Defending national champion Michigan falls to 4-3 with a 21-7 loss to No. 22 Illinois

No. 24 Michigan's season has become very predictable.

The reigning national champions lost to No. 22 Illinois 21-7 on Saturday to fall to 4-3. The Wolverines once again struggled to throw the football, turning the ball over three times and leaving the defense to defend several short fields.

Illinois had just 267 yards of total offense and the Illini's longest scoring drive was 55 yards. This happened in the third quarter when Luke Altmyer scored a 1-yard TD on the eighth play of the drive, giving the Illini a 14-point lead after the ensuing 2-point conversion.

Oh, this drive also included a phenomenal fake punt that caught Michigan completely off guard.

After Illinois opened the game with a field goal, the Illini scored 10 consecutive points on a 32-yard field goal after a 24-yard drive and a touchdown after a 7-play, 51-yard drive.

The field goal was set up by a fumble by QB Jack Tuttle. He made his first start of the season after replacing Alex Orji during the Wolverines' Week 6 loss at Washington. The TD came after Donovan Edwards fumbled at midfield at the end of a 19-yard run.

Michigan put together a long TD drive to cut Illinois' lead to six before halftime, but that was the best the offense looked all day. A 65-yard second-half drive resulted in a blocked field goal, and a 12-play, 69-yard drive ended with an interception midway through the fourth quarter.

You simply can't rely on the Wolverines' offense to derail a big play unless it's in the run game. TE Colston Loveland's 29-yard catch was the only UM play over 20 yards until Hogan Hansen made a 20-yard catch on the final garbage-time drive. Kalel Mullings ran 19 times for 87 yards and Tuttle was sacked five times.

Tuttle completed 20 of 32 passes for 208 yards and two turnovers. His pedestrian yardage total underscores how much trouble Michigan had throwing the football. That's the most yards the Wolverines have thrown all season, as UM QBs have only thrown for over 200 yards in a game twice all season.

Given that Tuttle is the team's third QB this season, following Orji and Davis Warren, it seems clear that there is no magic solution to the passing game. And with games remaining in November against No. 2 Oregon, No. 16 Indiana and No. 4 Ohio State, Michigan could be lucky to get eight wins this season.