Michigan football may not win another game this season

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois fans rushed the field after their team defeated Michigan football today at Memorial Stadium. Which was strange considering UM isn't very good.

But a brand is a brand, and the winged helmet brigade held the national title trophy ten months ago. So who can blame them?

The question is: How often will this happen?

Because a shaky season just got a whole lot shakier here in Central Illinois after the Fighting Illini defeated UM 21-7.

HALF BAD: Michigan football torn apart by CBS analysts and fans after a 'miserable' half against Illinois

And now the Wolverines' rival is coming to town. Yes, the Spartans are hardly a juggernaut, but neither were Illinois and Washington.

Losing to Michigan State next weekend in Ann Arbor will make the Wolverines' season even uglier.

The Wolverines turned over three times – a fourth was wiped out by a penalty – gained a total of 322 yards, had too many penalties and still haven't figured out who they are on offense.

Of course that’s up to the trainers.

Seven games into the season, it's fair to wonder if head coach Sherrone Moore knows who's on his roster.

His most talented offensive player – tight end Colston Loveland – deserves a different package to get him the ball. His best offensive opponent – Kalel Mullings – deserves the ball…

… Period.

Why he didn't make it here in the Land of Lincoln sooner is, as it has been for most of the season, a mystery. Frankly, it's inexplicable, and while his earlier involvement might not have changed the outcome, it would have given UM a better chance.

Watching these Wolverines try to be something they're not – last year's team – is disheartening for fans of the program; Stubbornness is rarely fun, right?

What's worse is that the fans know what's on the schedule.

Northwestern is probably the only sure win. But if teams can't score, is any opponent a sure win, even the weaker teams?

If UM can't beat the Wildcats, what about the remaining games after MSU?

Here are the teams:

Oregon – home. Then it's Indiana away – the same Hoosiers who beat Nebraska by 49 points on Saturday. And then Northwestern – fortunately at home. And…Ohio State – in Columbus.

At this point, a 6-6 season would feel like…relief?

It's possible UM won't win again. A sub-.500 record is certainly out there.

Illinois was the game that mattered, the game that would show that Moore and his coaching staff could take advantage of the extra week of preparation and implement a plan that took advantage of the country's few strengths: namely the defensive line and Mullings.

Instead, the Wolverines had a second-quarter stretch where they turned the ball over three times in four plays, with only one penalty negating the second turnover.

A fumble by quarterback Jack Tuttle on a scramble started the sequence. On the next series, he threw a pass directly to a linebacker who didn't have to move.

A hold call gave UM another chance. After an incomplete pass intended for Max Bredeson – Tuttle threw it at his feet – Donovan Edwards took a handoff, splashed around the edge and… fumbled.

Tuttle's fumble resulted in a field goal. Edwards' fumble led to a touchdown, a beautiful fade in the back corner from Luke Altmyer to Tanner Arkin.

No quarterback has made such a delicate throw for these Wolverines this season, and that's the central problem. Still, teams survive the lack of next-level quarterback play when they have other options, and UM is doing that.

That's what makes it so amazing that it took five series for Moore and his team to finally take advantage of their relative strength and pass the ball to Mullings.

Curiously, Moore opened the game by asking Tuttle to throw the ball deep down the left sideline. He undermined it. He wanted to catch Illinois off guard, and in theory the strategy made sense; It was just the first piece.

The problem was asking Tuttle to make throws on the run or to the opposite side of the field or to receivers on deep crossing or out routes. That's not his game.

Aside from Loveland, the receivers weren't getting much separation anyway, and betting on Tuttle hitting tight windows doesn't seem wise.

Tuttle is best suited for run-pass options, screen throws, and off-run play actions…when Mullings gets the ball and sets up the play action.

The fact that the offensive team waited until so late in the first half to take advantage of the team's offensive strengths – that's relative, I know – is confusing and an abuse of the squad.

Handing the ball to Mullings and throwing confident, short passes won't overwhelm anyone. But this team's best chance of winning is to eat up time, chew up yards and hope to survive the dirt.

The Wolverines didn't try hard enough until it was too late. In order to even survive what's coming up, that has to change.

And so forth.

Contact Shawn Windsor: [email protected]. Follow him @shawnwindsor.

Michigan football may not win another game this season

ByVanessa

By Vanessa

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