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Michigan football grades vs. Illinois: Simply unacceptable

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Michigan football grades vs. Illinois: Simply unacceptable

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Free Press sportswriter Tony Garcia assesses No. 22 Michigan football's performance Saturday in its 21-7 loss to No. 21 Illinois at Memorial Stadium:

Offense: F

Michigan looked no better with its third quarterback of the season than with its first two – his seven points scored were UM's fewest since a shutout loss to Notre Dame in 2014 – and head coach Sherrone Moore admitted that the QB spot is open reaches forward.

Jack Tuttle was 20 of 32 for 208 yards and one interception and one fumble in his first start. That's better than Davis Warren and Alex Orji, but more than half of his yards (129) came in the fourth quarter when the game was out of control.

GROUNDED: Michigan's football offense appears to have been completely broken by Illinois' 21-7 thrashing

The seventh-year quarterback was never going to be in a situation in Ann Arbor where he had to step in and save the day, and it was obvious why. He missed tight end Colston Loveland early on a corner route he described as “the one that haunts you in your sleep” and threw wide behind another intended receiver to force a three-and-out on the first series. Constantly under duress, Tuttle tried to navigate the pocket and run when he could, but Illinois simply didn't have to honor the pass. UM only managed one pass of more than 20 yards, a 29-yard pass to Loveland on fourth-and-18 in the final quarter.

Running back Kalel Mullings was impressive again, but Donovan Edwards, Semaj Morgan and Ben Hall combined for nine runs for 37 yards and a fumble.

Defense: B-plus

SHAWN WINDSOR: Michigan football may not win another game this season

The only touchdown Illinois scored in the second half – a 1-yard sneak by Luke Altmyer – was set up by a fake punt run that gave special teams 37 yards. Aside from that and a 51-yard first-half touchdown drive set up by an Edwards fumble, Michigan didn't let an Illinois team that scored 50 points last week (in an overtime game) get into the end zone . Three times the defense had to defend after a giveaway, and only once did Illinois really make it worthwhile.

As a team, Michigan had eight tackles for a loss, five pass breakups, two quarterback hurries and a sack, and held the Illini to 267 yards of total offense and just three of 11 conversions on third down.

“The defense was great and we kept putting them in bad positions,” Tuttle said. “There was a unit out there today that showed courage the entire time. The other two have to get better. It starts with us, we can’t turn the ball over and we put them in bad situations.”

Goodbye?: Michigan football ripped apart by CBS pundits and fans after 'embarrassing' performance against Illinois

Special Teams: D

Punter Tommy Doman, an All-Big Ten honoree last season, punted three times Saturday for a 32.7-yard average. In that regard, it was the worst day of his career, as he didn't make a single punt go beyond 36 yards or keep Illinois within 20 yards. Meanwhile, Dominic Zvada, who was an automatic player this season, had a chip-shot field goal attempt blocked in the fourth quarter. And then there was the fake punt, which the Illini executed perfectly. The only reason this isn't an “F” is because Makari Paige blocked a field goal attempt as time expired in the first half.

Coach: F

It is unacceptable for Michigan to look as terrible as it did Saturday after a bye week. Not only did the offense end with as many combined turnovers, failed fourth downs and punts (7) as points, but the Wolverines were again undisciplined. UM gave away 61 yards on six penalties, five of them against the defense.

The performance was terrible overall, but it started on offense, where coordinator Kirk Campbell's plan made little sense. The Wolverines said they wanted to “take some shots” early, but that led to two terrible passes. After four drives, Kalel Mullings had just three touches of the ball – two of which resulted in first downs – and UM didn't use him until the game was down 13-0.

At that point it was too late.

Head coach Sherrone Moore said it wasn't a problem with the plan so much as an issue with execution, but as he walked into the postgame press conference with bloodshot eyes, he admitted it didn't matter what kind what the problem was, just that it needed to be repaired.

“My job right now is to figure out every single way this team can get better,” Moore said. “I have extremely high expectations for this program. Starting in seventh grade, I saw where we were and what we did, and that is not an indication of who we are and what we should be. It's my job to fix it and we will.

Make “Hail” your favorite Michigan Wolverines podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify).

Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @RealTonyGarcia.

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