What we learned next against Minnesota and Washington

WHERE IS THE PASSING PLAY: The ground-and-pound style leads to victories, but Michigan football knows it needs more balance

Offense is still booming or busting: Not counting the last few games in which time was running out for the Wolverines, Michigan had 11 possessions against Minnesota on Saturday. The vast majority did not follow the team’s ideal game plan. With the current structure of the attack, the aim is to possess the ball, gain time in possession, control position on the pitch and generally dictate the conditions of the game. This time, UM’s offense was unable to do so consistently, as there were only three possessions that lasted longer than 2 minutes and 10 seconds. Those three rides took 18:53, while the other eight (before the final one ran 1:36) took just 12:48. Sure, two of those were quick trips that ended in touchdowns as the defense and special teams got the offense into the red zone, but the vast majority of the possessions were way too quick, with six drives ending in four plays or less without scores.

The error rate is extremely low: For the second straight year, Michigan led a game by multiple touchdowns in the second half, but the fight didn’t end until the final minutes. This could be because the Wolverines are too one-dimensional on offense. The passing game piled up 118 yards through the air in eight quarters with Orji at quarterback, and in the second half, after the teams made schematic adjustments, Michigan scored just 19 points in the final four quarters combined. When UM wasn’t chewing up the clock and turning the court over, it was able to lean on defense to create takeaways. (Michigan’s defense had an interception and a forced fumble to get the offense going inside the 20, while the special teams blocked a punt to get the offense going at the 11.) But the last two games show that this is not a perfect plan. The Wolverines’ defense was tired by the end of the game, having to defend both a short field and two long possessions, and for the second straight day it seems clear that Michigan would not have had the ideal start (that it deserves) . It’s thanks to me that the game would have been different.