I think if someone reads these missives every week, they might get the impression that I just rag on the Wolverines because this is an Ohio State website and I have a contractual obligation to be a jerk to appease Buckeye fans frothing at the mouth for douchey Michigan takes. Nothing could be further from the truth. I don't have a contract.
And as far as the jerk thing goes, it's really rooted in frustration more than blind hate. Saturday was a perfect example of what I mean; the Ohio State/TCU game was one of the most entertaining football games I've seen in a long time, with trick plays, comebacks, some localized excellence, and a ridiculously epic third quarter.
Meanwhile, Michigan picking apart the SMU Mustangs 45-20 in the Big House had (with the exception of a few plays) all the excitement of watching an adult beating the snot out of a 2nd grader in checkers. You know the result before it even starts, and the nature of the players means it's going to be a really, really, reeeeaaally tedious way to spend your Saturday afternoon.
It doesn't have to be this way. Michigan has some fun, exciting players that could make this exercise a lot less dull. But their coach has to want that.
THREAT LEVEL
Shea Patterson being the most important Michigan player in 2018 isn't a shock. Despite having less than 20 passing attempts in each of the last two games, he's having a very good season so far, with six passing touchdowns (against two interceptions) and a completion percentage north of 70%. Donovan Peoples-Jones has become his favorite target, as DPJ now has twice as many receptions as anyone else on the team, and finished the SMU game with 90 yards and three touchdowns.
The running game isn't having as much luck. Karan Higdon didn't play this weekend, and Chris Evans was having an okay game before limping off the the sidelines and not returning after a 35 yard run in the fourth. Third stringer Tru Wilson, whose name sounds like a character in a CW show, had an acceptable 53 yards on 11 carries, but it should be emphasized that this all came against a team that's been blown out by every team they've played.
Michigan plays Nebraska next week, and I'm actually kind of curious about how it goes? Somehow? The Huskers are desperate for a win, and Michigan doesn't seem particularly desperate to do much of anything in general, so it could be a much more dicey game than it seems on paper.
Ideally, they'll use their Big Ten opener as a springboard to find an offensive identity centered around letting Shea do his thing more than a handful of times a game, and get creative with giving Peoples-Jones chances to score some points.
Knowing Harbaugh, though... they won't. The Threat Level remains at GUARDED.
