5 Things we learned from Michigan Football’s loss to Michigan State

Joe Milton has a long way to go

As good as Joe Milton played against Minnesota in the season opener, he was protected by the Wolverines game plan and many of throws he made were short and came off run-pass options.

On Saturday, Michigan State was ready for that and the same strategy wasn’t going to work. The Spartans forced Joe to attempt 51 passes, which was way too many and he completed only 32. Sure he passed for 300 yards and ran for 50 something, but he wasn’t good enough.

And if he hadn’t gotten away with some risky throws, it could have been even worse. It’s also sort of baffling that the team won’t take shots down the field either, which makes you think all the talk about the wide receivers being better than a year ago, was just that — talk.

It’s clear that as far as Milton was concerned, the Minnesota game was an overreaction, I mean for goodness sakes, he was trending in the Heisman conversation. He’s got a bright future, but he’s not a world-beater yet.

Still, this loss really wasn’t entirely on him, but he still has to prove he can carry this team to victory when it doesn’t have its best stuff. Saturday was his first opportunity and he failed.