[ad_1]
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh watches the first half against Indiana on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.(Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press)
At one point, you just wanted it to be over. This will happen when a game lasts nearly 4 hours and players start falling with injuries and everyone in the stadium thinks next Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
This is where Michigan Soccerend of the regular season But where the rest of the season starts for your Wolverines.
Win there and head to Indianapolis for the Big Ten title.
Win there? And that's likely for the playoffs of college football.
Everything is there now. Do not worry about Michigan State, Penn State, Rutgers or Indiana. Thanks to the Hoosiers for a nice little test Saturday – U-M won, 31-20 – and goodbye.
So say hello to Buckeyes. Because it's time for the Wolverines to beat them.
The game – THE GAME! – might not have the same national enthusiasm because of the uneven playing of Buckeye and his strangely zoned coach – hello, Urban Meyer? – but it's still Michigan-Ohio State, with everything at stake, especially for the Wolverines.
It's here. It's time.
Problems in the red zone persist
Despite the improvement of the U-M attack, the unit is struggling to complete orders. The Wolverines scored six field goals against Indiana.
Let me repeat that: six, against a mediocre defense. But U-M also fought Rutgers in the red zone.
It does not mean anything. Wolverines have tight ends with good hands, height and athletic abilities. They have speed on the edge in their receivers. They have an offensive line that gets a boost. They have Patterson, whose mobility should be an asset close to the end zone and who can extend the games with his vision. They also had Karan Higdon, finalist of the Maxwell Half Award.
Harbaugh tried to use them all. He mixed his pass sequence and mingled with several types of pieces. It is possible that you call the room because it did not work, but the execution of the room is also essential.
For U-M to get where it wants to be, inefficiency in the red zone has to change. The Wolverines will not make as many trips there as the competition gets tougher.
Clean up the mistakes. Now.
U-M gave three easy points to finish the first half. Against Indiana, it does not matter. But against Ohio State or Alabama?
It will be.
At this point of the season, mismanagement of the clock is inexcusable.
With 93 seconds to go in the half, the Wolverines got the ball on two 39-yard lines. Patterson hit Chris Evans for 4 yards on the first try. The next game, Patterson hit Zach Gentry for 42 yards to allow Indiana to score.
At this point, U-M had a waiting period. There was about a minute on the clock.
Evans ran for 5 yards on the first try. The clock kept spinning. On the second run, he ran three more meters.
After 24 seconds, Harbaugh finally called a break. He ordered a run to Ben Mason. The back-end grabbed the first goal, scoring the top goal on the 3-yard line.
The clock stopped long enough to allow the referees to place the ball on the line of scrimmage. U-M s eager to install. Instead of hitting the ball to stop the clock and give U-M a chance to call a passing game or attempt a center placement, Patterson broke the ball, hoping to surprise the Hoosiers.
It did not work. Patterson completed a back pass for tight halfback Sean McKeon, who was fired on the 2-yard line. The time has elapsed before U-M can execute another room.
At a minimum, U-M should have scored three points. Whether it is a lack of communication between Patterson and Harbaugh or a poorly designed sequence, teams whose dream is in the championship can not give points in the red zone because of a missed clock.
Source link
