Take Two: Should Michigan fans be concerned?
MORE TAKE TWO: Is Notre Dame really one of the best teams in college football?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.
THE STORYLINE
This was supposed to be the year. The time when Michigan under coach Jim Harbaugh finally had everything in place to beat Ohio State and Urban Meyer.
The Buckeyes got blown out at Purdue and just didn’t look right in the last few weeks. They almost lost to Maryland. There were questions about Meyer’s future in Columbus amid health concerns and headaches.
Everything was favoring Michigan last weekend as Harbaugh looked for his first win over the Buckeyes. Instead, it was another Ohio State thumping and only questions left for the Wolverines whether they’re even close to making this a two-sided rivalry again.
Ohio State has now won seven straight and 14 of the last 15 against the Wolverines. Sixty-two points is the most scored in this rivalry since Michigan won, 86-0... in 1902. The Buckeyes posted 567 yards of offense against what was considered one of the nation’s best defenses.
It was another total domination for Ohio State in a season where everything lined up for Michigan to win the game. What happened - and should Michigan fans be concerned?
FIRST TAKE: JOHN BORTON, THEWOLVERINE.COM
“The biggest thing that happened involved a hugely talented Ohio State team waking up and playing its best game of the season - not a Purdue, Nebraska or Maryland effort. And the Buckeyes' best was way better than a Michigan effort that stumbled and snowballed into something nobody expected.
“This was supposed to be an incredibly fast Michigan defense, and it appeared that way through 10-straight wins. But when you see someone running away from Devin Bush Jr., there's some serious speed on hand.
“Michigan fans are going to give a nod to 10 wins this season ... and still be in total ‘Show Me’ mode until the Wolverines take down Ohio State. They competed the past two seasons, and this was supposed to be the breakthrough year. It turned out to be anything but. Now the challenge involves gearing to win that one game above all others, and making it happen. That starts with a defensive game plan and execution that looks way more like 2016 than 2018."
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM
“I can’t really explain it. I can’t really explain how the defense played so poorly. There were so many breakdowns. That’s not the way defensive coordiator Don Brown coaches football. Ohio State came to play and they were too fast for Michigan. Michigan’s defense looked fast all season long, but I guess it was against inferior opponents or teams that just didn’t have the team speed Ohio State has.
“When Ohio State was getting on the perimeter with their passing game and their running game, there was just nobody to make plays. That surprised me the most. If I’m a Michigan fan, I’m a little bit concerned because I look at that game and I say, how close am I really to Ohio State when it comes to talent and speed?”
