MICHIGAN FAILED: Ducks Devour Wolverines

I gave Appalachian State far too much credit. The Michigan Wolverines really are awful.

For the second week in a row, Michigan had no idea how to stop a team that lined up with four receivers and stretched the field vertically. The Wolverine pass rush was non existent and the Wolverine secondary was painfully slow.

But everybody knew the Wolverines defense would suffer against the Ducks. That’s why the offense’s performance against Oregon was such a dismal sight to behold. An offense with Chad Henne, Mike Hart, and Mario Manningam shouldn’t ever be held to seven points at home against one of the Pac 10’s worst defensive teams. Worst of all, was the lack of heart shown by everyone on the Wolverines, save their appropriately named running back. In a game they needed to win to make the world forget about the Appalachian State disaster, they showed no fight whatsoever.

They moved the ball pretty well early until Chad Henne made an awful decision to throw into coverage resulting in an interception. After Oregon took the lead, Travis Minor fumbled the ball back to Oregon. With the defense desperately needing a stop, there were the Wolverines bamboozled by a statue-of-liberty play, then falling over themselves on a faked statue-of-liberty play.

As for the Ducks, with Dennis Dixon making plays instead of mistakes, they can outscore any team in the Pac 10. Their secondary is one of the best in the west, and their front seven held very tough against a strong Michigan running game. Clearly the game was a showcase of two teams moving in opposite direction.

—E. Blasco