Things have gotten ugly in Ann Arbor.
In a 26-10 home loss to Utah that featured a weather delay that last nearly two and a half hours, Michigan’s offense, which was supposed to be an improved unit under new coordinator Doug Nussmeier, turned the ball over four times and did not reach the red zone a single time.
The Wolverines simply could not throw the ball with any consistency or success. Devin Gardner completed 14-of-27 passes for just 148 yards and two interceptions. Gardner, who was benched early in the fourth quarter for Shane Morris, looked lost at times and was the furthest thing from the senior leader he has been hyped up to be.
Though he was facing a two-score deficit, Morris was worse. The sophomore completed only four of his 13 attempts for 42 yards. He threw an interception of his own and coughed up a fumble on the Wolverines’ final drive to seal the loss.
The Wolverines had won 18 straight non-conference games at home, and despite the offense’s struggles, the defense did all it could to try to extend that streak – for the first half at least.
After Utah quarterback Travis Wilson left the game following a scary fall on a dive, Michigan defensive lineman Willie Henry intercepted Utes backup Kendal Thompson on an attempted short pass. Henry tipped the ball to himself and brought it to the house for a 7-yard touchdown to tie the score at 10-10 with 5:01 left in the first half. Thompson brushed off the mistake and led the Utes on a methodical 16-play, 54-yard drive that resulted in an Andy Phillips 38-yard field goal to give Utah a 13-10 halftime lead.
Wilson, who threw for 172 yards and a score, returned for the Utes in the second half and quickly engineered a 67-yard touchdown pass that took just five plays and 1:27. As the Michigan offense continued to sputter, the Utes chipped away and added on to their lead with two long Phillips field goals to go up 26-10.
The lead was just too much for the lifeless Wolverines to overcome. Boos were heard from the Michigan fans, and once the severe weather hit, what was once a crowd of 103,890 fans turned into an eerily empty Big House.
Waiting for game to resume at Michigan Stadium And here we go http://ift.tt/1rchzLU
— angelique (@chengelis) September 21, 2014 The Brady Hoke hot seat talk has been stewing all season, and a loss like this will only intensify things. To make matters worse, Hoke was seen arguing with defensive coordinator Greg Mattison on the sideline.
That’s not a good look as the 2-2 Wolverines enter their Big Ten slate against Minnesota next Saturday.
Conversely, Utah improved to 3-0 while looking like a surprise team that can upset some teams in the Pac-12 this season. Coming into the game, the Utes were putting up 57.5 points per game and the team’s front seven put up an impressive performance for four quarters against Michigan. After his career was in jeopardy this offseason, Wilson looks healthy and isn’t turning the ball over like he has in years past.
The Utes will likely improve to 4-0 when they host Washington State next Saturday. After that, the Utes will face five ranked conference opponents in the next six weeks.
For more Michigan news, visit TheWolverine.com.
For more Utah news, visit Utezone.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Michigan offense fails to reach red zone in lifeless 26-10 home loss to Utah
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