Michigan Monday: Sparty D'Oh

The Wolverines avoided disaster this past weekend by grinding their way to a 24-17 win over Michigan State in Ann Arbor. Michigan now moves to 5-3 on the season and 3-2 in Big Ten play. The Spartans, meanwhile, fall to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference.

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore decided at some point last week that the Jack Tuttle experiment needed to end, so they went with Davis Warren at quarterback. They also mixed in a healthy dose of Alex Orji in the second half.

After thinking that Tuttle was a happy medium between Warren and Orji, Moore and his staff decided that medium was no longer good enough.

The move worked this week.

The offense is still very much a concern, and once again so was the defense. The Wolverines gave up 118 yards rushing to MSU running back Nate Carter, for example.

Michigan was outgained on the ground and through the air. Fortunately for them, they understand that patience is a virtue against Michigan State. If you can simply avoid making the game-losing play long enough, the Spartans will provide.

But there was a difference this week. In victories over USC and Minnesota, those two teams essentially lost the game with their mistakes. Michigan State didn’t play a mistake-free game, but this was an example of the Wolverines actively winning a game by making the plays to get it done.

That’s at least one positive step for a team that is about to walk into a meat grinder.

When Michigan Was On Offense

Michigan managed to win a game where they gained just 265 yards of total offense. It’s the first time they’ve done that since posting 241 yards of total offense four weeks earlier against Minnesota.

The Wolverines have now moved to 3-2 in games where they are held under 300 yards of total offense this season. Interestingly, that’s the same number of wins they had with under 300 yards of total offense last year as well. It’s worth noting, however, that those three games last year didn’t come until November and December.

Michigan rushed for 119 yards on 31 carries (3.8 ypc). They were led by backup quarterback Alex Orji, who rushed for 64 yards on six attempts. All six attempts came in the second half and each of them were instrumental in this win.

His first carry came on Michigan’s first drive of the third quarter and went 29 yards. His second carry on that drive was a two-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal. It gave the Wolverines a 16-7 lead.

Orji did not touch the ball on Michigan’s next drive and the Wolverines went three and out. He ran the ball twice on the following drive, which ended in a touchdown pass from Donovan Edwards to Colston Loveland. Orji then again did not touch the ball on the following drive and again Michigan went three and out.

Michigan got the ball back leading 24-17 with 1:52 left in the game. Alex Orji got the first carry and went 15 yards. Three plays later on third-and-five, he carried it again and picked up eight yards to secure the game.

Without Orji, the Wolverines probably lose this game. They didn’t get any kind of rushing attack going with the tailbacks. Donovan Edwards rushed for 24 yards on nine carries, and Kalel Mullings went for just 18 yards on 13 attempts. Mullings may have done the bulk of his damage after the game.

Davis Warren had a wholly forgettable game, which is actually one of the reasons the Wolverines won. Call him “Dr. Warren” if you like because a Michigan quarterback’s main order of business this year should be “first do no harm.” Warren completed 13-of-19 passes for 123 yards with one touchdown and a long completion of 23 yards. There was nothing memorable about his performance, which is another way to say it was his best game yet. There were no turnovers, which is a step in the right direction. There weren’t really even any near-turnovers, which is an added bonus.

There was still no passing threat outside of a flea-flicker and a halfback option throw from Edwards to Loveland, however. Loveland finished with 67 yards on six catches, scoring twice.

There is no real reason to fear this offense, but they did enough this week to show a defense that you can’t afford to sleepwalk.

When Michigan Was On Defense

Removing the three sacks of quarterback Aidan Chiles, Michigan allowed 186 yards rushing on 39 attempts (4.8 ypc). This is now two weeks in a row that the Wolverines have looked fairly average against the run.

Running back Nate Carter rushed for 118 yards on 19 carries, making several defenders look silly in the process. He also caught two passes for 56 yards.

Quarterback Aidan Chiles completed 17-of-23 passes for 189 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. He only had a long completion of 30 yards, so Michigan did a good job of limiting the time he had to throw.

The Wolverines were without cornerback Will Johnson again.

Michigan State held the ball for 13:21 in the first quarter. They drove 68 yards in 14 plays before missing a field goal to open the game, then went 62 yards in nine plays for a touchdown drive in the final seconds of the first quarter.

The Wolverines held strong in the red zone. Michigan State scored just 14 points in their four red zone trips. The Spartans had four drives of 62 yards or more and only scored 17 points on those drives. (Michigan scored 21 points on their three drives of 60+ yards.) Outside of those four drives for Michigan State — and the 35-yard drive at the end of the game that was stopped on downs, MSU’s longest drive of the day was nine yards.

In typical fashion for both teams this year, it was boom or bust for the Michigan State offense. And even when it was booming, it generally ended by busting.

Michigan State completed 74% of its passes and converted 8-of-15 third downs and still found a way to lose. And not just lose, but trail 24-10 midway through the fourth quarter.

The Spartans didn’t really give this game away but they also never did anything to take it.

The Michigan Special Teams

It was a pretty bland special teams day for the Wolverines, aside from a dropped snap by punter Tommy Doman on Michigan’s first extra point attempt. It is the second week in a row that Doman has dropped a snap on a placement.

Michigan State did not record a single return in this game.

What Does It All Mean?

It means that barring the unthinkable, Sherrone Moore is going to get Michigan to a bowl game in his very first year as head coach!

Don’t spend all of that bonus in one place.

It also means that Michigan is going to need Davis Warren to make plays this weekend against Oregon and there’s no still no proof that he can actually do that.

This was a game that Michigan was supposed to win, and now they have to return to the reality of playing in games they’re supposed to lose. They will be underdogs the next two weeks against Oregon and Indiana, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find somebody impartial who will pick the Wolverines in either game.

This season now simply comes down to beating Ohio State and keeping an entire group of fourth-year and fifth-year Buckeye seniors from ever experiencing a win over Michigan.

Nobody is expecting a win for Michigan over the next two games, but when the Wolverines head to Columbus in about a month, there will be enough history there to convince some people that anything can happen.

And there might be some players who are convinced of that as well.

The Road To The Game

Aug. 31 – Michigan 30 – Fresno State 10 (1-0)
Sept. 7 – Texas 31 – Michigan 12 (1-1)
Sept. 14 – Michigan 28 – Arkansas State 18 (2-1)
Sept. 21 – Michigan 27 – USC 24 (3-1, 1-0)
Sept. 28 – Michigan 27 – Minnesota 24 (4-1, 2-0)
Oct. 5 – Washington 27 – Michigan 17 (4-2, 2-1)
Oct. 12 – OPEN
Oct. 19 – Illinois 21 – Michigan 7 (4-3, 2-2)
Oct. 26 – Michigan 24 – Michigan State 17 (5-3, 3-2)
Nov. 2 – Oregon
Nov. 9 – at Indiana
Nov. 16 – OPEN
Nov. 23 – Northwestern
Nov. 30 – at Ohio State