Michigan once again shows its ineptitude on offense as the Wolverines had a prime shot at an upset over No. 8 Indiana on Saturday.
Alas, the Wolverines suffer another loss as the end of the season draws near.
Here are three final thoughts from the Wolverines' 20-15 loss to the Hoosiers.
Can't scheme its way out of a wet paper bag
At this point, there is nothing nice you can say about the offense. Absolutely zero to point to that shows any kind of tangible progress or something you can say that there is work being done towards the future. If your baseline is, 'The quarterback completed a pass' then you're totally ignore the big picture of how the offense has been reduced to rubble and ash.
Sure, you can point to inexperience, lack of depth and, at a certain position, lack of talent. But there are no excuses in this modern day of college football. The Jim Harbaugh cupboard excuses, the lack of time Sherrone Moore had, all of that goes out the window the second the clock hits zero on the season.
Changes need to be made on offense, wholesale changes. You cannot sit back and be content and try to run it back with what you have currently. There needs to be a mindset change if you want to get this turned around, otherwise Moore's tenure in Ann Arbor will be short-lived.
This offense cannot get out of its own way and that's clear with the lack of developed talent on the roster. Fortunately, with the transfer portal and a few big hits on the recruiting trail, things can look much more rosy in a hurry.
Defense gets a pass
Wink Martindale has been subject to a few shots from the fanbase and media alike. At times, it certainly has been deserved but the defense did not lose the Wolverines the game yesterday.
In fact, I'd be curious what this defense would look like without an offense that makes Brian Ferentz retch.
An offense that can actually put up points and, well, function covers up a lot of warts defensively. Despite not having any of that, the defense played a strong second half and did all it could to pull off the upset. The other half of the program didn't oblige.
What should the overall outlook of the defensive coaching unit look like in the future? That's the big question. There is development happening on that side of the ball and there is far more talent on defense than there is on offense. I do think Moore needs to look inwardly with the entire program but it wasn't the defense that was the problem today.
Nothing else to work on
With the final bye week here, the Wolverines are essentially playing for pride at this point. There's nothing to work on, there's nothing to fix because we've been shown that when something else gets addressed, another thing breaks.
The season is a lost cause and bowl eligibility is an embarrassingly low bar to play for right now. You can make the argument that you're looking to play the spoiler against Ohio State, which is still very much on the table.
Other than that, what are you trying to accomplish? With the redshirt window open, it wouldn't hurt to shuffle in more younger players to see what you have. If you do become bowl eligible against Northwestern, there will likely be some sit-outs. The practices will be valuable and a look toward the future is important.
Other than that, with the way things are now, don't expect many strides to be made in those practices.
---
Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards
Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer
Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @Jerry_Diorio
Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify
Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube
Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram
