What They're Saying: Michigan State 27, Michigan Wolverines Football 24
Michigan Wolverines football lost at home to the Michigan State Spartans, 27-24, on Saturday afternoon.
Here's a look around the country at what they're saying about the Maize and Blue's setback.
RELATED: Notes, Quotes & Observations From The Loss
Chris Balas, The Wolverine: MSU 27, Michigan Wolverines Football 24: Notes, Quotes & Observations
U-M’s offensive game plan was questionable. Yes, its line was beaten regularly, but they chose to run into the teeth of the MSU defense rather than trying to stretch it outside with their speed.
Without looking at the stat sheet, second-down running plays were particularly head-scratching calls.
“We would get into a rhythm offensively and then we’d not be in rhythm, then back in and didn’t finish the drives the way we want to, the way we are capable of, and that cost us,” Harbaugh said.
“…They tackled well, so you’ve got to give them credit for the tackling. But when we’d get the ball in our hands on the perimeter, we weren’t able to do a lot after the catch. You’ve got to give credit to Michigan State and the way they tackled.”
And you’ve got to blame the Michigan coaching staff for not finding MSU’s weaknesses the way the Spartans did theirs, nor matching the intensity. They players all insisted they had energy and were ready to go, but it was obvious watching it in person which team wanted it more.
It was, simply, the most disappointing loss of the Jim Harbaugh era, shortened, asterisk season — that doesn’t matter (as most MSU fans and media dubbed it going in), and it left many more questions than answers. There were bad penalties, missed opportunities to challenge key plays, including an apparent dropped ball on MSU’s last scoring drive that could have ended their possession.
But there was no excuse for the performance, just as there wasn’t a lot of discipline or emotion from a Michigan team that, once again, will finish with a disappointing season no matter what happens the rest of the way.
Losing as a 21-point favorite to a depleted in-state rival has a way of doing that.
Michigan State was never as bad as the Rutgers loss made it seem: Don't get me wrong, losing to Rutgers is never good, no matter what the box score or context might say. But the 38-27 loss last week was a bit misleading in that it made it look as though Michigan State wasn't its worst enemy in that defeat. The Spartans turned the ball over seven times and put their defense in bad positions constantly. When you looked at the numbers, though, you saw that the Spartans defense played well all things considered, and that showed up against Michigan.
The Spartans held the Wolverines to 452 yards on the day, but 93 of those yards came in the final minutes as Michigan State was sitting back with a two-score lead, happy to let Michigan go five yards at a time during an 18-play drive that melted 4.5 precious minutes off the clock. Aside from that drive, the Spartans defense allowed only 359 yards on the day.
Offensively, the Spartans weren't what you'd consider efficient. They averaged only 3.3 yards per carry on the ground, and while Lombardi completed only 17 of 32, that was a reflection of the game plan, not Lombardi's overall accuracy. MSU attacked U-M's defense defense vertically in the passing game, and it worked. It was a much more aggressive approach than what we saw from the Spartans last week against Rutgers when Lombardi averaged 7.4 yards per attempt. Saturday, he averaged 10.1.
I don't think this win means that the Spartans will move on to compete in the Big Ten East — though, again, we shouldn't assume anything — but it did prove that things weren't nearly as bad as they seemed last week.
Michigan State kept everything in front, and the Wolverines didn't force the issue down the field.
That begs the question: Can they force the issue? Is there a first- or second-round difference-maker on the perimeter? When will Michigan have one of those tailbacks? [Redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe] Milton isn't the problem, but the lack of bluechip talent on the outside is.
These questions get asked every time Michigan loses one of these games under Harbaugh, and it's not all that different than what Tom Herman faces at Texas or Gus Malzhan faces at Auburn. Harbaugh has been in Ann Arbor long enough, and there were visions of the return of the Bo Schembechler era and a balance in the rivalry with Ohio State upon the arrival.
There's balance in the rivalry with Michigan State — one Michigan expects to dominate. Harbaugh is now 3-3 against the Spartans, and Mel Tucker out-coached the Wolverines on both sides in Week 2.
It was the Spartans who brought the club to a caveman football game, and that must sting more than anything else. That team lost to Rutgers last week.
There's imbalance in Ann Arbor again, and not all of it can be blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic. Maybe Michigan cornerback Ambry Thomas or receiver Nico Collins make a difference in this game. Maybe.
Maybe, but any hope generated by the impressive debut is over. Forget about the possibility of usurping Wisconsin and Penn State as the lead challenger to the Buckeyes. Michigan faces those same-old questions about the direction of the program after a loss to Michigan State, and there are still five games left before Ohio State.
The Wolverines haven't won at Ohio Stadium since 2000, and they appear no closer to breaking that streak. Saturday was a not-so-gentle reminder of where Michigan does fit in the national championship weight class.
What does that mean for [defensive coordinator Don] Brown and [offensive counterpart Josh] Gattis? That's a tough question. For Harbaugh? Even tougher. The question used to be, “If Harbaugh can't do it, who can?” The answer to that question isn't one Michigan appears ready to confront. At least, not yet.
That sinking feeling, however, is back in Ann Arbor. It's going to take longer than a week to get rid of it.
It was different in so many ways, from the 100,000 empty seats to the eerie quiet to the new coach on the Michigan State sideline. We’d never seen this before, but then as the long, strange day unfolded, we realized we had.
