This defense is absolutely elite and will keep us in most games. It may even steal a game for us. They won't cure all of our offensive woes, but they can certainly keep us competitive in spite of them.
While I generally buy into the old adage that you are who you are, sometimes that isn't always true. PSU lost to us 49-10 and then needed OT to escape Minnesota at home last year before finding their stride. Their offense didn't really take off until the end of October. I know that they have a QB and running back that we don't, but the point is that teams can improve. The other example of this is how many fans wrote off the basketball team last year. It's a 12 game season for a reason.
Every team has an absolute clunker of a game at least once a year where nothing goes right. Saturday was a horrible time for us to have ours, but it really felt like it was. We gifted that game to MSU. 5 turnovers? Awful untimely penalties? A torrential rain storm? It was just not our night.
Unlike some past Michigan teams, this one doesn't feel broken beyond repair, just young and inexperienced and not quite ready to rise to the moment. That might not happen this year, but we've also seen times where sometimes it just clicks. We're 4-1 and for the most part control our own destiny (barring MSU shocking the world and finishing 6-1).
For the record, I'm not being naive to the challenges this team faces. We very well may not be able to fix the OL issues and will struggle the rest of the season. I'm just saying that this season isn't over yet and there are still opportunities out there.
