Here were three subtle yet substantive things that spoke volumes to me, and probably do more to describe my concerns with the program than anything else.
1) Chase Winovich responded to his publicly expressed disappointment of not being voted captain by getting what was perhaps the most damaging penalty of the game. Which is saying something, considering Michigan almost had more self-inflicted wounds than rushing yards.
2) Zach Gentry was out-fought for a ball in the end zone by a guy maybe half his size. Maybe. But he didn't use his body to his advantage. He just hand-fought him -- and lost.
3) Shea Patterson is out there literally playing his balls off. Cramping, falling, and yet keeps coming back. Yet that seemingly does nothing to rally his offensive line to raise their play, which apparently isn't possible. Like last season, when we saw our QBs get killed and no one on our OL seemed to take that personally.
We are a program of nostalgia and hype -- no substance. I think I understand now why some of you criticize the foreign trips in the offseason. While I still think that's a tremendous tool for building young men, I understand how it could be perceived as a metaphor for the program; as in hype with no results. We have lost 4 in a row. Next Saturday it will be 301 days since our last win. It's been 15 years since we've won a title. It's been almost 20 years since we finished as a top 5 team. The class of 2018 recruits have seen us lose to Purdue more often than beat Ohio State in their lifetimes.
Our head coach and highly-paid offensive staff just got schooled by a rookie DC who's almost 20 years younger than Jim. Higdon said after the game ND blitzed more than they expected, because why wouldn't you think ND watched Michigan's inability to handle blitz pickups last year and give that a go yourself, right?
This wasn't a loss--it was a revealer. Like our last loss in South Bend under Hoke. Substitute Shea battling for Devin Gardner battling, and other than the kick return what's different other than a garbage time touchdown? We also played the same game we played in every loss last year. The whole game was like the last quarter and a half of the Outback Bowl.
I don't know why you can't build an offensive line in 11 years. When we have two really good tackles, the interior sucks. Now we're building a decent interior, and the tackles are dreadful. I don't know why Penn State overcame the worst sex offender in American history faster than we overcame hiring Rich Rod. If I knew the answers to these questions, I'd be at least as smart as Jim McElwain.
But I do know this: there's no question the momentum is gone from our program or at the very least stalled. The only question is whether Harbaugh can get it back? Check that, we're not a program. We're a collection of talent and gimmicks, but with still no certifiable identity beyond Jim's persona.
And I'm tired of racking up stats against scrubs. Until we beat a ranked team on the road, we simply aren't relevant in the grand scheme of things. We're Iowa, but with a bigger stadium and a far more expensive price point.
1) Chase Winovich responded to his publicly expressed disappointment of not being voted captain by getting what was perhaps the most damaging penalty of the game. Which is saying something, considering Michigan almost had more self-inflicted wounds than rushing yards.
2) Zach Gentry was out-fought for a ball in the end zone by a guy maybe half his size. Maybe. But he didn't use his body to his advantage. He just hand-fought him -- and lost.
3) Shea Patterson is out there literally playing his balls off. Cramping, falling, and yet keeps coming back. Yet that seemingly does nothing to rally his offensive line to raise their play, which apparently isn't possible. Like last season, when we saw our QBs get killed and no one on our OL seemed to take that personally.
We are a program of nostalgia and hype -- no substance. I think I understand now why some of you criticize the foreign trips in the offseason. While I still think that's a tremendous tool for building young men, I understand how it could be perceived as a metaphor for the program; as in hype with no results. We have lost 4 in a row. Next Saturday it will be 301 days since our last win. It's been 15 years since we've won a title. It's been almost 20 years since we finished as a top 5 team. The class of 2018 recruits have seen us lose to Purdue more often than beat Ohio State in their lifetimes.
Our head coach and highly-paid offensive staff just got schooled by a rookie DC who's almost 20 years younger than Jim. Higdon said after the game ND blitzed more than they expected, because why wouldn't you think ND watched Michigan's inability to handle blitz pickups last year and give that a go yourself, right?
This wasn't a loss--it was a revealer. Like our last loss in South Bend under Hoke. Substitute Shea battling for Devin Gardner battling, and other than the kick return what's different other than a garbage time touchdown? We also played the same game we played in every loss last year. The whole game was like the last quarter and a half of the Outback Bowl.
I don't know why you can't build an offensive line in 11 years. When we have two really good tackles, the interior sucks. Now we're building a decent interior, and the tackles are dreadful. I don't know why Penn State overcame the worst sex offender in American history faster than we overcame hiring Rich Rod. If I knew the answers to these questions, I'd be at least as smart as Jim McElwain.
But I do know this: there's no question the momentum is gone from our program or at the very least stalled. The only question is whether Harbaugh can get it back? Check that, we're not a program. We're a collection of talent and gimmicks, but with still no certifiable identity beyond Jim's persona.
And I'm tired of racking up stats against scrubs. Until we beat a ranked team on the road, we simply aren't relevant in the grand scheme of things. We're Iowa, but with a bigger stadium and a far more expensive price point.