Never underestimate a wounded rival. If Michigan made that mistake Saturday, it was merely the first of many gaffes. The Spartans cleaned up their opening-week mess and turned the Wolverines into a mess, and did it with decisiveness, aggressiveness and clarity. This looked like a Mark Dantonio classic, except it was a Mel Tucker introduction, and the first-year coach slid into the role perfectly.
Michigan State was a three-touchdown underdog but made the biggest plays and the toughest plays, right down to the final bold play to seal a 27-24 victory. Rocky Lombardi plowed ahead on fourth-and-two at Michigan’s 36 with 28 seconds left, and it ended in stunned silence, except for the leaping and hollering players in white.
Obviously, this was the best victory of Tucker’s career here, considering it was his first. It also was one of the worst losses of Jim Harbaugh’s career, as his team lacked discipline and urgency, while sticking stubbornly to an ineffective game plan. The enduring weakness in Don Brown’s defense was easily identified by Michigan State, and the single-coverage secondary was shredded. Josh Gattis’ fancy offense with new quarterback Joe Milton? Pushed around. They couldn’t run consistently – Milton led with 63 yards rushing – and the Spartans never let up.
Pete Thamel, Yahoo Sports: Jim Harbaugh's spiral at Michigan continues with worst loss yet
Two games into Year 6, this is Michigan’s identity in the Harbaugh Era. It’s a disjointed offense, a defense that heads into the fetal position at key moments and, most clearly, the worst big-game coach in the sport. Annually and consistently, no one lets you down when the stakes are high more reliably than Harbaugh. But the problem that Saturday’s flop brings up is the issue of Michigan failing against a pedestrian opponent.
Michigan has no direction, no leadership and an identity tied only to its shortcomings. And they’ve yet to face a team in 2020 with superior talent. That’s when defensive coordinator Don Brown’s defenses annually turn from paper tigers into shredded paper, his schemes so predictably limited that you can already set the over-under for Ohio State at 55. (Won’t find a lot of action on the under.)
If Michigan State freshman Ricky White can catch eight balls for 196 yards, how many will Ohio State stars Chris Olave or Garrett Wilson grab? There’s nothing more certain than Brown’s aggressive man coverage getting torched each fall by high-end talent. Brown would be America’s worst chiropractor, as he’s either is incapable of adjustments or flatly refuses to execute them. Over and over, rinse and repeat with no signs of progress or hope for evolution. That’s on the head coach for enabling predictable failures.
Isaiah Hole, WolverinesWire: No, Joe Milton, Michigan's inexplicable loss to MSU was not on you
First up to the podium after the game, Joe Milton placed all of the blame on himself after the game, saying, "It’s all on me, the O-line played great," before noting he had "happy feet." That’s just a leader shouldering the blame, but it’s not true.
While it’s great to see that from your first-year starter, however, the truth is, MSU was dominant up front on both sides of the ball. It blitzed and blitzed and Michigan’s inexperienced offensive line had Milton running for his life for much of the game. By the time it had settled in, it was too late. Even down just two scores, the lead was insurmountable for an offense that never could find its rhythm.
“Defensively, they played a bit over-front defense early,” Harbaugh said. “And got some tackles for loss. Early in the game, we were making plays or they were negative plays. Their offensive line did a really good job protecting. We didn’t get any sacks or any kind of type of havoc type of plays defensively. Up front, it was pretty darn even. Both sides, the statistics were even throughout the game.”
Still, Milton shouldered that which wasn’t on him, searching for answers amid the inexplicable.
“None of their pressures really affected me, that was just me as a person, and I’ve gotta fix it,” Milton said. “I was a lot more poised last week. I got more poised throughout this game. But I don’t know why my feet were busy. I think my mind was just roaming everywhere. That’s totally on me. Everybody did what they need to do. It’s just on me.”
Time after time, Michigan tested MSU’s middle, and nearly every time, it faltered. The perimeter worked — especially with true freshmen WR Roman Wilson (5 rec., 71 yards) and RB Blake Corum (5-for-15, 2 TD), but over and over, the Wolverines attempted to force a square peg into a round hole.
Harbaugh certainly exempted Milton from those at fault — and rightfully so.
“We didn’t – there was some exceptional throws,” Harbaugh said. “As I said earlier, my take of it right now – I have to rewatch it: we’d be in rhythm then we wouldn’t, or we wouldn’t be in rhythm then we’d get it. And it just didn’t – [we] didn’t finish the drives and be in rhythm throughout the drive like we wanted to.”
But why wasn’t the offense able to find its rhythm? Whenever it seemed like it was moving the ball, it would stop itself. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis called an exemplary game in Week 1, but this week, he tried to get too cute. Or bull-headed — unsure which.
Michigan is in the middle of the most unusual contract situation in college football, employing a coach it purportedly wants to keep for a long time but whose deal will expire after the 2021 season.
At some point between now and then, Michigan will either have to make another expensive and long-term commitment to Jim Harbaugh or cut bait and admit that he simply can’t get done there what once seemed inevitable.
The answer is starting to become clear: The Harbaugh era is doomed to mediocrity, frustration and unfulfilled promise, and both sides need to figure out how to engineer a graceful exit.
Michigan suffered perhaps the most dispiriting loss of the past six years Saturday, a 27-24 debacle in the Big House against a Michigan State team that lost to Rutgers in its season opener.
Beyond the obvious indignity of losing to a rebuilding program with a first-year coach, Harbaugh is now 0-5 against his school’s biggest rival, 3-3 against its in-state rival, hasn’t played for a Big Ten title and appears to be a galaxy away from contending for a national championship.
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