Utah vs. Michigan: Game Grades, Analysis for the Wolverines

With 7:51 to play in the fourth quarter on Saturday, the game between Michigan and Utah was suspended due to lightning/inclement weather.

Utah outlasted Michigan, taking the game 26-10. But it may as well have been 55-10. The Wolverines didn't put up much of a fight at all. 

Here are the grades, which are determined by various factors, including, but not limited to, stats, opportunity, opinion and perception. 

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	D	D-
Pass Defense	C	C-
Run Offense	D	D-
Run Defense	A-	A-
Coaching	Mattison gets a B. Hoke and Nussmeier get a D.	D- for Hoke and Nussmeier; C for Mattison.
Special Teams	C	C (why not?)

Pass Offense

Devin Gardner threw two interceptions. He completed 14 of 26 passes, which didn't include anything impressive, and he ended up stepping aside for Shane Morris, who also threw an interception. 

Michigan's pass offense failed Saturday. There's nothing else to say, really. But it did put up stats, such as 148 yards from Gardner, so giving it an "F" wouldn't be quite right. 

How's a D-minus? 

Pass Defense

If not for Jourdan Lewis' tackle, Bubba Poole's 67-yard reception would have been about a 90-yard touchdown. Lewis actually played some of the better football of his young career. The sophomore corner was one of the very few bright spots on the day for Michigan. And, really, they can't be called "bright." 

How's this? He was one of few who didn't fall flat. But the pass defense still gets a C-minus. Dres Anderson made the secondary look invisible with his 28-yard touchdown reception from Travis Wilson during the third quarter. 

That score was the proverbial nail in the coffin. 

Run Offense

Same story, different day: Derrick Green and De'Veon Smith aren't getting the job done. And when they do, it's too late and not enough. 

Including 29 yards from Gardner, Michigan rushed for 119 yards. Green had 59, while Smith had five. Justice Hayes had three carries for 19 yards. 

We'll go with a D-plus. 

Run Defense

Notre Dame couldn't do it. Miami (Ohio) couldn't do it. Appalachian State, while it doesn't really count, couldn't do it either.

No one's running the ball on Greg Mattison's defense. The Utes had roughly 70 yards on the ground prior to the delay. 

However, that doesn't matter when your team takes a beating. Mattison's run D gets an A-minus for total. That's it. Eighty-ish yards are 80-ish yards. But it's really difficult to see anything positive when the offense can't do a thing to score a few. 

Coaching 

This one is easy. D. 

Game plans? How about showing up for a change? After that, Brady Hoke and Doug Nussmeier can talk about improving and devising game plans. Mattison's defense held Utah to less than half of its average, so he'll get a C. 

Hoke and Nussmeier get matching grades of D-minus. They're not on the same page. Michigan is four games into the season and looks worse now than it did in Week 1, when it actually had promise. 

Special Teams

Matt Wile made his kick.

But the other guy made kicks: Andy Phillips beat Michigan 12-10. But let's get back to the Wolverines special teams, which were OK. Will Hagerup had a nice punt that pinned the Utes at their 3-yard line. That was the highlight. 

Dennis Norfleet had 22 kick-return yards and three from punt returns. 

Michigan gave up a punt-return touchdown, which dents the grade. 

Special teams gets a C. 

Follow Bleacher Report's Michigan Wolverines football writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81