While taking a step back was to be expected, there weren’t many folks who expected the Michigan Wolverines to be fighting to become bowl eligible heading into Week 11 – but that’s exactly where we are. From the offense to the defense, the issues with Michigan from week to week are numerous. But there are two glaring issues with this football team that have greatly contributed to the poor performance we’ve seen through 10 games.

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg recently highlighted those specific issues:

Quarterback

“I’ve seen Michigan in person three times, and certainly share the concerns about Moore,” Rittenberg said. “The quarterback issue is one thing and, like you said, can be tied at least in part to the coaching transition and what sources have told me about Harbaugh’s hesitancy to add a notable transfer last December. Still, the idea of pinning your offense to Jack Tuttle, who was coming off surgery on his throwing elbow and was, as we found out, one concussion away from retiring from football, rather than adding a transfer in the spring portal, seemed shortsighted.

Coaching

“The other issue that has surfaced is game management,” Rittenberg said. “Trailing Indiana 17-3 at halftime, Michigan ran the ball on third-and-7 from the Hoosiers’ 46-yard line on its first possession of the third quarter, gaining four yards before punting. Two possessions later, Michigan ran for a yard on third-and-6 from the Indiana 39, only to attempt a long field goal rather than go for a first down. Most egregiously, Michigan allowed more than 20 seconds to elapse before calling timeout after an 8-yard Indiana run in the closing seconds. The Hoosiers ran out the clock moments later. We didn’t see those game-management errors from Moore when he filled in for Harbaugh late last season. Definitely an area to clean up for 2025.”

Without a doubt, those will be the two biggest issues that head coach Sherrone Moore must address in the off-season. He’s got to bring a legitimate quarterback to Ann Arbor, and he’s got to bring in more experience with his coaching staff to avoid the mistakes we’ve seen in 2024. If he can do it, the Wolverines should be right back in the championship hunt in 2025. If not, it certainly raise questions about Moore’s coaching future at the University of Michigan.

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