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    • Michigan football gets a sobering wake-up call from No. 3 Texas
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    Michigan football gets a sobering wake-up call from No. 3 Texas

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    So they were outnumbered, outgunned, outclassed. If that was all that happened today in Michigan Stadium, the Michigan football team would tip its hat to the national title contender who just swung its ass and move on.

    It happens. Not often, of course, and almost never in September, but still, the Wolverines have lost 17 starters, most of them to the NFL, and Texas is, well, still loaded.

    But the tackling? The angles taken as try to tackle? The decision to use QB Alex Orji on third-and-5 when everyone in the stadium knew he would run? Including Texas?

    And Than walk?

    This is worrying and suggests that UM is heading for a season that we have not experienced since the corona pandemic.

    JEFF SEIDEL: Texas Reveals Many, Many Problems for Wolverines

    Remember that season? The 2-4 rut that led to a pay cut for Jim Harbaugh and put him on the proverbial hot seat?

    It’s easy to forget now. Three straight Big Ten titles, plus a recent national championship, will do that. But the confetti euphoria only lasts so long, or until a title-worthy opponent comes along and humiliates you.

    Suddenly, memories fade, impatience begins to creep in, and the entire run of glory begins to feel like it was a long time ago. And as for the poor tackling? A lack of talent makes defenders look like poor tacklers, and that’s as sobering as anything that happened today when Texas beat UM 31-12.

    Look, few expected the No. 9 Wolverines to beat the No. 3 Longhorns, and everyone understood how much U-M lost to the pros and to graduation. Still, the drop was notable — even surprising — in part because of where this program was in January.

    Well, the speculation can stop now. UM should still get a bowl game and be competitive for the majority of their schedule, especially since Texas is arguably the best team they play until Ohio State.

    But then again, No. 14 USC is here in a couple of weeks. And No. 6 Oregon. And, well, you get the idea.

    If the Wolverines do what they did today, they’ll challenge almost anyone. See: last week against Fresno State.

    Yes, yes, the Bulldogs won nine games last year to crack the top 25 and are often a more than respectable program. It’s also possible that the Mountain West team told us all we needed to know about UM last Saturday.

    And that is:

    THE GAME: Michigan Football Humiliated by Texas in 31-12 Crushing Defeat

    Head coach Sherrone Moore has a long way to go and a lot to do to get there. He must have known that. After all, he was here for the glory and he saw firsthand who came into Schembechler Hall and who left.

    Harbaugh, his predecessor, did him no favors by not recruiting at the level that national champions usually do. And if there was ever a question this offseason whether the Wolverines rebuild or reloadthe Longhorns answered firmly.

    That’s clearly not Moore’s fault, and he should be given time to figure out what kind of program he’s going to run. He’ll need it, because the team’s four best players — tight end Colston Loveland, cornerback Will Johnson, and defensive ends Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant — will almost certainly be playing in the NFL next season.

    And where does Moore go then?

    For starters, he’ll have to develop a quarterback. Maybe true freshman Jadyn Davis gets a chance later this season if things fall apart. And if not, maybe he’s the future.

    Whatever happens, the quarterback play has to improve — everything. Davis Warren has a great background and he made some nice throws against Texas — if Loveland hadn’t fumbled late in the second quarter on his way to a first down, who knows?

    Ah, who are we kidding?

    UM didn’t win. But the score might have looked a little better, and the vibes afterwards might have felt a little better.

    But back to Warren. He struggled to get receivers going — or even hit their catch radius — and threw two interceptions, but the flailing passing game wasn’t entirely his fault.

    He was often on the run. His receivers couldn’t get consistent separation. The running game wasn’t there to set up play-action, a staple of this program in recent years.

    And the running game wasn’t there because the offensive line is new, fairly young, and couldn’t get a push against the Longhorns. Simply put, this is where the game was lost — at the line of scrimmage.

    Defensively, UM couldn’t push either. Texas ran when it wanted, threw when it wanted, and threw only once down the field. Not that it needed to. The Longhorns bullied the Wolverines.

    It’s been a while. Probably since the College Football Playoff loss to Georgia to close the 2021 season, when Harbaugh and his staff saw the difference between the Big Ten’s best and the best of everyone else.

    Well, Moore saw a similar divide today. Only his journey is even more daunting. He’s not trying to take the final step in a championship quest. He’s trying to rebuild a program that has lost as much as any recent champion.

    And he is trying to prove that he is the man who can lead the reconstruction.

    Again, he is given time, and rightly so.

    His players will also have to improve their tackling.

    Soon.

    Contact Shawn Windsor: [email protected]. Follow him @shawnwindsor.

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