The Michigan Wolverines’ football offense was expected to have tremendous success against Michigan State last weekend, especially after it posted 49 points and 481 yards on Minnesota in the season-opener.
It didn’t play out that way on Halloween, however, with the Maize and Blue only able to muster 24 points in what was an all-around inconsistent and out-of-rhythm offensive day.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect was the fact that Michigan was never able to establish its ground game (especially between the tackles), averaging a disappointing 4.5 yards per carry.
Fifth-year senior tight end Nick Eubanks was asked this week if the Spartans did anything defensively that surprised the Wolverines.
“No,” he said. “Everything they did was on film, especially in the first and second quarter. They probably changed a little bit now and then in regards to how their defensive ends lined up, but we were able to adjust as well to see if we could get the running game going.”
The running game wasn’t the only element of U-M’s offensive attack that struggled on Saturday, with the downfield passing attack serving to be ineffective as well. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe Milton completed 32 of his 51 passes for 300 yards but averaged just 9.3 yards per completion, with most of his connections occurring fairly close to the line of scrimmage.
“It’s about watching extra film and getting on the same page with Joe,” Eubanks explained. “We have a lot of younger dudes and chemistry isn’t there, so it’s about putting more work in in practice.
“Getting timing right with Joe will be huge to help us move the ball downfield, especially in the passing game.”
The Maize and Blue will next hit the road this weekend for a huge showdown with a 2-0 Indiana squad who owns wins over Penn State and Rutgers. National prognosticators have, of course, already began pumping out the overreactions by calling this a turning point in the Jim Harbaugh era (just as every game seemingly is), a crossroads game for the program, etc.
Saturday in Bloomington will be a tough test, no doubt, and some of the national “experts” out there are perhaps correct when they say we’ll learn a lot about the toughness of this Michigan team by the way they play on Saturday.
“That’s the only thing that will get the sour taste out of our mouths — winning the next game,” Eubanks confirmed. “That’s how we’ve been approaching this and that’s what everyone’s mindset is right now.
“Anybody can be beat, especially this season. It’s up to us to fine tune the details and execute. We’ve been here before and in this type of situation before, so it happens. Keeping our heads up is our best bet, and the younger dudes seem to follow that.
“It’s up to us as captains to keep everyone attached to the game plan. Everyone can be excited and happy when we’re up, but it’s about what you do when you’re down. The only way we can go is up, because it makes no sense for us to stay down and droop about this loss and keep our heads down.
“Things happen and games get lost, and teams sometimes don’t play as well. It’s up to us to keep moving forward. Keeping our heads down would only make it worse, so it’s up to us to keep moving forward.
“Adversity is the best teacher, and the best thing to do is to move forward. That’s what we’ve decided to do.”
Notes
• Saturday’s official attendance at The Big House was 615, marking the smallest crowd ever in the history of Michigan Stadium.
“It’s a lot harder [to provide energy], especially with no crowds being involved,” the fifth-year senior tight end admitted. “It’s easier to communicate though. Both teams have to manage it, whether they’re home or away.
‘It was kind of weird running out of that tunnel without fans. I kept looking around expecting to see them, so it was weird that nobody was there. Sometimes you only need your teammates to get you up and help you make plays.”
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