Michigan Football: Week 6

What a slugfest this was. As exciting as a game as close as this one is, they come with an unbelievable amount of tension where with every little thing that goes wrong you cannot help but wonder if that will be the reason that your team loses. With every possession that ended with us punting I kept thinking to myself, “What if that ends up being the difference?” That being said, it was a fantastic grind of a win, and just about all of the credit has to go to our defense in this one.

Opponent: Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa really scared me coming into this game. Traditionally, they have played the spoiler role for us and some of the other top teams in the Big Ten. This year, they had a 4-0 record, albeit against not-great teams, and were ranked #14 in the nation. You can see why, too, they have some real talent on this team. They have some good prospects on their offensive line, definitely some future NFL players. It also would not surprise me at all to see Nate Stanley’s name called in the NFL Draft. I do not necessarily think he will be drafted early, but I believe he will be drafted by somebody. He really reminds me of Ben Roethlisberger. He seems to go through his progressions nicely and also know where he is going with the ball (although our defense really gave him a lot of trouble). Additionally, they had a stout defense. Shea Patterson was under duress quite a bit in this contest, and it was frustrating because it seemed like every time we were starting to get somewhere or really needed a big play, he would get sacked or hit or otherwise under pressure. They reminded me a lot of Wisconsin, but not as good. As for the rest of the season, we will see. I am sure they will upset somebody before the end of the season, it is just a matter of time.

Offense

I was so excited when Nico Collins got a deep ball thrown his way early in the game, which he of course came down with because that is just what he does. Then that was about it for exciting offensive plays. It has now reached a point where all of my alarms are going off. Our inability to create consistent offensive production is really scary. If we simply do not get anything rolling, which at this point of the season it is hard to believe that we will, then it is going to be a very rough rest of the season. There is no way we are going to beat Penn State, Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Ohio State if we cannot put points on the board. What do we have to do in order for that to happen? The answer to that would be easier if Dylan McCaffrey was healthy. Is Shea Patterson getting it done right now? No, not even close. I genuinely am worried that Patterson cannot make it work in this offense. He seems to struggle with anticipating where guys will be and throwing to a spot, and that is concerning. Essentially, he will not throw the ball unless the guy is already open, but by then it is oftentimes too late. Is Joe Milton the answer at this point? That is hard to say. I just do not know how ready he is to be thrust into a starting role. I have gushed about his potential before, but I have also expressed a lot of concern about more of the mental part of playing quarterback. Things like reading defenses, going through progressions, and knowing how much touch to put on the ball. Yes, he looked good against Rutgers, but so did the rest of our offense, and we all saw what happened against a far superior defense in Iowa. It would not surprise me to see Milton play against Illinois, although I find it hard to believe that he will start.

Defense

Our defense saved us in this game, plain and simple. With how bad our offense was, we had no business winning that game, but our defense did an outstanding job of shutting down Iowa’s offense. One guy who stood out in a major way is Cam McGrone. He is a star in the making. He shows incredible speed, toughness, and competitive fire on the field. It seemed like every time there was a big play, McGrone was involved in some way. My personal favorite highlight was that sack on third down on what should have been Iowa’s last drive. That was one of the loudest roars I have heard at the Big House. Michael Dwumfour is another guy that had a great game. He did not have big numbers or anything, but he was disruptive all game long, consistently getting in the way and blowing up plays. His presence alone helped elevate the play of the other defensive linemen, and that was very evident. Our defensive line overall had an amazing game, they were constantly in Stanley’s face and racked up a whopping eight sacks on the day. That is the kind of pressure we have struggled to get so far this season, and to see us get it against a team like Iowa with a talented offensive line was very encouraging. If we can continue to get this kind of pressure the rest of the year, that alone will help our chances against the better teams in our schedule. Will it make all the difference? No, our offense is the primary issue, but it will absolutely improve our odds. Additionally, it was satisfying to force Stanley into three interceptions after hearing everyone talk all week about how he had not turned the ball over yet this year. All three interceptions were amazing plays, as well. Josh Metellus actually made a fantastic play on the ball, which was great to see because that was something he has struggled with. Ambry Thomas’ pick was more of a great play by Dax Hill, who deflected it to Thomas on a crossing route. Then on the third interception, Lavert Hill ran the route better than the receiver. Overall, it was an outstanding performance from the defense and I hope it is a level of play that will continue into the rest of the season.

Special Teams

Both Quinn Nordin and Jake Moody missed field goals. That can not continue. Also, Will Hart did a good job punting, although he did it way more than he should have had to.

This was a big win for Michigan, to beat a team ranked higher than them amidst a season that already includes a bad loss to Wisconsin. Joel Klatt before this game even called it “The defining moment of the Harbaugh era.” Now, I do not know how much I actually agree with that, mostly because it seems like every year there is a defining moment of the Harbaugh era, and then if Michigan wins it quickly becomes a not-big win. So, do with that what you will, but nonetheless it was awesome to see Michigan come out and win this one.

Next Week

This game against Illinois is now slightly less interesting because it does not look like former Wolverine quarterback Brandon Peters will play. Outside of that, there is not much intriguing about this matchup. It is another game where Michigan should come out on top, but games like that are always a little worrisome because of the what-if factor. Illinois does have an intriguing running back in Reggie Corbin, and they will be starting a wild card at quarterback, and it is a road game for us. All of those things are slightly worrisome. I do, however, fully expect us to win this game and I hope it is by a large margin.