Monday Morning Quarterbacking: Another Poor Defensive Showing Against OSU
The Michigan Wolverines' football regular-season came to a disappointing end on Saturday against Ohio State, with miscues and a poor defensive serving as the name of the game for a second straight year.
We recap what all went wrong, along with a few of the bright spots that were present for U-M.
Key Moment of the Game
Facing a third-and-nine from the OSU 12-yard line, senior quarterback Shea Patterson took a shotgun snap midway through the second quarter with his club trailing 21-13.
Junior center Cesar Ruiz's snap was on target, but Patterson simply fumbled the ball and Ohio State fifth-year senior defensive tackle Robert Landers recovered it, ending U-M's drive.
The turnover served as a huge momentum blow to Michigan's chances, as the Wolverines only scored 14 more points the rest of the game and were outscored 35-14 from that point on.
Three Things That Worked
1. The First Half Passing Attack
Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis drew up a beautiful game plan, with Michigan coming out of the gates firing the ball all over the yard en route to Patterson compiling 250 yards through the first two quarters. The Wolverine pass catchers were consistently open, and U-M wound up posting 305 passing yards on an OSU secondary that hadn't given up more than 218 all year.
2. The Offensive Intensity to Start the Game
Michigan's offense came out with the appropriate fire and intensity, stringing together two 75-yard scoring drives in the first quarter alone on its way to 13 points in the opening frame. U-M's offensive attack looked like it would at least be capable of hanging with OSU in a shootout, but the efficiency soon slowed down and the club was held to just 111 yards in the second half.
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Three Things That Didn't Work
1. The Entire Defense
Michigan's defense didn't even come close to slowing OSU down, allowing 577 yards (the most the program had given up since 2007) and 56 points (the most points surrendered in a home game since 2010). U-M's secondary and front seven were both equally dismantled, with the former giving up 313 yards through the air and the latter 264 yards on the ground.
2. Michigan's Rushing Attack
U-M's ground game was bottled up for a third straight game, rushing for only 91 yards on 3.5 yards per carry. Sure, OSU owns the No. 4 rush defense in the entire country, but a veteran Michigan offensive line should have been able to create more space to run than it did.
3. Same Script, Different Year
Michigan was blown out by OSU to end a second straight regular-season, giving the Buckeyes their longest winning streak in the rivalry's history (eight). The narrative is pathetic and has become incredibly old, and whatever the biggest issue is (talent gap, not enough year-round preparation for the matchup, etc.), U-M needs to find a way to overcome it.
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