Michigan football grades: F, F, F of a performance in embarrassing loss to Wisconsin

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Free Press sports writer Orion Sang grades Michigan football after the Wolverines’ 49-11 loss to No. 14 Wisconsin on Saturday night:  

Offense: F

Some 15 minutes into the game, the Wolverines had more interceptions than yards. Yes, it was that bad of a performance. Michigan had 1 yard of offense over its first four drives, and quarterback Joe Milton threw two interceptions on his first two attempts: one that didn’t appear to be his fault, and another that definitely was his fault. And yet, Milton wasn’t to blame for all of Michigan’s struggles. Every position group is struggling right now. And on offense, the Wolverines have nothing they can rely on: No easy completions, no base run plays that consistently generate positive yardage. There’s no creativity to create chunk plays, which we began to see toward the second half of 2019. Instead, this is an offense without an identity and  that doesn’t do anything well other than get into second- and third-and-longs. 

Michigan Wolverines’ Michael Barrett (23) and Brad Hawkins (20) converge on Wisconsin running back Nakia Watson during the first quarter at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Nov. 14, 2020.

 (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press)

Michigan inserted Cade McNamara at quarterback and found a spark for one series, as he completed his first four passes for 74 yards, one touchdown and a two-point conversion. The Wolverines could certainly use more scoring drives like that. Will he be the start next week?

Defense: F

Wisconsin running back Nakia Watson may never have an easier touchdown than his 10-yard scamper in the second quarter. The Badgers averaged fewer than 3.5 yards per carry in their only other game this season, but cured their ails against Michigan’s run defense. The Wolverines were consistently blown off the ball up front and ceded the edge on jet sweeps. The passing defense wasn’t much better: Michigan’s best hope was of a Wisconsin drop. The Badgers had open receiver after open receiver off play-action, and it seemed as if coach Paul Chryst called off his players after taking a 28-0 lead. And yet, Wisconsin’s basic second-half scheme was still hard for the Wolverines to stop. (The Badgers gained 43 yards on a fullback dive.) The only difference between this week and the past two games: Michigan’s defense got gashed on the ground instead of through the air. 

Special teams: C+

Quinn Nordin made a 46-yard field goal. Giles Jackson had a 43-yard kick return. But the Wolverines also had a running into the kicker penalty that gave Wisconsin a first down after the defense had forced a punt after McNamara’s touchdown. Right now, special teams is the only phase in which Michigan isn’t being thoroughly outplayed. . 

Coaching: F

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh watches as his team warms up before the game vs. Wisconsin at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Nov. 14, 2020.

 (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press)

For a second consecutive season, Michigan trailed by 28 points against Wisconsin. Just as they did in last season’s 35-14 loss, the Wolverines looked unprepared and became dejected when things went awry from the outset. The only difference is this loss came to a Badgers team that hadn’t played in three weeks because of a COVID-19 outbreak. Michigan is clearly in rebuilding mode, and it’s true they are dealing with some injuries, but in Year 6 under Jim Harbaugh, they should be good enough and deep enough to avoid such embarrassing defeats at home. It’s on Harbaugh and his coaching staff to get the players mentally and physically ready to play every week. And they haven’t done that since the season opener against Minnesota. 

Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.