Michigan 10 - Northwestern 9: Where Offense Went To Die

I was trying to come up with a way to start this.  Some way to encapsulate how I feel.  I couldn't really come up with something better than that chart above (courtesy of ESPN).  That's the game.  Michigan's complete and utter lack of ability to do something—anything—at any point to take hold of the game.  If it weren't for Michigan's defense and its steady effort even when pressed up against a wall, Michigan might have lost this game in the fashion it probably deserved to.  But, Northwestern might be the only team more hapless than Michigan.  In the end, that was the difference.

Both teams committed three turnovers and both teams moved backward regularly.  Northwestern completed just half of its 20 third down attempts. Michigan was an incredible 1 of 12.

Michigan's defense was the only positive.  Jake Ryan, Frank Clark, and Jourdan Lewis all turned in impressive games, with Clark's edge play on the 2-pt conversion attempt to end the game being one of a handful of highlight reel plays in the backfield that he pulled off.

I'd say that this game has caused me to lose confidence in the coaching staff, but we reached that point weeks ago. This was just more proof that even after a win there is always plenty to worry about.