Saturday was a critical game for Michigan football after a bye week. As the defending national champions, the expectation was the Wolverines arrived in Champaign on Saturday afternoon focused on maintaining a sense of urgency rather than succumbing to panic. Coaches adjusted the offensive line and crafted a strategy for a new starting quarterback, while the team welcomed back some key defensive players.

However, things didn’t go as planned.

Instead of showcasing a revitalized squad, the No. 24 Wolverines resembled the team that had just blown the program’s 27-game Big Ten winning streak in Seattle two weeks earlier. The defense continued to allow significant plays and racked up penalties. Special teams failed to make an impact and missed a field goal, while the run game fell short.

With so much to unpack, let’s dive into some of the game’s PFF snap counts and performance ratings to try and gain some insight into Michigan’s latest loss

Offensive snap counts

Andrew Gentry – 71

Giovanni El-Hadi – 71

Greg Crippen – 71

Josh Priebe – 71

Jeffrey Persi – 71

Jack Tuttle – 71

Colston Loveland – 57

Kalel Mullings – 50

Tyler Morris – 47

Kendrick Bell – 34

Semaj Morgan – 32

Amorion Walker – 29

Donovan Edwards – 27

Max Bredeson – 26

Hogan Hansen – 15

Fredrick Moore – 13

Marlin Klein – 11

Zack Marshall – 4

C.J. Charleston – 4

Peyton O’Leary – 3

Evan Link – 2

Benjamin Hall – 1

Five Best Grades (min. 20 snaps played)

Colston Loveland – 75.0

Kalel Mullings – 73.4

Andrew Gentry – 66.7

Giovanni El-Hadi – 59.4

Josh Priebe – 59.1

Kalel Mullings and Colston Loveland did their best to carry the Wolverines within one score following the almost-interception by Jack Tuttle. Outside of Hogan Hansen, who only played 15 total snaps, Mullings and Loveland were the only Michigan players on the offensive side of the ball that graded above a 70 overall on Saturday.

Five Worst Grades

Jack Tuttle – 28.7

Jeffrey Persi – 51.4

Max Bredeson – 51.6

Tyler Morris – 52.5

Kendrick Bell – 53.4

Jack Tuttle once again received the lowest PFF grades for both offense and defense this week. The Wolverines had hoped he would revitalize their struggling offense. Unfortunately, many of the same issues persisted during Tuttle’s first game at the helm, including two fumbles, ineffective pass protection, and a lackluster passing attack. Although Tuttle managed to connect with Loveland for a significant 29-yard gain on fourth-and-18 in the fourth quarter, it was quickly overshadowed by a critical interception. His offensive player grade of 28.7, passing grade of 30.1, and rushing grade of 39.5 were the lowest in all three categories for the team.

Defensive snap counts

Jyaire Hill – 58

Quinten Johnson – 56

Ernest Hausmann – 55

Jaishawn Barham – 53

Kenneth Grant – 47

Aamir Hall – 47

Mason Graham – 46

Makari Paige – 41

Zeke Berry – 38

Derrick Moore – 38

Josaiah Stewart – 38

TJ Guy – 31

Trey Pierce – 24

Ike Iwunnah – 24

Mason Curtis – 22

Cameron Brandt – 20

Will Johnson – 13

Brandyn Hillman – 8

Jimmy Rolder – 8

Jaydon Hood – 8

Jo’Ziah Edmond – 5

Chibi Anwunah – 2

Wesley Walker – 3

Five Best Grades (min. 20 snaps played)

Mason Graham – 86.9

Jaishawn Barham – 82.6

Josaiah Stewart – 78.5

Kenneth Grant – 74.3

TJ Guy – 70.9

If there are any positives to take away from Michigan’s loss to Illinois, it’s that the usual suspects on the defensive side of the ball didn’t get the memo. The Wolverines were once more propelled by standout performances, particularly from Mason Graham (86.9), Josiah Stewart (78.5), and Kenneth Grant (74.3), who led both the defense and the team as a whole. However, this week’s most notable contributor was none other than Jaishawn Barham (82.6), who had consistently turned in some of the lowest defensive grades on the team before this week.

Five Worst Grades

Ernest Haumann – 52.5

Aamir Hall – 53.5

Trey Pierce – 55.3

Zeke Berry – 57.7

Cameron Brandt – 58.4

If there’s a positive to glean from Saturday’s defensive showing, it’s that Jyaire Hill didn’t make the cut here for a second week in a row. Hill, fresh off a loss to the Washington Huskies in which he received one of the defense’s lowest-graded (46.6), was a clear target for the Illini offense on Saturday. The defensive back rose to the occasion, allowing just two receptions for a total of 8 yards on seven targets.