Michigan Football: Important takeaways from loss to Penn State

Michigan football got embarrassed by Penn State Saturday night in Happy Valley, 42-13. But more importantly, in the big picture, what does it mean?

There were a few good moments for Michigan football against Penn State. But for the most part, the night belonged to the home team. The Nittany Lions dominated and made a statement with a 42-13 thrashing of UM.

When it was all said and done, Michigan football was just no match for Penn State. The Wolverines vaunted defense was exposed; the offense was well, the offense we have come to expect over the past few weeks and the coaching was, well, not very good.

The game highlighted the drastic difference between the two programs. Penn State looks like a Big Ten title team again. While Michigan football looks to be a year or two away from contending … still.

At this point, we know what the 2017 Michigan football team is and it’s nothing special. The Wolverines are a team capable of winning eight or nine games and playing in a nice bowl game, that’s about it.

There are no conference championships to contend for and probably no significant wins on the horizon. This season is a rebuild or a reload or whatever you want to call it. But it’s clear, that Michigan is the fourth best team in the Big Ten East.

That’s startling.

Now, this loss doesn’t mean the sky is falling. Michigan has a solid team and a more than solid defense. Eight wins is still possible (regular season) and nine isn’t out of the question. But every game is going to be a grind.

Yet, before we look too far ahead, here are three key takeaways from the Wolverines loss to Penn State.