Lackluster is a word. It is absolutely not for lack of trying or effort.
No one likes lists. List:
1. Lackluster offense.
2. Shea Patterson is a fairly average D1 senior quarterback. Nate Stanley too.
3. Khaleke Hudson is a Michigan Man, as is Kwitty Paye, Josh Uche, Adain Hutchinson, Carlo Kemp, Brad Hawkins, Josh Mettelus, Jordan Glasgow, and others on defense.
4. Bend but don't break, but third down conversions are potential game-losers.
5. Michigan scored at the 8 minute mark of the first quarter for the last time.
6. It was an even game and Michigan was lucky, particularly the fumble recoveries.
7. An offense more creative or adaptive than Iowa's probably would have scored more points.
It was a good, close Big Ten game. OT and DB holding, but clean and hard.
The game said a lot about leadership and doing things the right way.
I actually saw Kirk Ferentz smile.
Maybe it is a little bit of the transfer thing, although it is hard to believe the team and especially the coaches did not embrace him. One of the first things Shea Patterson did after arriving at Michigan was to sign a professional baseball contract. Everyone could see Hugh Freeze at Ole Miss is a charlatan, yet he enrolled there with choices everywhere. There are rumors about a golfing Summer.
Unlike Mike Leach at Washington State ("fat, dumb, happy"), Jim Harbaugh supports players and tries to encourage them, especially in public. Sometimes it sounds phony, but he tries.
There was some talk somewhere that Patterson has been tight, nervous, and giving a wrong vibe. He seems to sit alone on the bench. He does not seem to cheer on teammates. It appears as though he is not a great leader and motivator in the "new" offense. He comes off as someone who, at a still young age, is in it more for himself than some great quarterbacks.
That is something I like about Dylan McCaffrey. He is all in and when in the game he brings positive energy.
I'm not advocating a quarterback controversy. Dylan will get his chance. Magnus once made the point that his style of play could lead to another injury, though.
It was a great game that was exciting down to the last play. That is when Nate Stanley stood strong, avoided the poke at the ball by putting it in his left hand and completing a pass before Glasgow could arrive to help Hudson with the sack. The runner almost made a first down. Dax Hill fought off a block to make the 4th down trip-up.
Earlier, D. Hill tipped a ball into an interception. Before that, Mettelus and Ambry Thomas combined on a hard-fought interception. They were in perfect position, but it was still a fight for the ball.
There was a Devin Gil sighting!
What I learn after watching the games again over the weekend is that only the best players play. The reason Paye, Hutchinson, Hudson, Glasgow, and others never come out is they are good and they never give up. They are experienced--Hutchinson just a sophomore--and relentless. They play through tweeks and minor injuries. They do not get tired. Look at how they tackle! They'll grab anything, and help each other.
Daxton Hill is a(nother) playmaker.
Why did Ben Mason play along the D-line? They needed him. Same with Zach Charbonnet and his 33 carries against Army. And, of course, that is why Carlo Kemp plays nose tackle almost all the time.
Sometimes it almost seems like, what do the coaches do? The answer is they select the best players.
Jordan Glasgow has achieved a ton. The career special-teamer beat out all those LB recruits and almost never comes off the field.
Why isn't Michigan better, i.e., why where they destroyed by Wisconsin? It is not because the same, best players were not playing.
If there is a legitimate reason for criticism and complaining that may be it. For Michigan it is not about national championships against Alabama and Clemson. In college football it is more about rivalries and Big Ten championships than anything else. It would be great to play another game in Indianapolis and this season, to have another shot at Wisconsin.
I would just like to see them achieve enough for people to stop saying Michigan football are underachievers. Also, I don't want to see the team humiliated against Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame, and other Big Ten teams.
It is a really helpful realization. Play to the level of your opponent, do the best you can, and hopefully win. That is what happened against Iowa and it was a great game. If that happens for the rest of the season I will be happy.
That is the reason for potential criticism.
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