Michigan Wins an Ugly Game, Needs to Step It Up for First Road Game

Well, well, well. That was a game that I thought would look a lot more different. The old saying, a win is a win, fits this game perfectly. 

Tate Forcier, welcome to the Big Ten. It doesn't matter what the fans say, or what the pundits think, Indiana came into Ann Arbor to win that game. They almost did too.

What type of team is Indiana? Well, they showed more than I thought they would. It was a crazy offensive system that twisted Michigan's defense into a pretzel. They looked lost out there at time. Boubacar Cissoko looked horrible, his replacement, JT Floyd stepped up and did his job. 

Execution seemed to be the word of the day during the post-game presser. The defense obviously lacked it today. Holes were left open, receivers were wide open, and third down conversions for Indiana in the third quarter were way too easy.

As bad as the defense looked today, they were able to keep Michigan in the game by keeping Indiana to three FG's rather than three TD's. That was huge for them.

Looking ahead, Michigan will need to work hard on execution. They won't be able to withstand what the Big Ten will give them if they execute that poorly.

The question of the game would be, is JT Floyd now the starting CB opposite Donovan Warren? Cissoko left the game after he got burned for that 50+ yard pass. Or, as Rich Rodriguez said in the post-game presser, the defensive coaches took him out, so he would need to check with them to see his status. Was it an injury or lack of play-making skills. Interesting.

Is Tate Forcier what Michigan fans thought he was after the Notre Dame game? The jury is still out on that. He was 11-21 for 184 yards with two touchdowns, a pick and two sacks. He also rushed for 15 yards and a touchdown. 

He played well at times, he played horrible at times. His interception was a freshman mistake. As Coach Rodriguez said, his eyes were all over the place today. He was not as focused as he has been.

But when it counted and the game was on the line, he looked like a seasoned freshman. Making plays with his feet to get the job done, and being poised enough to make that play to Tay Odoms to get the go-ahead touchdown. 

This game will further strengthen his resolve. He looked shaky, he looked injured, he seemed a bit thrown off at times. He looked like the true freshman he is. 

Having a true freshman QB on a team that is as inexperienced and as young as Michigan, is tough when it comes to on field play. They looked young today. At times, I felt I was watching a game from last season. But in the bigger picture, this is only going to make them a better football team.

Denard Robinson made an appearance today, and looked alright. He will continue to get reps as the season progresses. I like how he looked passing the ball. His pass to Kevin Koger was a nice read, and gave the team some momentum. 

They have to play their first road game in East Lansing next Saturday. That game is going to be intense and physical. Rivalry games are always that way. If they play like they did today, I don't think they make it out of East Lansing with a victory. State may execute those plays that IU had to hit FG's on, and that would make it an ugly loss.