Following a 27-17 loss to Washington, it's clear that Michigan football is plagued with problems. What's not clear is how any of them will get fixed.
In the first road game of the season, the Wolverines weren't up to snuff. They allowed Washington to get a 14-0 lead and despite a rally sparked by Jack Tuttle at quarterback, the offense still wasn't good enough and the defense was shredded to the tune of 429 yards.
There's just a lot of bad football going on. Special teams may be the only bright spot, but looking ahead, there are still more questions than answers. Yet, here are five things we learned from a demoralizing loss to Washington.
Just a cluster
It's hard to know where to begin. Michigan football is just a mess. The Wolverines can't get off the field on third down and long. The offense, even with another quarterback, gave the ball away in key situations and the new quarterback also missed some wide open receivers, like the old quarterback.
It felt like Kirk Campbell was more comfortable with Jack Tuttle at quarterback. There was a spark. But there were many of the same problems we saw under Davis Warren.
Instead of throwing the ball deep to an open Amorion Walker, Jack Tuttle ran the ball in the fourth quarter and fumbled during a tie game.
That was right after Donovan Edwards slipped before hitting a hole that could have led to another touchdown run against Washington. There were two defenders, one blocker, and a lot of turf.
If Edwards doesn't lose his feet, Michigan football probably wins the game. Even so, there were so many mistakes, the Wolverines deserved to lose. From Will Johnson to Mason Graham, the defense is sloppy.
It makes big plays but it's not good, let alone elite. The coaching staff seems clueless and Michigan football fans should enjoy the golden era that just ended because it's over.
There will be no playoff appearance. I'm not certain this team makes a bowl game. It should. Just like it should beat Michigan State, but it should also be much better than it is right now.
Sherrone Moore whiffed on both coordinator hires
There's never a right process for hiring assistant coaches. You just need to get it right. Sherrone Moore chose an outside hire for defensive coordinator and Michigan football is paying out of the rear for a dude who should be on the unemployment line in six weeks.
Wink is too old to change his spots. He can't resist sending weird blitzes at weird times. But what ends up happening is that he blitzes players who don't blitz much and aren't good at it, so they fail and the play succeeds for the offense.
Wink's calls are easy to diagnose. He's not fooling offenses and the pass rush is the only thing on this defense that's working. Rush four and play coverage all game long. He just can't do it and looking back, hiring a guy who was let go by the Ravens and Giants, and who hadn't coached college football in 20 years -- whether he was the "OG" of the system or not -- was probably a bad move.
Steve Clinkscale should be the defensive coordinator. But that doesn't mean promoting from within is always the way to go, because Kirk Campbell has been just as bad, maybe worse. Campbell can recruit quarterbacks but his lack of flexibility with Alex Orji was stunning.
You had all offseason to build an offense around Orji and didn't even try. Say what you will, but he's the only quarterback who isn't turning the ball over multiple times per game. Beyond that, not playing Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings more together is an even bigger indictment.
It shouldn't take a genius to realize those are two of the only players on the entire offense WORTH having on the field on every play, yet one is usually on the sideline. Like why isn't Edwards in the slot on every single play that Mullings is at running back?
Campbell is a fine quarterbacks coach but this team needs an actual offensive coordinator -- one capable of adjusting to the talent he has, instead of trying to force the talent fit a system.
The defense is a problem
Will Rogers is a good quarterback and the Huskies have some weapons, but that team shouldn't have gained 429 yards on Michigan football, especially not 114 on the ground with an offensive line that is basically built on transfers.
Even Will Johnson had a rough night. Zeke Berry and Jyaire Hill were each beaten badly and it's just surprising to see all the missed tackles. One on drive, Michigan allowed back-to-back chunk plays simply by missing tackles they should have made.
It's frustrating but the coaching clearly isn't where it was a year ago. There are just too many mistakes, even from veterans, which makes it even more frustrating. A lot of it could be avoided.
Michigan football still doesn't have a QB it can count on
Jack Tuttle finished the Washington game 10-of-18 for 98 yards. He had one touchdown but also a fumble and interception. There were a couple of throws that reminded you that Tuttle was a four-star recruit but also moments that made you realize why he's played sparingly in 6 years.
I thought he made good decisions and showed some ability to run. I thnk he gives the Wolverines the best chance to win and during the bye week, Michigan should go all in with him as the starter.
You do wonder if Michigan had started with Tuttle or went to him last week when he was cleared, if this result would have been better. But Orji was winning and protecting the ball.
It was clear Orji wasn't going to rally the Wolverines but we still don't know what Michigan will get from Tuttle and I'm not expecting an All-Big Ten caliber guy each week.
No margin for error
It might seem ridiculous to talk about the playoff. But with the 12-team format, Michigan football is still alive. The Wolverines have two losses but just one in the Big Ten.
If Michigan won out, it would likely reach the Big Ten title game and the playoff. However, the Wolverines can't afford another loss if they want to reach the 12-team playoff.
However unlikely it feels now, a win over Oregon or Ohio State wouldn't be enough. Michigan would probably be close if it finished 9-3 and upset Ohio State, but that all seems unlikely.
Still, that's the path that lies ahead although just winning at Illinois, which is the next game after the bye week, will be difficult enough.