The Michigan football team had a big opportunity at home on Saturday as they were hosting #1 Oregon, but the Wolverines couldn't get it done as they fell 38-17. The final score makes it seem like the game was a blowout, but Michigan did a good job of hanging tight in the second half and getting into positions to make it a close game. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, they couldn't make the big plays and they weren't able to get back in the game.
Oregon dominated the first half on Saturday as they didn't need to punt at all, and they were able to find the end zone four times. The Ducks scored on their opening drive to go up 7-0, but the Michigan football team forced a turnover shortly after and they were able to tie the game off of that.
The Ducks then scored on their next two drives to go up 21-7, and the Wolverines put together a nice drive after that, but they had to settle for a field goal. Oregon then went down and scored before half to make it 28-10 at the break.
Michigan had a big hole to dig out of in the second half, and they really did do a good job hanging around, but they just couldn't make that big play that really got them back in it.
The Wolverines scored the first touchdown of the half to make it 28-17, and after an Oregon field goal, Michigan drove the ball down to the Oregon 15 and had a chance to make it a one-score game with plenty of time remaining in the fourth quarter. The pressure would've been on the Ducks, but Michigan couldn't convert. Oregon got the ball back and scored a garbage time touchdown to win the game 38-17.
At the end of the day, Oregon is the #1 team in the country for a reason. They are talented all across the board and they don't make many mistakes. If the Michigan football team was going to win this game, they would've needed to play perfectly, and they didn't. Still, there were some positive takeaways from the players. From the coaches… not so much. Here are some takeaways from the game:
Michigan coaches didn't do a good job
The Michigan coaching staff owes the players an apology after what went down on Saturday. The Wolverines did a good job of executing for the most part, but the staff didn't put them in good positions.
First off, the final three plays of Michigan's final meaningful drive were very questionable. Quarterback Davis Warren was playing by far the best game of the year that we have seen from a Michigan QB, and when the Wolverines were close to making it a game, the staff took the ball out of his hands for the final three plays and went with a Semaj Morgan pass on fourth down. Doesn't make a lot of sense.
Another good example of coaching issues is that Michigan gave up a first down after getting a huge stop when it was 28-17, and the first down was because of an illegal formation on the punt. That halted momentum, and it's on coaching.
Michigan football players played a pretty good game on Saturday. The coaching staff didn't.
Davis Warren is getting better and better
If you're a Michigan fan, it was good to see how Davis Warren played today. He took care of the ball last week against Michigan State, and he did the same today. He threw two touchdowns and had numerous nice plays with his arm on third downs. Warren helped put Michigan into a position where they could make the game close.
If there is a little more execution and some plays went Michigan's way, they played well enough to be in a 24-24 game in the fourth quarter. The first Oregon touchdown looked like it hit the ground, and it was on a third down. That would've likely resulted in a field goal if it had been called correctly. Also, Oregon got a field goal after Michigan kept their drive together after the penalty on the punt. Michigan could've been down 24-17 late with the ball at the Oregon 15 and a chance to tie it.
Shoulda, coulda, woulda though, right? At the end of the day, Michigan didn't make those winning plays, and they didn't have a chance to win the game at the end. Still, the players are starting to execute better, but they need that from the coaches too.
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