Offense Notes: Michigan Football Stalls In Red Zone, Fails To Finish Drives

Michigan Wolverines football struggled in the red zone in a 33-7 win over Northwestern, but the woes in the red area were even more apparent in a 37-33 loss to No. 8 Michigan State Saturday.

The Maize and Blue drove it inside the MSU 20-yard line on six occasions, but came away with just two touchdowns and settled for four field goals. In a game where the Spartans' rushing attack was dominant, especially so in the second half, the Maize and Blue left points on the board, ultimately helping cost them the game.

"They made plays. We made plays. Sometimes we shot ourselves in the foot and couldn’t punch it in," sixth-year senior center Andrew Vastardis explained. "That hurt us in the grand scheme of the game, but it’s something we’re going to have to grow from. Something we have to get better at."

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“Us stalling out, it’s a variety of reasons. Last game, we weren’t able to get the ball in the end zone. We had our opportunities last week and we did not execute. It could be a combination of that this week. We know we have to do that, and we’ve got to get better.”

Michigan has scored points on 36 of 39 red-zone chances this season, totaling 195 points (five points per opportunity).

The Wolverines' offense was still steady all game long, racking up 552 yards to MSU's 395. The unit converted on eight of its 17 third-down opportunities, gained 6.7 yards per play and controlled the ball for 34:50 of game time.

The pass game was especially potent, with redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara throwing for a career-high 383 yards and two scores while completing 28 of 44 attempts.

“We did a good job of executing on third down," McNamara said. "The O-line was giving me time, and I was able to deliver some balls to the tight ends and the receivers. We were moving the ball well."

McNamara threw an interception with one minute left on Michigan's final drive as it tried to march down and score a game-winning touchdown, marking the second pick of his career.

Michigan got career-best performances from several pass-catchers. The biggest breakthrough came from freshman wideout Andrel Anthony, an East Lansing native, who caught a pass on his team's third offensive play, a third-and-five, and took it 93 yards to the house. The play marked his first career reception and stands as the second-longest touchdown pass in program history.

With 3:45 left in the second quarter, Anthony came up huge again, catching a 17-yard touchdown thrown by freshman signal-caller J.J. McCarthy to give the Maize and Blue a 20-14 edge.

"He played outstanding," head coach Jim Harbaugh said. "I’m proud of Andrel."

All told, Anthony tallied six catches for 155 yards, with his 136 receiving yards in the first half setting a single-game high for Michigan.

Anthony had only played 76 career snaps heading into the game, with 36 of those coming last week against Northwestern. With multiple injuries at wideout, he has seized an opportunity and earned himself more time on the field.

"Personal for him," Vastardis said of his performance against the hometown Spartans. "He came out with a chip on his shoulder, made plays. Good to see young guys coming along. Another weapon in the toolbox for the future."

“I’m proud of Andrel," McNamara added. "He had a helluva game. He hasn’t seen a ton of experience, and then he came out today and balled out. I’m proud of him. That’s something that I can be confident in throwing to him, that’s for sure.”

Sophomore tight end Erick All made crucial catches, as well, and picked up five first downs. He notched career highs in catches (10, also a game high) and yards (98).

Sophomore slot receiver Mike Sainristil had two receptions for 62 yards, including a 43-yard score that gave the Maize and Blue a 16-point lead in the third quarter.

Michigan entered Saturday ranked fifth nationally with 253.3 rushing yards per game, but the Spartans were strong in neutralizing the duo of redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins and second-year freshman Blake Corum. The former ran for 59 yards on 14 attempts and the latter mustered up 45 yards on 13 carries.

"They tackled very well," Harbaugh said of MSU.

Michigan recorded 146 rushing yards, its third-lowest total of the season, on 34 carries (4.3 yards per rush).

It began raining in the second half, and one Wolverine in particular had a tough time hanging onto the ball offensively. McCarthy fumbled along the sideline early in the fourth quarter, but got a fortuitous bounce with the ball going out of bounds. On the next series, the coaches stuck with him, but he mishandled a quarterback-running back exchange; the Spartans recovered and scored the go-ahead score on the following possession.

"We’ll get better from it," Vastardis said. "Keep practicing ball security. It’ll get fixed. Something like that happens in a competitive game. It’s nobody’s fault. We’ve just got to play a little cleaner and keep harping on ball security."

• McNamara's 93-yard touchdown connection with Anthony was U-M's longest score since Ryan Mallett connected with Mario Manningham at Wisconsin in 2007 (97 yards). It also marked the longest play from scrimmage in the history of the series between these two schools.

• McNamara had more passing yards (232) in the first half than he had recorded in seven of eight career starts entering the day. His 383 passing yards were one shy of the single-game passing record in the MSU rivalry (Shea Patterson had 384 in 2019).

• Michigan's 406 passing yards are the most since the Wolverines racked up 440 at Indiana in 2015.

• U-M's offense has scored 30 or more points in all but one game this season.

• McNamara registered career highs in completions (28) and passes (44).

• All's 10 receptions are the most by any Michigan pass-catcher in a game this season and the highest single-game tally since wideout Jehu Chesson posted an identical number against Indiana in 2015.

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