Michigan is supposed to contend for the eastern title. They supposedly have a veteran qb and an elite target for him to throw to. They hired a new offensive coordinator fresh off an impressive run at Alabama. So how do you get shut out for the first time since 1984 with all this going for you? How did Notre Dame seemingly shatter Michigan’s season in four quarters? The offensive line is the most popular nomination. Well let’s play doctor and see if webmd got one right.
Potential Illnesses:
One – Notre Dame is really that good. Perhaps the patient isn’t that sick, but just had a temporary bug. The Irish won nine games a year ago and return a big piece from 2012’s title game run in quarterback Everett Golson. He inspires confidence from all those around him, including the defenders. A talented team with their leader back could have just been the perfect storm. The treatment for this is simple…just keep playing.
Two – The offense isn’t as good as we thought. Ahh, blame the other body parts. You have a headache and take an aspirin but you are dehydrated and hungry so the headache remains. Perhaps the line play is but a symptom of a bigger problem. Maybe Devin Gardner would have tossed three INT’s regardless of the blocking. Maybe the receivers lack the ability to get open. Perhaps the running backs aren’t any good so they can’t see the running lanes. This diagnosis seems lazy and putting it all on Gardner’s shoulders seems misplaced. Yes he was erratic earlier in his career but he has grown up. Last season he had 21 TDs to 11 INTs. When the offense broke down around him a year ago in league play it wasn’t due to bad passes or a ton of INTs. Of his 11 on the year only three came in league play. It wasn’t just INTs. In the 8 league games Gardner dipped below 55% just three times and was held below 200 yards just twice (one of the those was 196 yards against Nebraska). Considering the team went 3-5 and struggled to point points up, Gardner’s individual numbers were pretty impressive. As for his teammates, well the receiving corps lacks experience outside of Funchess and the running backs are all unknown entities. You know the defenders of the big uglies are pointing to these flaws and not the line’s. If this is the culprit, the treatment for this is two-fold. One, gain experience over the course of the season and two, play smart not talent. By this I mean play who is picking up Nussmeier’s system the best not necessarily who is the most talented. Just because someone has 4.4 speed means diddly if he doesn’t find the hole. Wait, doctor…maybe Nussmeier is the illness.
Three – Doug Nussmeier’s system will take time to learn. Looked pretty crisp week one – NEXT!
Four – The offensive line, the original contender. Sure this unit had a lot of turnover and the new faces aren’t stepping up…this is a popular refrain for all teams when things don’t go as planned. It is true that Gardner was sacked twice, hit nine more times and hurried on countless other plays. It is also true that the running game was flat needing 35 carries to hit the century mark, a 2.9 average. Those stats are pretty damming for the OL but with Michigan’s struggles against Notre Dame night and day different from their trashing of Ap State this seems a little unfair. It only tells part of the story.
Diagnosis – hybrid disease. Michigan’s OL is green, no doubt but their offense isn’t as good as we thought either. This then got exposed by a team much better than anyone expected.
Treatment – As the OL gets more experienced the running game will be more consistent. With a more reliable ground attack a lot of the load will be taken off Gardner’s shoulders. Thankfully Michigan’s schedule sets up very nicely for this aim. The two toughest road trips are MSU and OSU and they are months away. Miami OH next will provide a great bounce back win to get the mojo rolling. Utah and Minnesota aren’t gimmes but they are in Ann Arbor. It is possible that Michigan will be back to full health by October 25th’s showdown with MSU and be sitting at 6-1.
Side effects – No one said that fighting this disease would be easy. Dropping either of the Utah/Gopher games will panic the medical staff into trying a new course of treatment. The Penn State game and at Rutgers could also throw a monkey wrench into this. The fact is that if Michigan is anything other than 6-1 going into the MSU game, Hoke and his staff will desperately need to leave East Lansing with a win.
Final Notes – Keep this patient under observation. Any crack in the coming weeks could spell doom and put the staff on life support. Could be a wild ride for the Maize and Blue folks. If the patient turns south, watch out! Jobs like Michigan don’t come around too often and would alter the landscape in the always dramatic coaching mary-go-round this winter.
Big Ten and Counting 