Michigan Football: What Wolverines Must Fix During Bye Week

Though the Michigan football team will be doing a lot of thinking during its bye week, the Wolverines need to fix a few shortcomings, too.

Players must refocus after a crushing last-second loss to rival Michigan State. Granted, if there's any coach who can eliminate something from everyone's memory, it's Jim Harbaugh.

"To be heart broken or devastated would mean the end," Harbaugh said, per MLive's Nick Baumgardner. "That would be the ending. [We're] sad about losing the game, but we're not going to let that sadness stand in the way of us improving."

While the defense and special teams haven't been perfect—and no, that's not a shot at Blake O'Neill, because a mishandled snap probably won't happen again—Michigan's success in tight games is dependent on the offense scoring enough and sealing wins.

And it all starts with the running game, which has encountered some problems during the last few weeks. A portion of the struggles can be attributed to a rise in competition, but Maryland (for most of the game) and MSU limited the Wolverines.

The Spartans in particular gave the offensive line fits, twisting and spiking their way into the backfield and—excluding O'Neill's negative play—holding Michigan to 77 rushing yards on 32 attempts. Yes, MSU boasts one of the best opposing D-lines on the slate, along with Utah and Ohio State, but the Wolverines were thoroughly dominated.

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Perhaps what's most frustrating for Michigan, though, is it still played well enough to win because of a strong defensive day and an almost-perfect special teams performance. The Spartans needed a freak play to leave the Big House smiling instead of slumping.

However, if the Wolverines offense could've sealed the game on the ground, Michigan State never would've even had a chance. Michigan needed a single first down to put the outcome on ice.

Running when the other team knows you're running is a Harbaugh staple. Picking up first downs when the other team knows it's what you need is what this Harbaugh-led team is striving to achieve.

But the blame doesn't fall solely on the offensive line. The guy under center needs to make plays when given the opportunity, and Jake Rudock has consistently fallen short of accomplishing that.

ESPN via noonkick

Or long.

It's become a recurring theme: Rudock has a receiver open downfield yet fires an inaccurate pass. He's overthrown Jehu Chesson on multiple occasions, most notably in losses to Utah and Michigan State.

The accompanying media shows the senior quarterback stepping up in the face of pressure (good), locating Chesson (good) and missing the wideout (bad). Had Rudock connected with Chesson, the Wolverines likely would've extended their lead over MSU to nine points with less than six minutes remaining.

Once Rudock figures out that problem, safeties will not be so quick to commit and stop Michigan's running game before it bursts through the second level. For now, though, opposing defenses really don't have to respect deep passes.

In late September, Justin P. Hicks of MLive noted Rudock said game speed is noticeably different than working at practice but didn't want that to be an excuse for a lack of execution:

"

It's one of those things you'd like to do every time but I understand it's not going to happen every time. We're working on it, we're trying really hard to get it and I think it's a matter of time before it starts clicking. Game speed is a little different from practice but that's no excuse. We need to go out there and connect on those.

"

Rudock is obviously correct in saying a downfield pass won't be completed every time, but Wolverines fans, coaches and players alike would certainly settle for the first big play at this point.

It's open at least once per game. Rudock just needs to hit his target.

The offense's two most glaring weaknesses are fundamental problems, but excelling at the basics is what makes a Harbaugh team a Harbaugh team. When the Wolverines have accomplished that, they've won—often in dominant fashion.

Michigan's defense will always give the team a chance to win. It's up to the offensive line and Rudock to seal the deal.

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.