Breaking Down Michigan's Road Game Woes and How Brady Hoke Can Fix the Problem

After Michigan’s brutal loss to Notre Dame, players and coaches all delivered the same message—some variation of “…it’s just one game.”

But Michigan has been underperforming away from its home stadium for the past two seasons, and the losses have taken a toll on Hoke’s support in Ann Arbor. A change under center and changes to the way the team practices are necessary to prevent another lost season. 

The difference between Michigan at home and on the road is jarring. The Wolverines have only lost twice at home under Hoke, with both losses coming at the tail end of last season. All of Hoke’s four wins versus Michigan’s traditional rivals (Notre Dame, Michigan State, Ohio State) also came at home. But it’s one thing to lose on the road versus Michigan State and Ohio State—to struggle versus UConn and Northwestern is another matter.

Year	Opponent	Result	Score
2014	Notre Dame	31-0	Loss
2013	Kansas State (Bowl)	31-14	Loss
2013	Iowa	24-21	Loss
2013	Northwestern	27-19 (3OT)	Win
2013	Michigan State	29-6	Loss
2013	Penn State	43-40 (4OT)	Loss
2013	UConn	24-21	Win
2013	South Carolina (Bowl)	33-28	Loss
2012	Ohio State	26-21	Loss
2012	Minnesota	35-13	Win
2012	Nebraska	23-9	Loss
2012	Purdue	44-13	Win
2012	Notre Dame	13-6	Loss
2012	Alabama	41-14	Loss

Hoke faces an enormous task—he needs to bottle the confidence and swagger that oozes from his team at home and take it on the road when it faces rivals Michigan State and Ohio State later this season.

A win against either will cool the flames of discontent among the Wolverine faithful. A loss to both and Hoke will return to Ann Arbor to find near-universal calls for his job.

Hoke has mentioned his sophomore class has “an edge” that is different from his previous teams. Nowhere does Michigan need an edge to jump start its season more than at quarterback. It’s time for Hoke get sophomore Shane Morris some meaningful game reps. Morris has pressed Devin Gardner; now it’s time for him show what he can do on the field.

The mantra of fall camp has been, “If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.” After nearly two full seasons of Gardner struggling on the road, it's time for a change.

Hoke has already taken some important steps to combat his team’s inconsistency on the road. In the aftermath of last season's collapse, he hired a new offensive coordinator and shuffled his defensive staff. The results so far have been mixed, but the change on the offensive side of ball should eventually help the team compete with tougher opponents.

The next step for Hoke will test his ability to motivate his players.

He made the initial changes in the offseason to combat a culture of entitlement among upperclassmen that damaged his team last season. Gone was the senior team-building exercise with the U.S. Navy SEALS and other senior perks, including the naming of preseason captains.

He then worked to simulate the distractions of playing on road by blaring loud music during practices.

Now Hoke needs to take the next steps to simulate road conditions by shaking his team up even further.

They need to leave the team’s indoor practice facility and play in the elements. Last season the team faced driving rain (Northwestern and MSU) and bitter cold (Iowa) during its November slide. They need to spend less time in their palatial locker room and more time getting ready in the cramped visitors locker room at Michigan Stadium. Anything that simulates road conditions needs to be considered.

Hoke has successfully taught his team how to win at home; now, to preserve his job, he needs to teach them how to win on the road.

After the loss to Notre Dame, it’s clear he has some work left to do.

All season statistics from MGoBlue.com, official University of Michigan athletic department website.

Phil Callihan is a featured writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations obtained firsthand

Follow @PSCallihan