Michigan Football: Revisiting 5 games that molded 2019 season
By Nick Popio
The fall tradition of Michigan football is postponed, for the time being, so reliving what the history books wrote for 2019 is something to take the mind off of current events.
Before the 2019 campaign kicked off Michigan football got recognized with a lot of hype entering the season. It returned its starting quarterback, a well regarded offensive lineup, and a top-notch defense full of standouts.
All of the pieces were in place for an overdue playoff run. Even the Big Ten writers predicted them to conquer the league for the first time in 15 years.
There were some heavy blockades on the daunting Big Ten table to sort through when the time accounted for though.
Heading to Madison and Penn State were deemed the most noteworthy clashes. Getting Notre Dame and Michigan State at home sure felt like a blessing in disguise. Then there was the perennial collision course showdown at the end of the line in Michigan stadium.
On opening night hosting Middle Tennessee State the Wolverines looked a tad rusty. With all due respect to the Blue Raiders, Michigan football should have opened up the floodgates on them, but it didn’t feel like it went down that way.
It only got worse in week two, albeit the Wolverines still arose victoriously. Something appeared off from the debut and never really materialized until further in the schedule.
It took till about halfway through the calendar for Michigan to hit on all of its cylinders.
The second half of the Penn State loss was as close to a program changing moment as one can get. It lasted a month before Ohio State and Alabama got a hold of the Wolverines. Those two business-like schools abruptly sent Harbaugh’s winning streak to a screeching halt.
Therefore Michigan limped into the offseason with another losing streak. Recruiting took over as the main focus and the Wolverines gobbled up a credible class with an emphasis on speed.
Spring ball left the door open for a refreshing sense of hope towards 2020. The feeling of excitement for a brand new opportunity was growing steam right before our very eyes.
But now, we don’t when the next Michigan football game will be, so let’s take a look back at the five that shaped U-M’s 2019 season.