The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/575020
bountiful Aunt Zelda, who amply fills her seat and spills over into half of yours. Mixed blessing, indeed. 3. Penn State's comeback hype is premature: The Nittany Lions joined the Buckeyes and Spartans as preseason picks to finish ahead of Michigan in the Big Ten East Division. Many pointed to it as the harsh real- ity of where others have risen and the Wolverines sunk in recent years. There's no denying the programs of unctuous Urban Meyer and Dr. Jolly Mark Dantonio have earned their respect, and forced the Wolverines into a put-up-or-shut-up scenario. But Penn State? That team might be the league's biggest disappointment thus far. Yes, Penn State handled Rutgers at home, which you'd expect it to do. But getting run by Temple — Temple! — isn't exactly the sort of result that screams "Program on the move!" A 27-14 fistfight with Buffalo didn't do much for Happy Valley, either. The Wolverines' penultimate game of the regular season looked daunting on paper, with Ohio State to follow the next week. While going to State College is never easy, this one won't be at night, and won't feature vintage Penn State — or even close. 4. Michigan football is on its way back: The best measuring stick for the football world getting back to normal in Ann Arbor can be directly traced to the complaint meter following lop- sided wins. The fact that said meter pegged in the red at times after a 28-7 cruise past UNLV perhaps whispered more in the big picture than the noise over particulars foretold. No doubt, Michigan's passing game has to grow more proficient. Absolutely, there's a dominant aspect to blocking up front that still hasn't been captured, a point demonstrated by the third-and-one and fourth-and- one stonewalling of junior tailback De'Veon Smith by the Rebels. Without question, the Wolverines have to improve on turnover margin, or they'll fall short of many hopes. At a minus-0.67 per game, they're tied with several other teams for 91st in the nation. Those teams include Ala- bama, a loaded crew that couldn't get away with five turnovers against Ole Miss. But again, this isn't like hanging on against Akron or having to rally against UConn. And this should be a Michigan team that's better in No- vember than September, a dynamic too often missing in recent seasons. That's an element Michigan fans still don't know about. How much, how soon, in Harbaugh's first year? Nobody can predict, and there will be some wild bounces and close calls either way while it all plays out. That old, familiar rumble arose again, though, following the second- half snoozer over the Rebels. How dare Michigan win by only three touchdowns, against the likes of them? Feels like old times … ❏ Editor John Borton has been with The Wolverine since 1991. Contact him at jborton@thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter @JB _ Wolverine.