Michigan Football: Ohio State Exposed what we Should’ve Seen

Michigan football was not made to compete with these good up-tempo teams, and Ohio State reaffirmed that on Saturday.

Looking back on Michigan’s season, we definitely should have seen this coming. Maybe not a 42-13 helpless beating, but something close to it probably.

The Wolverines haven’t actually controlled a game since the first half of the season. I know you’re going to lobby for Rutgers, but I look at that win as a game that was handled, not controlled. I’m talking about running the ball, eating up clock, the good stuff. The stuff Michigan set out to do.

Michigan didn’t do it though after beating Northwestern 38-0 on Oct. 10.

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The most comparable team to Ohio State is very obviously Indiana. The only difference between the two is that the Buckeyes feature a much better defense and a true dual-threat quarterback.

Remember how that IU game went? How did we not see the same thing coming from Ohio State? Except, you know, with a defense attached to the other side. The Hoosiers laid out step-by-step instructions on how to make Michigan’s once-impenetrable defense look like a group of crowd control officers at a Walmart on Black Friday.

They know the description of the job, but there’s only so much you’re going to do.

I understand the losses of Ryan Glasgow and Mario Ojemudia—and Bryan Mone, who’s been out all season with a broken leg—were heavily felt in both games, but to surrender 676 yards in 120 game minutes is a problem that can’t be overstated.

Think about this: that means that for every game minute that ticked away, the Hoosiers and Buckeyes ran for 5.5 yards. And that’s counting when Michigan had the ball. If we’re only looking at when their offenses were on the field, it’s more like 11.7 yards.

Not good.

I live with the unfortunate reality of only having been alive to see six Michigan wins over Ohio State. Of those, I can remember one (2011) clearly, and the other (2003) is a foggy, distant memory.

The Wolverines haven’t defended good fast-tempo spread teams in one million years—maybe longer.

Blame personnel, scheme, whatever you’d like, but the fact remains that Michigan this season was a team that couldn’t control the ball in its most critical games and then couldn’t slow down the best spread attacks. That combination of flaws isn’t going to kill you in the Big Ten, but it will be your demise against teams like Ohio State and, if it had a defense, Indiana.

This 9-3 regular season mark is nothing to be mad about. Being mad about the individual losses is one thing, but to have nine wins with a shot at 10 is a thought only the most crazed fans had at the beginning of the season.

Next: Takeaways from Ohio State loss

I’ll take it, but hindsight being 20-20, of course Ohio State was going to beat Michigan. Again.