ANN ARBOR, Mich. – It's been a rough week for Michigan football, as the team tries to recover from its first loss of the season.
The Wolverines committed mistake after mistake in the loss to Michigan State, and it proved too much to overcome, even in a night game at the Big House. It's the first time mistakes have cost Michigan this season, but the issues aren't new.
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Every college football team has strengths and weaknesses -- except maybe Alabama and Clemson. The problem for Jim Harbaugh is his team hasn't improved almost midway through the season.
With a tricky game at Indiana coming up this weekend, here are the problems Michigan has to fix to turn the season around.
Take care of the football
Winning the turnover battle has long been considered the most important party of any football game, but Michigan can't seem to get out of its own way.
Since Wilton Speight threw two pick-sixes against Florida, turnovers have been a problem for Michigan. In just five games, the Wolverines have turned the ball over 12 times, throwing six interceptions and losing six fumbles.
On defense, Michigan has forced seven turnovers. Only 16 teams in college football have a worse turnover margin than Michigan at negative-5.
It seems simple, but Michigan isn't executing. Harbaugh's teams have historically played winning football, but the alarming turnover rate won't even give Michigan a chance against good teams.
It's a testament to the defense that Michigan only lost by four points after turning the ball over five times against the Spartans.
Wide receiver production
It's hard to narrow down the problems with Michigan's wide receivers, because they've struggled in multiple areas.
In the loss to Michigan State, the receivers had two enormous drops, one by Grant Perry that killed a second-half drive and one by Eddie McDoom that could have given Michigan a miraculous win.
Perry's drop was particularly deadly, as he would have had a first down into Michigan State territory, but instead, the Wolverines punted away good field position.
The drops are the most glaring issue, but the wide receivers are also having a hard time getting open downfield. Whenever Speight or John O'Korn throw a deep pass, there's very little separation between the receiver and the defensive back.
That not only contributes to the turnover problem, but has also made Michigan even more prone to sacks. O'Korn was fleeing pressure all night against Michigan State, and part of that problem was the inability of his targets to get open.
Pass protection
For the better part of a decade, Michigan has struggled to put together a strong offensive line that can protect the quarterback. So far this season, that hasn't changed.
The right side of the line was expected to improve because of Harbaugh's recruiting classes, but Michael Onwenu and Nolan Ulizio have had growing pains in their first season as starters.
Michigan's most damning performance on the offensive line came against Purdue, a team that recorded just one sack in its first three games before hosting the Wolverines. It felt as if Speight would finally have enough time to step into his throws and build some confidence heading into the Big Ten season.
Instead, Michigan gave up four sacks, including one that knocked Speight out of the game. Purdue recorded eight tackles for loss in the game, which more than doubled its season total.
The offensive line is at the heart of the offense, and it's at least partially responsible for Michigan's extreme offensive struggles.
Rushing attack
It might seem as if Michigan has an improved rushing attack because it's such an emphasis in Harbaugh's offense, but that's not the case.
Michigan is actually rushing for its fewest yards per carry since 2013. In fact, going all the way back to 2009, the Wolverines are having their second-worst rushing season in terms of yards per carry.
Ty Isaac has been the only reliable running back, averaging 6 yards per rush, but his fumble against Michigan State changed the whole game, and perhaps the entire season.
Chris Evans was expected to be the most explosive player in Michigan's backfield, but he's gotten off to a slow start. He's averaging 4.2 yards per carry, and outside a breakout performance against Purdue, Evans has 3.3 yards per carry and no touchdowns.
Harbaugh's offense is built around establishing the ground game, so Michigan's struggles in that area are crippling the ability to put together, and finish, drives.
Red zone scoring
Touchdowns have been difficult to come by for the Michigan offense, which ranked last in the Big Ten in red zone touchdown percentage before the game at Purdue.
Michigan scored touchdowns in all three red zone trips in West Lafayette, but the rest of the season has been a nightmare in that regard. The Wolverines got into the end zone once in 10 red zone chances to start the year, and it reared its ugly head again last weekend.
On the opening drive of the game, Michigan marched right down the field to the Michigan State 11-yard line. The offense had a chance to make a statement after running the ball effectively, completing short passes and even converting a fourth down. Instead, the drive stalled and Michigan settled for a field goal.
In the end, Michigan lost the game by four points.
Play calling has been a major issue in the red zone, as Michigan's skill players struggle to get open with a short field. The Wolverines can't run the ball when the defenders have less space to cover, and the quarterbacks don't have pinpoint accuracy when there is an open window.
That doesn't leave many options for play callers, but they can do better than back-to-back fade passes, one of which was thrown out of bounds.
Two of Michigan's biggest remaining games will come on the road, and field goals don't win games on the road. Michigan found a way to score four touchdowns at Purdue, and that was the difference in the game. If the red zone struggles continue going forward, Michigan will lose at least two more games.