By now the line of people gathered to apologize to Bryce Underwood after Michigan’s 13-6 overtime loss to Indiana Saturday has dwindled down.
And at this point, no one will spend any more time diagnosing why Michigan football continues to struggle on offense. The problem is obvious: Offensive coordinator Jason Beck.
So here is five reasons Beck, and his play calling, are killing tradition rich Michigan football.
- Someone needs to buy Beck a compass.
Beck insists on stretching the field horizontally while the stats – and the naked eye – show Michigan moves the ball on offense much more effectively running north and south.
But Beck keeps sending horizontal running plays – that are blown up behind the line of scrimmage – into the huddle.
The biggest example came from Michigan’s second possession of the game when quarterback Tommy Carr was given an option play to run wide left. He was smothered for what appeared to be a 4-yard loss, but he pitched the ball out of desperation, and it resulted in a lost fumble.
As a result, Indiana set up in a great field position at the Michigan 29 and eventually took a 3-0 lead on the turnover.
- Michigan only rushed for 57 yards
Yes, Michigan, a team that holds the winningest record in major college football history mostly because of its rich rushing attack, only picked up 57 yards on the ground.
But here is the stat that hurts more: The Wolverines rushed the ball 42 times for a 1.4-yard average.
Let that sink in.
- Michigan had the ball on the 1-yard line and didn’t score
Trailing 6-0 to open the second half, Michigan drove 74 yards down to the Indiana 1-yard line, where it had the ball on third down. Instead of simply handing the ball off to one of their very capable running backs, Beck decided to pass and Carr was sacked for a 13-yard loss.
The play forced Michigan to attempt its first field goal of the day, which was missed. Had the Wolverines simply rushed the ball twice up the middle on third and fourth downs if needed, odds are they would have scored and would have taken a 7-6 lead.
Michigan probably would have won the game with that touchdown.
- Michigan is blowing home field advantage
The Wolverines are 4-3 after seven games and six of their games have been played at home. Not counting the UTEP game, Michigan has only scored a grand total of 90 points in six games. That’s a mere 15 points per game while playing mostly on their home turf.
With an offensive roster filled with Blue Chip talaent, Beck’s offensive scheme is failing miserably — even at home.
- The rushing totals are embarrassing
Michigan has only posted one 200-yard plus rushing game this season when it picked up 211 against Penn State. The Wolverines rushed for just 57 yards against Indiana and 79 against Minnesota. Michigan didn’t even get 200 yards rushing against UTEP.
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