A week after the bruising loss at The Big House, Michigan walked into Minnesota and came out with something even uglier: a 20-14 defeat that put the Little Brown Jug in the Gophers’ hands for the first time since 2014. It also marked Minnesota’s first home win over Michigan since 1977.
For one stretch, the Wolverines actually looked like they might cash in on the one area that traveled well. The defense finally came up with takeaways and turned them into points.
Late in the first quarter, Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey was pressured by linebacker Troy Bowles as he released the ball, and cornerback Smith Snowden came down with the floating pass. Michigan answered with a five-yard touchdown run from Jordan Marshall to tie it 7-7.
Then, late in the second quarter, Lindsey made another costly mistake while retreating under pressure. He threw back across his body, linebacker Nathaniel Staheling intercepted it, and the fifth-year senior took it 79 yards for a touchdown to give Michigan a 14-7 lead just before halftime.
That was the good part. Everything else around it made the day feel like a slog.
Minnesota opened the game by going right at Michigan’s defense. After the Wolverines’ first punt sailed into the end zone, the Gophers started at the 20 and promptly marched downfield for a two-yard touchdown run by Darius Taylor.
Lindsey hit Noah Jennings for 11 yards on the first play, then found him again for 22 yards two snaps later. A couple plays after that, he connected with Taylor for 33 yards, with Staheling slow to close and Taylor left wide open.
Safety Chris Bracy was then flagged for pass interference in the end zone on third down, though the call was one the source strongly disagreed with, and Taylor finished the drive with the score.
That wasn’t the only time Minnesota’s first snap of a half caused trouble. The Gophers opened the second half with another productive march, and only a false start on 3rd-and-6 at the Michigan 33 and a tackle-for-loss on the next play slowed them down.
Even then, the relief didn’t last long. Minnesota punted, Andrew Marsh muffed it for his second muff of the season, and the Gophers got the ball right back.
They settled for a field goal and cut the margin to four.
The penalties were just as damaging as the blown assignments. Michigan was flagged five times in the first half, and four of those came on third down.
Bracy’s pass interference was one thing. Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng’s blatant pass interference was another.
On offense, right guard Brady Norton was called for a false start on 3rd-and-4, and later Bryce Underwood and the Wolverines were hit with a delay of game on 3rd-and-15.
Third. And.
Fifteen. And you can’t run a play?
Come on, man.
The offensive mess didn’t stop there. Underwood threw a brutal interception in the third quarter when he forced the ball to JJ Buchanan instead of taking the easy touchdown to Marsh, who was wide open and could have moonwalked into the end zone. Marsh had already muffed the punt and dropped a pass in the first half that went off his hands, or maybe his face mask.
Then Underwood threw another interception on the very next drive, the third straight possession in which Minnesota started with the ball in Michigan territory. That one was more about protection, because the line gave up instant pressure over and over. The FOX broadcast showed that Underwood was pressured 10 times, hit nine times and sacked three times.
The run game didn’t offer much help either. Michigan finished with 28 carries for 79 yards, a 2.8-yard average. Marshall had 10 carries for 50 yards and a touchdown, freshman Savion Hiter ran eight times for nine yards, and Underwood led the team with a 14-yard run while finishing with 20 rushing yards on 10 attempts.
Michigan is 3-2 now, and with Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State still ahead, the margin for error is gone. The bye week has to bring answers. If it doesn’t, 6-6 is very much in play.
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Jordan Marshalls Frustration Says Everything About Michigan Right Now
Jordan Marshalls postgame frustration after Michigans loss to Minnesota said plenty about where the Wolverines are right now. The running back didnt sugarcoat the mess on the field, pointing to the mistakes and the lack of cohesion that have made this stretch so hard to watch, and he made it clear the team cant afford to keep drifting through games without sharper execution or better accountability.
Marshall also framed the upcoming bye week as a chance for the roster to look inward and tighten things up. He said the players need to own their part, get more connected and play with more purpose, while also expressing trust that the coaching staff can make the necessary adjustments. For a Michigan team searching for answers, that blend of frustration and faith may be the clearest sign of how much work still remains. [Read more 🡒]
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Bryce Underwoods performance only sharpened the concern, with two interceptions and a few missed opportunities leaving Michigan stuck without enough answers when it mattered most. For a team trying to steady itself after another frustrating result, the bigger problem looks less like one bad evening and more like an offense that has yet to find a reliable identity. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Fans Have A Bigger Worry After Herbstreits Warning Sign
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Coach Whittingham acknowledged the problems after the loss, pointing first to issues on defense and then to a longer list of deficiencies the staff is trying to clean up. He said the situation ranks among the biggest challenges of his career, a blunt assessment that matches the mood around the program. The warning sign now is less about one upset than about whether Michigan can fix enough before the season slips further from reach. [Read more 🡒]