Michigan Football: Week 8

Tough is probably the word I would use to describe this game. I said in my previous post that Michigan would have to play a near-perfect game to stand any sort of a chance. Michigan did do almost exactly that, aside from a bad interception by Shea Patterson. It is sad that it has come to this, but it is very notable that they did not fumble once over the course of the entire game. Unfortunately, Penn State also played a near-perfect game, with zero turnovers. That in itself is enough to be the difference in a game like this. I do credit the team, though, for coming back after falling behind early. That was encouraging to see, especially after the commentator stated once Penn State got up 14-0 that Michigan’s players tend to give up in situations like that. There are a lot of things you could point to as the reason that we lost this game. You could make arguments about the slow start, the referees, the last touchdown to KJ Hamler, or Ronnie Bell’s drop. That is just how close games are, it is so easy for just one or two plays be the difference in the game.

Opponent: Penn State Nittany Lions

Overall, Penn State is a talented team, it is not surprising to me that they have had success so far this season. Sean Clifford is not an uber-impressive quarterback, passing or running, but he is smart and does not make big mistakes. They have a stable of running backs, but they did not really use them much, so it is hard to really say anything in particular about any of them. Ricky Slade had their longest run of 44 yards, but only ran the ball two more times after that. The guy that everyone knows on their team is KJ Hamler, who is a game-breaking talent. He was really the only player on Penn State that scared me, and for good reason as he had two touchdowns as well as the run that ended up sealing the game. Their defense is good overall, but not exactly anything special. I think they could do some damage and make a run for the Big Ten East, but I still do not think anybody is beating Ohio State.

Offense

A game like this really leaves a lot to be desired. I wish we could have gotten off to a hotter start. We needed to do something to take even a little bit of the energy out of the White Out crowd. Getting a touchdown on the opening drive really would have helped with that. Shea Patterson played pretty well overall; I cannot really be mad at him for how he played. I will say, however, that the interception he threw might be one of the worst I have ever seen. I do not see why he thought it was safe to throw that ball to Zach Charbonnet in the middle of a large group of players. I also still worry about the fact that he does not throw the ball until the receiver is open, which in a lot of cases is too late. Patterson also ran the ball quite a bit in this game, which was nice to see, because I think that really helps us open up our offense.

Speaking of the aforementioned Charbonnet, he ran the ball very well, consistently ripping off chunks of yardage. He ended the game with 5.4 yards per carry. All of that made it even more disappointing whenever Hassan Haskins came into the game. I know he had a good game against Illinois, but ultimately you have to get the ball into the hands of your best players, and that is what Charbonnet is.

Nico Collins once again displayed his dominance, hauling in 6 catches for 89 yards. I still do not understand why we do not take more shots to him, as he is nearly impossible to defend. Donovan Peoples-Jones and Nick Eubanks also had nice receiving performances. Of course, the receiver everyone is talking about is Ronnie Bell, and not for good reasons. Of course, it is disappointing and crushing that he dropped a would-be tying touchdown to potentially force overtime, but it is no reason to go hate on the guy all over the internet like some people have. He made a mistake in a big game that ended up costing us, but the emotion he displayed on the sideline was enough to convince me that his heart was really in the game. If he had been on the sideline smiling and cracking jokes or something, that would have been a different story. I am not excusing him for the drop, because he still has to make that catch, and even though in a game like this you can point at multiple things that happened before that as the reason we lost, he still has to make that play in that moment. That play ultimately did decide the game, despite everything else that happened prior.

Defense

Cam McGrone is still without a doubt my favorite player by far. Every single week he impresses me with what he does on the field. He displays incredible speed, instincts, and play-making ability on a consistent basis, and I cannot wait to watch him continue to develop. He had one of only two sacks on the entire day (Josh Uche had the other one), and that speaks a lot to Clifford’s mobility. I never like facing running quarterbacks because they are so hard to defend against. As I said before, we failed to force any turnovers in this one, which is disappointing because in a game like this, turnovers can be the difference between winning and losing. Kwity Paye had another strong game, leading the team in tackles. It was also great to see Daxton Hill back on the field. I still have no idea why he did not play against Illinois, but apparently it was not injury-related because he was back in full for this one. The one thing on defense that really upset me was the last touchdown we gave up to KJ Hamler. I knew he would be a problem and fully expected him to have a big game, but when they need a touchdown and you put Josh Metellus on him with no safety over the top, you are just asking to get burned. I really do not understand how we did not just always have a safety over the top on him, let alone have no safety help on that particular play. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps there was a miscommunication in the secondary and somebody missed their assignment, so Metellus had no choice but to take him.

Special Teams

Jake Moody missing a field goal was very disappointing, but I am happy that he seems to be our guy. I think his accuracy and consistency is far more important than Quinn Nordin's distance.

Next Week

Given the timing of when I was able to get this post out, the game against Notre Dame has already happened, so I will just record what my thoughts going in were. Ian Book is both a talented passer and runner, which of course worries me by default. They also have produced some quality offensive linemen in recent years, so our defensive line would need to play very well to both get pressure and stop the run. Additionally, going into the Michigan game they were ranked #8 in the nation and had only lost one game, in which they gave Georgia a tough fight right down to the wire. I am glad we got to play them at home, that alone can serve a real advantage in a game like this. I expected a loss, but given how well Michigan played in the second half against Penn State, I was hopeful it would be a close one.