The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/213966
the single greatest obstacle to the team's success. Devin Gardner's mental and physical demise: It is incredible that Gardner has not missed a significant chunk of time considering the frequency and violent nature of the hits he has taken this season. Michigan State made contact with Gardner 27 times, with seven resulting in sacks. Even though he has not had to sit out, Gardner has been affected, showing less burst and speed when he scrambles, less desire to run, less zip on his throws and less poise in the pocket when he begins to feel the pass rush. Mentally, Gardner's early hiccups — he had eight interceptions the first four games and was criticized for poor decision-making — have created a more risk-averse quarterback that is hesitant in the pocket and unwilling to go down field with the ball consistently, stifling an offense that has had to rely on the big play to move the football. Defensive letdowns: Michigan didn't lose back-to-back games to Michigan State and Nebraska because of its defense, and even at Penn State, had the offense or special teams done its job in overtime, the Maize and Blue would have prevailed. However, in each loss, the defense surrendered a critical touchdown that cost U-M dearly. With the Wolverines leading Penn State by seven and only 50 seconds left in the game, Michigan yielded a five-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that saw the Nittany Lions connect on deep balls of 29 and 36 yards to set up the game-tying QB sneak TD. At Michigan State, with the score knotted at 6-6, and the Spartans backed up to their own 25-yard line, the Michigan defense allowed MSU to go 75 yards on 10 plays, converting two third downs, to take a soulcrushing 13-6 lead into the half. Finally, after U-M took a 13-10 lead on Nebraska in the fourth quarter, the Cornhuskers went 75 yards on 14 plays, converting a pair of third downs, and a fourth down en route to the end zone. In each spot, the defense needed to make a stand, but rolled over instead. Emotional collapse after the Michigan State game: Coaches and players always say you cannot let one opponent beat you twice, but the Maize and Blue lost to Nebraska largely because the beat-down they suffered against MSU robbed them of offensive confidence. After finishing with negative-48 yards rushing against State, the line — plus Gardner and U-M's ball carriers — played intimidated against the Cornhuskers, turning an average defense into an all-pro defense. Michigan limped through the Nebraska game emotionally and is now feeling the effects of both defeats. The Wolverines may not recover in time to avoid a lopsided loss to rival Ohio State. ❑ Associate Editor Michael Spath has been with The Wolverine since 2002. Contact him at mspath@thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter @Spath_Wolverine.