Michigan left Saturday with a 17-10 win over No. 11 Oklahoma and a spotless record, but the conversation coming out of the first two weeks of the season has centered on something far less celebratory: penalties.
Through two games, the Wolverines are averaging 10 penalties per game, a number that puts them second-worst in the Big Ten and 124th out of 138 FBS teams. That’s a steep drop from last season, when Michigan averaged 4.4 penalties per game.
“We’re too undisciplined in that regard,” Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham told the media on Monday.
The issue showed up right away in the opener against Western Michigan, when Michigan was flagged nine times. It got worse against Oklahoma, where the Wolverines were penalized 11 times and repeatedly undercut themselves with personal foul calls.
Whittingham said the impact of those mistakes stretches well beyond the yards marked off.
“Players have to understand there are consequences to penalties,” Whittingham said. “Offensively, they’re drive killers.
Defensively, they’re drive extenders for the opponent. And on special teams, they’re big factors in field position.”
Michigan’s problems have included the routine stuff - pre-snap penalties and holding calls that have killed possessions - but the more damaging flags have been the personal fouls that hand the other side a fresh set of downs.
The Wolverines were called for three personal fouls against Oklahoma. Dominic Nichols and Shamari Earls were both flagged for face masks, while cornerback Jyaire Hill drew an unnecessary roughness penalty on third down that kept the Sooners on the field and eventually led to a field goal.
Those are the kinds of plays Whittingham wants gone.
“There are some bigger, thoughtless penalties, which are ones that really could have been avoided,” Whittingham said. “We know we have smart guys so we just have to be more disciplined and get rid of some of those ignorant things.”
The numbers back up the concern. Michigan has piled up 170 penalty yards in the first two games, which ranks 127th out of 138 FBS teams. Even with the 2-0 start, the Wolverines have left too much on the field.
“It’s a process. We have to get it corrected or it will cost us somewhere down the line,” Whittingham said.
“We have to get it under control. It’s a matter of continuing to teach and demand.
We’ll eventually get where we need.”
Whittingham said he believes the group can clean it up, but he made clear the issue is a real one right now.
“Every penalty is a teaching moment. You have to address it when it happens in a game,” Whittingham said. “We harp on it again in film and throughout practice, we have referees, so it’s just a process of educating the players.”
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