Heart breaking Michigan losses are kind of like Easter weekend. They vary slightly in terms of the exact date, but happen at roughly the same time each year. Each season the Wolverines seem to get off to a hot start only to lose a crucial Big10 matchup down the stretch, forcing fans to watch their title hopes go up in flames.
Such was the case in the latest chapter of agony for the Wolverine faithful. Through two and a half quarters of play 6th ranked Michigan looked as though they might be knocking on the door of a top 5 ranking. They nearly had us fooled into thinking that maybe this IS their year after all. Then the wheels fell off, as they so often do during Jim Harbaugh’s tenure in Ann Arbor.
With 6:47 to go in the third quarter, the Wolverines were moving the ball at will on offense, and had just scored to go up 30-14 against Michigan St. Announcers were lauding Harbaugh’s offense, and wondering aloud whether the Wolverine’s might be CFP bound at season’s end.
Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell Spartans running back Kenneth Walker that the game was supposed to be over. Already with 2TDs on the day, Walker would score another 3TD’s in the ensuing 13 minutes 50 sec of play to put State on top 37-33 and hand their cross state rivals their first loss of the year.
On the sidelines, Harbaugh had the look of Bill Murray in Groundhog day. Only if instead of needing to relive the same mundane day over and over again, he had to go in for a vasectomy performed by a doctor with shaky hands. He’d seen this movie before and he wasn’t thrilled to be a part of it.
But before you feel pity for the former 49ers head coach, it should be noted that much of Michigan’s collapse down the stretch was due to self-inflicted wounds. Perhaps none bigger than the Wolverines insistence on getting backup QB JJ McCarthy reps in meaningful moments. While starting QB Cade McNamara won’t be getting any statues erected in his honor based on today’s performance, he was perfectly serviceable and helped to sustain Michigan drives throughout most of the game. Yet for some reason, the coaching staff kept bringing in McCarthy on a wet day when he was clearly having issues holding onto the football.
By game’s end, McCarthy was credited for 3 rushes for 7 yards, 3 fumbles, and 1 fumble lost. Michigan caught a massive break when a McCarthy fumble was accidentally kicked out of bounds by a Spartans player on a botched “scoop and score” attempt that would have been a walk-in had the defender gotten ahold of the ball.
Instead, the Paul Bunyan trophy will remain in East Lansing for another year, and Wolverine fans will have to play the “what if” game until next season kicks off. Death, taxes, and Harbaugh led teams falling short in big games. A tale as old as time.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner