Michigan had problems early against Colorado, but finished off the Buffaloes and walked out with a 45-28.
Here are a few takeaways:
Let’s just address it
There is no sugar coating the start of this game. It was ugly on both sides of the football and Colorado punched the Wolverines in the mouth, going up 14-0 and then 21-7 to start the game.
Colorado was shredding the Michigan defense with the up-tempo spread attack that UCF had success with last week. Give the Wolverines credit for making adjustments after the first quarter, but they still need to clean up the big plays.
Wilton Speight did not have the best start to the day, but finished in decent shape did not throw an interception for the second week in a row. After the sack-fumble in the first quarter, he looked rattled and uncomfortable and it was definitely affecting his throws.
Jake Butt said after the game that the Wolverines did not have the greatest week of practice and that it carried over into the start of this game. It would be easy to pick apart the start, but they still deserve credit for the finish. The Wolverines outscored Colorado 38-7 in the final three quarters of play.
This is not an excuse, but Michigan may have needed the wake-up call and now enter Big Ten play against two physical football teams in Penn State and Wisconsin.
It was not perfect, but it was a win. Sometimes that is all that matters. Michigan is not without flaws, but very few teams are. It is how your flaws match up with someone else’s and what you are able to exploit. The Wolverines have the coaching staff in place to get results and adjust, which they did on Saturday afternoon.
Secondary concerns
Michigan was gashed in the passing game on Saturday in the early going and much of it was due to poor safety play. Dymonte Thomas and Delano Hill were picked apart back there and their miscues led to a few big plays from the Buffaloes.
Michigan needs Jourdan Lewis back soon. He dressed on Saturday, but did not play for the third week in a row. He is an All-American player that takes away the entire side of a field. The Wolverines could really use a boost from them on the back end of the defense.
Stars being stars
When Michigan went down 21-7, they needed a boost from their stars and senior leaders and absolutely got them, led by the efforts of Jabrill Peppers.
Peppers was everywhere today with nine total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, a quarterback hit, two rushes for 24 yards, four punt returns for 99 yards and a touchdown and two kick returns for 81 yards.
That is quite a bit, to say the least.
Jake Butt has seven catches for 87 yards, Amara Darboh came up with a huge 45-yard touchdown right before the half and Jehu Chesson scored on an end-around.
When things are not going well, you need your stars to rise to the occasion. It was not the best game, but the comeback was steered by the most important players on the roster.
What were your takeaways from today’s game? Sound off in the comments below!