B

Wasting away

Michigan’s defense turned in 
another gem Saturday night, 

holding Michigan State to 

one first down in the second 
half. The offense, however, 

wasted it.
» Page 4B

Rivalry blues

Jim Harbaugh was 
outcoached Saturday night, 
and is now 1-4 against 
Michigan’s biggest rivals. 
» SportsMonday Column

Page 2B

Until Saturday night, the 

formula — despite all of its 
inherent flaws — had worked 
well enough for Michigan. 

The 
seventh-ranked 

Wolverines 
would 
struggle 

to 
find 
their 

groove 
— 
usually 

due 
to 
multiple 

questionable 
mistakes — but they 
would find a way to 
turn it around in the 
second half en route 
to double-digit final 
scorelines. 

It 
had 
already 

worked four times. 
But sometimes even 
the smallest crack 
can cause a ship to 
sink. 

Against 
Michigan 
State, 

as 
heavy 
rain 
turned 
into 

a 
torrential 
downpour, 

Michigan’s ship didn’t just sink. 
It capsized.

The Wolverines had faced 

halftime deficits before. In their 
season opener against Florida, 
they headed to the locker room 

at AT&T Stadium with a 17-13 
deficit. But then they scored 20 
points in the second half and 
didn’t concede a single one, 
ultimately winning, 33-17.

And in its conference opener 

against 
Purdue, 

Michigan 
entered 

halftime at Ross-Ade 
Stadium trailing, 10-7. 
Then the Wolverines 
scored 
21 
points 

without conceding any 
and pulled off a 28-10 
win.

Those 
scorelines 

didn’t 
reflect 
the 

full scope of either 
game. Still, Michigan 
maintained a zero in 
its loss column. Their 
struggles 
could 
be 

hidden behind the curtain of 
victory. 

But 
Saturday 
night, 
the 

Wolverines lost their first game 
of the season to the unranked 
Spartans in the first night game 
of their 110-year rivalry. Now, 
there is nowhere to hide.

The 
first 
half 
against 

Michigan State was the worst 
one yet. At the start, though, 
it didn’t seem as though that 
would be the case. 

Michigan opened the game 

on its 25-yard line, and moved 
down the field with ease. With 
a balanced attack courtesy of 
junior 
running 
back 
Karan 

Higdon, 
sophomore 
running 

back Chris Evans and fifth-
year senior quarterback John 
O’Korn, the Wolverines drove 
64 yards to the Spartan 11-yard 
line, taking up almost half of the 
first quarter in the process. But 
when they needed to seal the 
deal, their red-zone woes came 
back to haunt them and they had 
to settle for a 30-yard field goal. 

Despite 
the 
offensive 

letdown, 
Michigan’s 
defense 

did what has become routine 
for the No. 1 unit in the country. 
The Wolverines didn’t allow 
Michigan State to gain a single 
yard, forcing a three-and-out 
after only a single minute of 
possession. 

Michigan’s offense had the 

ball back with another shot at 

the end zone. After gaining 19 
yards on the ground in three 
plays, the Wolverines looked 
ready to capitalize on their 
second opportunity. But at the 
very end of that final run, the 
Spartans poked the ball out of 
the arms of fifth-year senior 
running back Ty Isaac and 
recovered it. This time, it was 
Michigan’s drive that lasted for 
only a minute.

Michigan State took over at 

the Wolverines’ 46-yard line 
and used just six plays to make 
it into the end zone first. 

After the Spartans scored 

another 
touchdown 
in 
the 

second quarter, Michigan had 
one more chance to answer 
back before the end of the first 
half. But O’Korn’s 36-yard pass 
to sophomore tight end Sean 
McKeon was wiped out by yet 
another forced fumble, and the 
Wolverines headed to the locker 
room at Michigan Stadium with 
a 14-3 deficit. 

Though 
the 
double-digit 

deficit was the largest margin 
Michigan had to come back 

from this year, its prior success 
in the second half seemed to 
bode well.

“I don’t think we really 

struggled, you know, we were 
4-0,” said senior linebacker 
Mike McCray. “But it’s a game. 
You can’t be perfect every time. 
The outcome is we want to win. 
It doesn’t matter how we get it.”

At the start, it seemed as 

though that would be the case 
again. After Michigan State 
fumbled a punt and had to start 
at its own two-yard line, the 
Wolverines’ defense forced a 
three-and-out 
and 
Michigan 

had the ball at the Spartans’ 
33-yard line. The Wolverines 
took full advantage of the 
favorable field position, using 
just four plays to score their 
first touchdown of the game.

But all it takes is one changed 

variable to render a formula 
obsolete. 
Right 
after 
that 

touchdown, 
the 
rain 
came 

pouring down.

And with it came a string of 

bad decisions on the offensive 
side of the ball. Instead of 

consistently running the ball 
to counteract the troublesome 
weather, 
Michigan 
elected 

to pass on three consecutive 
possessions. 

On each of those drives, 

O’Korn threw an interception. 

“It was tough for me to see,” 

O’Korn said. “I was just trying 
to buy time and just put it up.”

Though the Wolverines had 

other opportunities, they never 
found their second-half magic.

Michigan’s defense held up its 

end of the bargain, preventing 
the Spartans from putting any 
more points on the board. But 
amid strong winds and steady 
rain, the offense couldn’t find 
its footing. 

The Wolverines may have 

been able to bounce back from 
concerning starts before, but 
Michigan should have taken it 
as more of a warning sign. 

Flaws in a formula that 

happened to be good enough for 
four wins are still flaws. And 
on Saturday night, the Spartans 
made it clear: the Wolverines’ 
formula is not a winning one.

The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com 
October 9, 2017

STATE OF EMERGENCY

The flaws in the Wolverines’ formula

AMELIA CACCHIONE & EMMA RICHTER/Daily

BETELHEM ASHAME

Managing Sports Editor

Michigan 10, Michigan State 14

