin's end, with U-M rushing for just 47 yards on 2.5 yards per rush. The Badger defensive front also compiled a sack and five tackles for loss, with Michigan's offensive line underachieving for a third straight week.
Wisconsin's offensive line vs. Michigan's front seven
UW's offensive line pushed the Maize and Blue defensive linemen around like they were rag dolls for much of the night, en route to 26 first downs and 468 total yards. The Badgers were without key fifth-year senior running back Garrett Groshek, but that didn't stop four UW players from rushing for at least 65 yards AND averaging a minimum of 5.4 yards per carry.
Michigan's wide receivers vs. Wisconsin's secondary
Junior receiver Ronnie Bell provided a brief spark with four catches for 56 yards, but no other pass catchers did anything of note (with perhaps the exception of Sainristil's touchdown grab). No one other than Bell hauled in more than two receptions.
Wisconsin's wide receivers vs. Michigan's secondary
Wisconsin only threw or 127 yards, but that's because its ground game was working so well. Badger targets were still wide open way too often downfield, and U-M's secondary didn't seem to have any idea how to properly cover the opposing team's receivers for a third straight week.
Quarterbacks
Milton posted a disappointed stat line of 9-of-19 for 98 yards with no touchdowns and two picks, before getting benched in the third quarter. McNamara went 4-of-4 on his 74-yard touchdown drive but didn't complete a pass the rest of the night. Wisconsin redshirt freshman Graham Mertz, on the other hand, finished 12-of-22 for 127 with two touchdowns and no interceptions. It was clear which team had the better coached quarterbacks.
Running backs
Michigan's running backs were nonexistent for a third straight week, with sophomore Zach Charbonnet's 21 yards leading the way. Redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins checked in second with six yards. The Badgers, on the other hand, saw two backs — freshman Jalen Berger and redshirt sophomore Nakia Watson – each rush for at least 65 yards and combine for three touchdowns. Berger carried 15 times for 87 yards and a score, despite never having touched the ball heading into the game.
Special teams
This was the brightest spot of U-M's night, with Robbins averaging 42.4 yards on five punts and fifth-year senior kicker Quinn Nordin nailing a 46-yard field goal. Sophomore wideout Giles Jackson also registered a 43-yard kick return and freshman running back Blake Corum a 32-yarder.
It was a quiet night for UW's special teams, on the other hand. They never attempted a field goal, and averaged a respectable 42 yards on three punts.
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