In sports, reality comes at you fast: the good and the bad.
Last Saturday, the Michigan Wolverines found themselves on the side of the latter in what can only be described as a total mismatch, losing 31-12 at home against Texas. Now, the reigning national champions look to rebound against Arkansas State in their final week of out-of-conference play before facing Big Ten newcomers USC.
For head coach Sherrone Moore, who only this week finalized a contract with the university after operating as the program’s head coach for nearly eight months without one, the challenge ahead is to improve on the shortcomings this roster has displayed in the first two games of the season.
In the opener against Fresno State, the offense looked limited and dysfunctional — and those concerns were only exacerbated last Saturday against the Longhorns. On that side of the ball, the Wolverines are putting up less than 280 yards/game for the season and converting on 30% of their third down attempts. To give that more context, in their big faceoff against Texas, Michigan converted on 3 out of 12 third down looks (25%), while the Longhorns converted on 10 out of 16 (62.5%), and four of those six failed attempts came in the second half, when the visiting Longhorns already held a three possession lead.
As a result of the dreadful outing, Michigan dropped seven spots in the AP Poll to 17th in the nation, one position ahead of the only school that fell harder — Notre Dame.
But this team doesn’t have time to lick their wounds or make excuses — and they certainly can’t afford to overlook the Red Wolves of Arkansas State. Throughout the week, Moore has remained resolute about the message to his players and staff: “We’ve got to be better.”
“The guys played hard, but you’ve got to play with detail when you face a team like that,” Moore offered, reflecting on his side’s performance against Texas last week. “It’s urgency, not panic. It’s the first time we’ve lost a game here (at home) since 2020, so it stings. It should sting. So, for us it’s consoling them. Helping them get over it.”
One question the Wolverines need to answer for is where this offense can hope to find more explosiveness. It goes without saying that the rushing attack will always be a cornerstone, and their play on the offensive line has not inspired enough enthusiasm on that front. But through two games, nearly half of Michigan’s receiving yards have been credited to tight end Colston Loveland. That isn’t sustainable if this team hopes to fair better than they did against the Longhorns in future matchups with the likes of USC, Washington, and Ohio State.
At their disposal are the likes of Semaj Morgan, Tyler Morris, and CJ Charleston. And while none of them eclipses 6’0 in stature, they all present opportunities to stretch the field and challenge secondaries; mainly through crossers and out-routes. Of the three, Morgan appears the most prepared for an increased role, after he recorded a career-high five catches for 45 yards and a TD last week – a small bright spot to be accounted for from the Texas game.
No. 17 Michigan (-23.5) hosts Arkansas State this Saturday at Noon EST.
