Michigan Football: Wolverines need running QB to beat Ohio State

There were some lessons to be learned from watching Clemson beat Ohio State and one is that Michigan football really needs a quarterback that can run.

The College Football Playoff came and went and once again, Michigan football was not part of it.

Critics will point out that in five years as head coach of Michigan football, Jim Harbaugh has not made the playoff, beaten Ohio State or won the Big Ten championship.

But, if we are being fair, that statement wouldn’t be true if JT Barrett had been marked short as he should have been on that fateful fourth-and-one. The replay officials then should have fixed the call — they didn’t and Ohio State won a game it didn’t deserve to win.

Had the play been called correctly, the game would have been over, Michigan would have won and advanced to Indy, where it would have faced a Wisconsin team it had already beaten that season.

The chances are that it would have won the Big Ten title and went to the playoff where that Michigan team would have been drilled by Clemson as Ohio State was.

So that’s why Ohio State fans won’t get any sympathy from Michigan football fans as they complain about the officiating in the Fiesta Bowl.

The play that really stands out, of course, was when a Clemson receiver appeared to fumble a catch that resulted in an Ohio State touchdown. Only the pass was called incomplete.

However, there were some other questionable calls as well, just like in the No. 2 vs No. 3 matchup in 2016 between Michigan and Ohio State.

At the end of the day, Trevor Lawrence proved to be better than Justin Fields, who threw a pair of costly interceptions. That was the difference in the game and Lawrence’s ability to run was the x-factor as he ran for 107 yards on 16 carries in addition to throwing for 259 yards and two scores.

Without Lawrence running the ball the way he did, which included a 67-yard touchdown in the second quarter when Clemson was still down 16-7, getting them back within two, the Tigers would have lost the game.

Nothing was working and that’s when you noticed Lawrence keeping the ball. It kept the defense honest and opened things up for other stuff. The QB run game certainly helped set up the run-pass option that led to the game-winning touchdown.

In all honesty, I am glad, as all Michigan football fans should be that Ohio State was defeated. But if the Wolverines are ever going to accomplish that same feat, they need to find a quarterback that can run as well as throw.

Hopefully, that’s Dylan McCaffrey but even if not, that should be the biggest lesson to take away from the Fiesta Bowl.