Michigan Football: The Biggest Problem From The Florida Game
Getting a rather lopsided season-opening win for Michigan football was a great relief, but there was still one familiar issue that stood out.
If there was anything from Michigan football‘s 33-17 win over Florida on Saturday that left me feeling a little nervous moving forward this season, it was the inability of the Wolverines to put the game on ice in the fourth quarter.
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This has been a constant criticism over the last two seasons. There were games like Michigan State in 2015 and Iowa in 2016 (among others) where the Wolverines had a slim lead late but couldn’t hold on. In the case against the Hawkeyes, Michigan’s offense was just terribly inept the entire game.
But that wasn’t necessarily the case against Florida. The Wolverines ran for 215 yards on a highly touted Florida front, and Wilton Speight—despite two interceptions—managed the game well from the pocket, especially in the second half.
Instead, what Michigan did late against the Gators was reminiscent of what happened against Michigan State last season. It was very obvious throughout that the Wolverines were outplaying their opponent, and there never seemed to be a real chance at a comeback. But still, the offense was never able to pull away.
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Here’s what Michigan’s offense did after the touchdown to open the second half:
- Field goal
- Field goal
- Punt
- Missed field goal
- Missed field goal
- Punt
Meanwhile, the Gators were just one score away from turning it into a game again.
This probably does sound a little petty, considering all the positive things that happened on Saturday: beat a top-20 team, came back from being down, answered questions about youth. But the fact that we’ve seen this familiar finish to games recently does leave some reservation in rejoice.
Of course, it would be negligent and misleading to say Michigan was going up against a run-of-the-mill opening week defense. Florida has a very stout defensive line and a secondary that, though hobbled, is far from a pushover.
What’s more, it’s not like the offense completely stalled, as it has in similar past situations. In three consecutive drives (one in the third quarter and two in the fourth), Michigan had the ball for at least 3:19. The latter two resulted in those missed field goals. The dead-in-the-water offense has been on display before, and this wasn’t it.
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But one more offensive touchdown, one more punishing seven-minute drive like the one Michigan opened the game with—that would have signaled a big step in the right direction in terms of putting teams away. It wasn’t anything egregious against Florida, but it was enough to make you notice that it’s still there.