On Saturday, Michigan football escaped with a double-overtime victory against Army. What did we learn from the Wolverines’ win?
After defeating Army, Michigan moves to 2-0. The thinking in college football is usually that a win is a win, but on Saturday, never has a win been less satisfying. The Wolverines displayed real problems in several facets of the game, and while they come away with a win, Saturday was anything but encouraging.
3. Wolverine offense has issues
Midway through the third quarter, it felt like things were snowballing. Army was controlling the game, and the Wolverine offense was having trouble converting on third down and producing much of anything.
However, after a Lavert Hill interception, Michigan capitalized. Shea Patterson marched the offense down the field and Zach Charbonnet punched it into the end zone for a touchdown. A situation that could have put the Wolverines in a 21-7 hole, instead resulted in Michigan drawing even with the Black Knights.
That should have been the turning point in Michigan’s favor, but instead, the offense again fell dormant after that drive. If not for a few key defensive stops, the Black Knights would have regained the lead and likely won in regulation.
In the second overtime period, it was once again the defense that picked up the offense’s slack. After only coming away with three points, Don Brown’s defense forced a fumble and sealed the victory for Michigan.
The Wolverine defense is good, but it won’t be able to single-handedly win games all year. It’s imperative that this offense improves, and improves quickly.