Michigan hasn’t exactly been humming along like a finished product, but that might be the unsettling part for everyone else. The Wolverines have looked uneven, with slow starts showing up again and again, yet they keep finding a way to grow into games as they go. That steady climb is why college football analyst Joel Klatt sees danger in this team even before it’s fully formed.
“What I am starting to see from Michigan is a team that gets better and starts learning its own identity every single quarter,” Klatt said. “They get more confident in who they are, the way that they want to win every quarter, and that's a dangerous thing because this is still a talented team.”
Michigan’s start to the season has made the pattern pretty clear. The Wolverines have been slow out of the gate in all three games, with the lone exception coming in Week 1 against Western Michigan, when they scored on their opening offensive drive. Even that opening touchdown came from a script installed in the offseason, and after that the offense had a hard time consistently moving the ball.
What’s kept Michigan afloat is what happens after the opening stretch. The defense has settled in, tightened the screws and made life difficult for opposing offenses.
Against Oklahoma, the Sooners’ only touchdown came in the third quarter and was helped along by two undisciplined, unsportsmanlike penalties. Oklahoma also managed a field goal to tie the game, but Michigan answered with an interception that swung things back in its favor.
That’s the broader picture here: Michigan has been good enough early to avoid falling behind, even if the margins are thin, and that gives the Wolverines room to make their adjustments and take over later. The offense gets a chance to sort itself out. The defense gets a chance to recover and keep pressing.
And in a season like this, that kind of development matters. A team does not want to peak now.
Michigan, at least so far, has not done that. It has simply improved from quarter to quarter, and that is exactly what makes it hard to pin down.
In Other News...
Michigan Controversy Resurfaces As Opposing Coach Reframes Western Michigan
Spencer Danielson gave Western Michigan a little more respect than the record shows this week, calling the Broncos an undefeated team while pointing back to the game against Michigan that still lingers in the background. It was an odd way to frame a 2-1 start, but it captured how much the final moments of that matchup continue to shape the way outsiders talk about the Broncos.
The controversy came from officials adding one second back to the clock, which allowed a final play to happen in a game the FBS Oversight Committee later said should not have reached that point. Even so, the result remains on the books, and now Boise State and Western Michigan are set to meet Saturday, Sept. 23, with both teams still sitting outside the top 25 and plenty of interest around how that old dispute gets folded into a fresh gameweek. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Just Took A Hit Michigan Fans Will Notice
Penn State is heading into its Big Ten stretch missing one of the more productive pieces of its passing game, a development Michigan fans will track closely as the conference race tightens. Koby Howard will be sidelined for an extended period after suffering an injury in a recent game, coach Matt Campbell said, and the setback lands at an especially awkward time for a team trying to keep its offense moving against better defenses.
Howard had become a central part of the attack this season, leading the team in both receptions and receiving yards. Without him, Penn State will have to lean more on the rest of its receiver group, with Chase Sowell and Benjamin Brahmer among the names expected to absorb more of the load as the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Added Another Intriguing Name To Its Future O-Line Push
Michigans future offensive line push got another boost with a major scholarship offer to William Crawford, an offensive lineman from St. Johns College High School in Washington, D.C. Crawford has started to draw attention from top college programs thanks to a blend of size, strength, mobility and the kind of versatility that makes linemen especially valuable in todays game.
For Michigan, the appeal is obvious. The Wolverines have been aggressive about identifying high-upside prospects who can develop into real pieces up front, and Crawford fits that mold as a player who could grow into a significant contributor down the line. With multiple major programs now in the mix, his recruitment should remain one worth tracking closely as Michigan keeps building for the future. [Read more 🡒]