On a drab, rainy Saturday in Ann Arbor Michigan outlasted Minnesota, 27-24. In the process, the Wolverines put on a performance of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde that will haunt Wolverine fans for the foreseeable future.
First Quarter: A Strong Start
Minnesota started with the ball and saw the slippery conditions affect play immediately. Brosmer had some slick passes turn into drops, and Darius Taylor slipped behind the line for an Ernest Hausmann tackle-for-loss. Michigan took over and immediately followed suit, as Alex Orji dropped back to pass and threw behind Fred Moore, who got his hands on it but couldn’t hold on. After that, Michigan put together a solid first drive. Orji tucked and ran for 15, then hit a couple of solid passes to Colston Loveland and Marlin Klein. Between those was a 15-yard gift courtesy of a personal foul on Jalen Logan-Redding, who appeared to give Orji a free dental exam during a horse-collar tackle.
Just outside the red zone, Kalel Mullings took a third-and-one carry to the left side and rumbled 27 yards to the promised land, 7-0 Michigan. Props to Dom Giudice, Josh Priebe, and Myles Hinton for deleting their blocks to clear the runway. Minnesota’s second series saw a few chunk plays by the Gophers. The Wolverine second team got some run and gave some ground. Hill missed one tackle but made up for it two plays later with a huge third down stop behind the line. P.J. Fleck thought about going for it, but instead rowed out the boat containing the field goal unit. Dragan Kesich had the distance but yoinked it right, no good.
Michigan took over on downs and we finally saw some Mullings/Edwards shared snaps! They did not result in much initially, but it was an encouraging development that the coaches are trying to get their playmakers on the field together. The quarter ended with a Tommy Doman punt setting Minnesota up at its 12-yard line.
Second Quarter: The Good Times Roll
Michigan remained solid on defense during Minnesota’s third series, which included a nice tipped pass by Rayshaun Benny and some good coverage disguises from Wink Martindale. Michigan got the ball back and immediately got 10 yards off a nice Orji pass to Loveland. A 10-yard pass! Now we’re cookin’ with gas. Unfortunately, it was immediately followed by a Kendrick Bell drop and a turfed Orji attempt meant for Loveland again. A consistently inconsistent offense.
Minnesota’s next possession didn’t last long, as Hill put the hit stick on Daniel Jackson and gave Zeke Berry a chance to rip the ball away. Break out the Turnover Buffs. Michigan took over inside the 20 and rode three straight Mullings runs back into the end zone. 14-0, Michigan.
Minnesota got the ball back and immediately saw Mason Graham crush a double team, forcing Brosmer to scramble and throw the ball away. A third-down blitz by Jaishawn Barham led to a Brandyn Hillman pass breakup, forcing another Gopher punt. Michigan got the ball, went nowhere, and looked bad in the process, so they traded a punt right back. Minnesota opened up the buffet for back-to-back Kenneth Grant and Graham sacks before attempting to punt again. Backup EDGE Kechaun Bennett had other plans. He blocked the kick and Christian Boivin recovered at the Minnesota 11.
Orji tossed a shallow crossing route to Tyler Morris, who dove into the endzone for a touchdown. 21-0 Michigan. The pain for Minnesota, whose very next play was 86’d by a fantastic Hill interception. The young corner stepped up big time in Johnson’s absence. After another Michigan three-and-out, Minnesota sprinted 77 yards in an 11-play two-minute drill, culminating in a fire-drill field goal. Preceding that, a Brosmer Hail Mary was almost intercepted by Berry, who looked like he got facemasked by Nick Kallerup. Regardless, the half ended 21-3 with Michigan firmly in the driver’s seat.
Then Minnesota got off the mat.
The Second Half: The Good Times Stop
Michigan started with a seven-minute, 40-yard field goal drive led by Orji, Loveland, Mullings, and Edwards. It might have gone further but for an ever-growing stack of wide receiver miscues. Dominic Zvada crushed a 53-yarder and made it 24-3, Michigan.
A Minnesota three-and-out gave Michigan the ball on their own 28-yard line. Orji threw a truly awful interception, a gift to Ethan Robinson. It looked like he was trying to force a ball to Loveland when Edwards was wide open for a probable score. Minnesota turned that into 14 plays, 76 yards, five minutes off the clock, and a Taylor touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. 24-10 Michigan, but the defense started to look gassed.
Michigan needed an answer or an extended drive to give their counterparts a breather. Instead, they ran Mullings three straight downs without much creativity. Koi Perich returned the punt 60 yards to the Michigan 17, and three plays later Taylor punched in his second score. 24-17 Michigan and a three-score lead evaporated.
Michigan put together a nearly seven-minute response, 14 plays for 58 yards. It chewed up the clock but did not look easy. Playcalling and player substitutions were suspect, and every move felt disjointed. The Wolverines seemed like they were playing not to lose, rather than playing to put the game away decisively. They were also snapping the ball far too early in the play clock and could have taken this possession down much closer to the two-minute mark with better clock management. Zvada banged home another field goal, 27-17 Michigan. Few 10-point leads have ever felt less safe.
The End: A Trophy Lifted, Uncomfortably
Minnesota was resurgent and confident. The Gophers immediately got to work on a 75-yard three-minute drive. TJ Guy got home on a sack despite having his helmet ripped off, but otherwise, the Gophers were once again moving the ball at will on a tired defense. The cherry on top was a Berry pass interference in the end zone that was irrelevant against a circus catch by Daniel Jackson. 27-24, Michigan, but it felt like 30-0 Minnesota, at least as far as the second half was concerned.
The Gophers were then seemingly hosed by a dubious offside call during their first onside kick attempt. Kalel Mullings fell on the second attempt and Michigan ran three plays for negative 13 yards to ‘close it out.’ Ugly.
The Wolverines will hoist the Little Brown Jug but they won’t feel terrific in the process. The powerful first half gave way to a grotesque second half and in the process solidified what we know about this team after five games:
- Elite first-team defense (without the depth to last four quarters)
- No cohesion on the offense
The wide receivers and offensive line look dismal and hurt Orji more than they helped. Mullings is a hoss (24 carries for 111 yards and a pair of scores) and will keep this team in games, but he can’t do it alone. That’s two nail-biting 27-24 victories in a row, both of which featured abject second-half performances on both sides of the ball.
A win is still a win, and the team moves to 4-1 on the season. Upcoming games against invigorated Illinois, Michigan State, and Indiana teams now feel more daunting than they did previously. Washington and Oregon still loom, as does the Buckeye juggernaut. This coaching staff will need to find some answers, quickly.
