UA-59049186-1 Michigan 17, Notre Dame 24 - Good if it Goes

Michigan 17, Notre Dame 24

Michigan’s defense got off to a slow start, allowing Notre Dame to score on their first two drives, one that took less than two minutes and one that started inside their own 5-yard line. The offense looked better than it did a year ago, except for the line, and that incompetence up front limited the Wolverines. The Michigan offense showed serious potential, but couldn’t afford to let plays set up very often, lest Shea Patterson end up with a large man in his face. One deep shot to Nico Collins did connect, and when it did, you could see that this offense could be awfully good. That is, if the offensive tackles could cease to be just plain awful.

Here are the positives:

– Michigan played about as poorly as possible early and the game was still right there for them late. The defense made the necessary adjustments and, aside from a few plays where Patterson tried to do too much, the QB play looked strong. If this was last year, this would’ve been a repeat of the Penn State game.
– Dylan McCaffrey looked good in relief of Patterson when Patterson was being treated for cramps. If Peters truly is still ahead of McCaffrey, it appears the QB situation is fine being a disaster.

The negatives:

– Way too many stupid mistakes. Winovich’s roughing the passer penalty cost the team 4 points and a botched hold on a field goal cost the team another 3, which adds up to…yeah…
– The offensive tackles, particularly Runyan, were a disaster and that’s not likely to get a whole lot better this year. After what we saw Saturday night, I don’t know why Harbaugh doesn’t play Jalen Mayfield and James Hudson and let come what may. Best case scenario – they’re passable and the offense really rounds into form as a result. Worst case scenario – they’re no better than Runyan and Bushell-Beatty, but gain experience for next year. I don’t know if I’m going to do a full grading post for this game. I’ll probably do the offense, at least if for no other reason than to see if Runyan beats former Bears center Hroniss Grasu’s record for worst outing.

Twitter: @KSchroeder_312

E-mail: schroeder.giig@gmail.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *