It might not have national ramifications, but Michigan needed to get a win on Saturday night. Here are some thoughts for November following the rivalry win over Michigan State:
Maybe the bye week was spent watching Michigan State film, not Illinois. The Michigan Wolverines finally played like they had an actual game plan, getting just enough out of both sides of the ball to secure an important win over their rivals. While this season is still disappointing, everything would have felt so much worse with a loss to the Spartans.
Instead, Michigan has some positive vibes to carry into an absolutely brutal November. The gauntlet begins next week with No. 1 Oregon coming to town, and while no one is expecting an upset in Ann Arbor, maybe, just maybe there are some reasons to think that it will not be a complete embarrassment. Three takeaways from Saturday night going into that one:
Crop rotation
It feels like every single week there is a new situation at the quarterback position, and sure enough, that is the case again. As one might learn at the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan , crop rotation is an essential practice to maintain soil health and maximize yields; this concept does not typically apply to the most important position on the football field, but here we are.
The Wolverines entered the season with a plan to use both Davis Warren and Alex Orji, but that tandem never seemed to work well together. However, Saturday night was a textbook example of how to make the two-quarterback system thrive, with Warren throwing 19 passes and Orji logging six important carries. The deployment of Orji especially stood out as much more productive and strategic than it was in early September.
Is this the plan going forward? And will it work against better defenses? Time will tell, but it does seem like a viable solution. I must avoid declaring anything too definitively after previously proclaiming both Orji then Jack Tuttle as safe-floor options, but I am glad the coaches are willing to make a change when Plan A (or B, or C) is not working.
Saturday Best
For once it was Michigan, not State, that saved its best couches for burning — so to speak — during the rivalry game. Credit must be given to Kirk Campbell and Sherrone Moore, who showed no hesitation emptying the playbook in the pivotal third quarter. This offense clearly needed a spark and predictable runs were not going to work against a stacked box. Instead, the coaches were ready to deploy some trick plays and the results speak for themselves.
More sustainably, though, I was encouraged to see that there was no limitations on Warren given his rust and past turnover issues. He still missed some reads and was inaccurate at times, but the coaching staff recognized there is just no way to move the ball without a passing threat. I advocated for a run-heavy (or run-only?) approach, but credit to Campbell and Moore to pivoting despite a deck that has never been stacked in their favor.
Drifting down
Meanwhile, the other side of the ball remains baffling. Every single game it is shocking how this much talent can struggle so much at times, and hopes that it will correct itself feel like a rock sinking to the bottom of the Red Cedar ; it is just not going to happen. This is not just criticizing Wink Martindale again, as I do think he has made some adjustments, but clearly not nearly enough.
8-for-15 on third downs is simply unacceptable. The secondary is inexperienced, but the defensive line is good enough to cause havoc on its own. Instead? Multiple runs picking up seven-plus yards to convert and simply not having the defense in position to succeed. Some of it is scheme, some of it is coaching, but all of it adds up to problems that are just not getting solved. With Oregon, Indiana, and Ohio State on the way, we likely have not even seen the worst yet, which is far from what anyone expected heading into this year.