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