The Wolverines struggled in the first half behind Shane Morris, heading into halftime with a 10-7 deficit.
Read: First Half Recap
Things did not get any better for Michigan in the second half, as mistakes on the offensive side of the ball doomed the Wolverines.
Quick-hitters:
Michigan's offense somehow regressed under Shane Morris. He finished 7/19 for 49 yards and two turnovers, looking very poor from the start.
Devin Gardner came off the bench to replace Morris, who appeared to injure himself in the fourth quarter. He led a touchdown drive, scoring on his own from three yards out.
Despite a good first half, the large deficit took De'Veon Smith out of the gameplan as Michigan aired it out down by 20 points.
He finished with 10 carries for 57 yards and a score, doing virtually all of his damage in the first half.
Minnesota's defense took over the second half, forcing two turnovers and scoring on an interception return.
Mitch Leidner managed the game well, needing to do very little in the second half. He was effective, completing 17/22 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown.
David Cobb continued his impressive start to the season, rushing 32 times for 183 yards.
Key player: David Cobb -32 carries, 183 yards, three receptions for 50 yards
Turning Point: Already trailing 13-7 in the third quarter, Morris threw a pick-six to further the deficit to 20-7. A struggling Wolverines offense was buried at that point.
What We Learned:
1) Brady Hoke's chances of keeping his job decrease with every loss, and today's game may have been the worst to date.
The Wolverines looked flat and uninspired throughout, leading to questions of whether Hoke is even getting through to the team any longer.
2) Shane Morris doesn't look like the remedy to Michigan's offensive woes. Replacing Devin Gardner, Morris looked overwhelmed and wild in the pocket, overthrowing numerous receivers and never establishing any rhythm.
3) We actually know even less about this team than we did before. Now with a quarterback controversy to add to the Hoke situation, this is a team with a whole bunch of problems and very few answers.
What's Next?
Michigan will play at Rutgers, while Minnesota hosts Northwestern after next week's bye
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