Michigan’s season has already drifted far from the kind of September buzz that surrounded the program before kickoff. The College Football Playoff talk is fading fast, and now the more realistic question is whether the Wolverines can even steady themselves enough to reach bowl eligibility.
At 3-2 heading into the bye week, Michigan may need to run the table just to force its way back into postseason relevance. If the Wolverines simply win the games they’re favored in and drop the rest, they’d land at 6-6. That would be enough to sneak into a bowl, but it would be a long way from the expectations that opened the year.
So where does the turnaround start? The most obvious place is on the ground, where Blake Frazier made it clear what kind of football he wants to see.
“I would love that,” Frazier said. “This is Michigan football.
You think Michigan football, you think downhill runs. I would love to see that implemented a little bit more."
That’s the blueprint he wants. Michigan has not found it yet.
Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter have not rushed anywhere near the pace many expected, and it hasn’t mattered whether the opponent was Western Michigan, Oklahoma, or Minnesota. The ground game has simply not gotten going.
Part of the issue is Jason Beck’s scheme, which has leaned horizontal and has not meshed cleanly with an offensive line and running backs recruited under Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore to be physical, downhill finishers. That group was built to move people.
So far, the offense hasn’t asked them to do what they do best.
Frazier put the burden back on the line, too.
“If we’re not able to run the ball, then that’s a direct reflection of the offensive line and so that’s what we’ve been working on,” Frazier said.
Michigan also needs more certainty behind center. Kyle Whittingham has not really, alluded to the idea that Bryce Underwood is going to sit on the bench.
Underwood has had stretches where he’s played well, even if it hasn’t been enough overall. Publicly, Whittingham has said Underwood has done some good things and also needs to be better.
That relationship matters because the two are tied together for the rest of the season. Whittingham did not recruit Underwood, and whether he would have is beside the point now.
Michigan’s fortunes are going to rise or fall with the two of them working in sync. Any chatter about Tommy Carr getting into the game should be shut down immediately.
The message from the sideline may matter just as much as the play-calling. Underwood does not need a public guarantee forever, but steady support in front of everyone could help settle things down for a young quarterback and a young team.
The other major fix is much less glamorous: clean up the details. Michigan has not been disciplined, and it has not been sharp.
The first order of business during the bye week should be lining up correctly. That costs nothing in talent, but the Wolverines have had trouble with it since Week 1.
The penalties are part of the same mess. Some physical fouls are inevitable.
Holding happens. But illegal formations and false starts, especially at home, have been too common.
So have turnovers, and that’s where Underwood has to be better as well.
He has fumbled too often. He has thrown four interceptions.
He also got away with another against Minnesota. When the offense is struggling this much, the margin for error disappears quickly.
Michigan was plus-2 at halftime against Minnesota in turnover margin, then finished minus-1 after two Underwood interceptions and a muffed punt from Andrew Marsh. Take those mistakes away, and the Wolverines probably win that game.
That’s how strong the defense has been. If Michigan can simply avoid beating itself, that might be enough in a lot of games.
But the offense still needs more help beyond Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan. The running backs have ability, but it hasn’t shown up in Jason Beck’s system this season.
The tight ends have been mostly invisible. The rest of the receivers have been quiet, too.
A passing game that revolves around only two players becomes easy to take away, and Minnesota exposed that.
Whether it’s freshman tight end Mason Bonner or one of the secondary receivers, somebody else has to step forward. Michigan needs more balance, and it needs it now.
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