Instant reactions to a blowout loss by Michigan football to Texas

Michigan football fans always knew that the Wolverines were going to take a step back last season, but I don't know that any of us expected Michigan to be as bad as they looked on Saturday against Texas.

Texas led 24-3 at the half, but the score could have been 35-3. The Longhorns called off the dogs in the second half after it was clear that U-M had no answer for Quinn Ewers or the speed of Texas in what ended up as a 31-12 defeat.

It was brutal and it was embarrassing. Michigan's offense was terrible and this game reminded me of when Donovan McNabb and Syracuse destroyed Michigan one year after winning the national title.

Texas controlled the game in every facet. They ran the ball better and the Longhorns dominated the line of scrimmage, on both sides of the ball.

The struggles of quarterback Davis Warren weren't surprising. The fact that Michigan wasn't able to run the ball was disappointing and so were the third-down calls for Alex Orji on Michigan's only good scoring chances.

It was hard to watch and this team doesn't look like it belongs in the top 25 let alone the College Football Playoff. One game isn't a season but Michigan has major questions to answer and the honemoon period is over, for everyone.

The quarterback position is a problem

Michigan didn't land a legitimate quarterback recruit in the 2022 or 2023 classes and they are paying for it. The Wolverines weren't aggressive enough this offseason looking for a quarterback and you reap what you sow.

Davis Warren shouldn't be starting for Michigan. If the Wolverines had a healthy quarterback room of a typical blue-blood program, he wouldn't even be the backup. Warren isn't better than any of the scholarship quarterbacks Georgia or Alabama has on its roster and that's a problem.

And if Orji is only getting a play or two here or there, he must be farther away as a passer than we realized.

There aren't playmakers at wide receiver

The quarterback position isn't good enough for a playoff-contending program and neither is the wide receiver position. None of the guys were getting open. They had a tough time making contested catches and it just doesn't seem like guys are getting separtion.

Colston Loveland can only do so much and it's clear that when the running game isn't effective, the passing game just isn't good enough to carry things.

Michigan isn't the same without Jim Harbaugh

You can already see the impact of losing Jim Harbaugh. I maintain he's the best football coach still active and Michigan isn't going to be the same without him.

The development won't be the same and frankly, Sherrone Moore is in a tough spot. There's some talent on this roster, but there are holes too. Hopefully, Moore can hold together the 2025 recruiting class but this schedule is brutal.

It's hard to see how the same thing doesn't happen against Oregon and Ohio State. USC and Washington also look like very difficult games to win. Lose those and suddenly, even a bowl game doesn't look like a sure thing.

That seems a giant overreaction. Texas is one of the best teams in college football and that's part of this result, but Michigan football isn't as good as we thought and there's no way of getting around it.