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Note: This is a column of Aaron McMann, of MLive.
Michigan fans have been pointing a finger in the past 36 hours.
Some want to blame Jim Harbaugh and his conservative game calling for Michigan's 62-39 loss to Ohio State. Others accuse Harbaugh and the coaching staff of their lack of preparation.
Really, the blame belongs squarely to this defense. It is unclear whether this will be the responsibility of Defense Coordinator Don Brown, and if it is impossible to adapt on the fly this time or if the players execute the game plan correctly.
But here's the reality: Michigan's No. 1 Defense was defeated by No. 2 Ohio State's offensive. And not only did the Buckeyes win, but they did so convincingly. They left no doubt as to which unit was superior, which unit was inferior, and left much doubt as to whether the Wolverines' highly acclaimed defense was as good as the one indicated.
Because these numbers – 62 points, 567 offense yards, six touchdowns – mean the opposite. Michigan saw its average yardage allowed per game (235) on average per season broken by quarterback Dwyane Haskins of OSU, who launched his own season.
In a game, Michigan goes from pretender to playoffs to defeat
He completed 20 of his 31 attempts for 396 yards and six – yes, count them … six touchdowns. OSU's offensive coordinator, Ryan Day, had clearly done his homework on the Michigan defense, watching him drop long passes at Notre Dame. Watch him being beaten in the middle by Northwestern Slopes. A pattern had developed: remove linebackers from the center of the field and this Michigan defense is vulnerable.
So what Day and the OSU offense did at the very beginning? Crossing road after road, crossing Michigan to stop it. They could not – at least on the first pass – and let themselves be late. When the Wolverines failed to turn their records into a landing, the Buckeyes managed – with back-to-back records of nearly 80 yards each – to advance to 21-6.
The Michigan defense was playing on skates late in the cover and lacked homework. At a late time in the second quarter, security Josh Metellus, arms raised above his head, could be seen screaming something at linebacker Devin Bush, Jr. Frustration had collapsed for the Wolverines, who were Were not synchronized and never seemed organized.
It's one thing to beat a team on the field, but when you make them beat mentally, the results are easy. And Michigan never dominated in this game – even though he would score touchdowns in the second half of the second to score between 21 and 19. What followed, however, was a seven-second match, a 74 yards in 41 seconds for the Buckeyes. The only reason they did not score a touchdown, is because the time has run out.
Jim Harbaugh is responsible for Michigan's last loss to the Ohio State
In a way, Michigan's loss to Ohio State on Saturday – its seventh consecutive victory in the rivalry and its 14th place in the last 15 games – resembled that of last year's loss to Penn. State. The Wolverines have been outclassed from both sides of the ball since the beginning, able to stabilize briefly to see things go from bad to worse in the second half.
The only difference this year was the Michigan offense. And yes, there are a lot of things to criticize there: they have not managed to convert the discs into TD, they have left points on the board, they have dropped passes in the end zone and they did not protect the quarter. But 39 points on 401 offensive yards would have been enough to win. Most evenings, against most teams, would have been enough to at least be competitive.
But not this one. Michigan came out on all fours in defense, like a dear staring at the headlights of a vanishing truck, and discovered early on that he would not have much time to stop the bleeding. A third quarter of 17 points turned out to be the difference. The Buckeyes blocked a Michigan punt and returned it for a touchdown and turned an interception of Shea Patterson into two games later.
Then, while Michigan was down but still struggling, dropping 16 points early in the fourth quarter, Haskins rolled right and returned a pass to receiver Parris Campbell. Campbell slipped to the outside, overtook a Metellus in unbroken pursuit and 78 yards for a touchdown. It was the first of three touchdown offensives from the last 15 minutes of the Ohio State, coming into play as the underdog at home, after a 52-51 overtime win in Maryland the week before.
Michigan was certainly better than Maryland. He had the talent, speed, and coaching to slow down Haskins and his company. Or so thought people. It ensued a slow and systematic dissection of Brown's system and, for the first time of the season, he had no answer.
It was a slow step, just as his players were all night. Just as the offense was to convert readers. But blaming the loss on the offense is a bad approach.
Michigan has touted its No. 1 defense all season. On Saturday, it was not even necessary to respect this level. The players just needed to show themselves, to put pressure and to keep their opponents in front of them.
Easier to say than to do, of course, and you've seen the result.
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