It’s been awhile since Michigan has dealt with a regular-season loss.
The defending national champions saw their 16-game winning streak, 29-game regular-season winning streak and 23-game home win string end when the Wolverines were routed by Texas 31-12 last Saturday.
Michigan, which dropped from No. 10 to No. 17 in the latest Associated Press poll, will look to get back into the win column when it hosts Arkansas State this Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
“It should sting, and it stings everybody,” first-year Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore said. “A lot of guys haven’t lost a game here at our home stadium, and nobody likes that feeling. Coaches, players — the players take it the worst. People talk about the coaches and everybody else, but it’s really the players that are in the games that take it the worst.
“So, for us, it’s consoling them, helping them get over it because they’re still feeling it.”
Not only did the Wolverines (1-1) lose last week, but they looked overmatched at times against the Longhorns. Michigan didn’t produce a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter, and their leading rusher, Donovan Edwards, had only 41 yards on eight carries. And Texas led 24-3 at halftime.
Moore isn’t buying the narrative that his team was overmatched. He pointed to three turnovers and a struggle with third-down conversions (3 of 12) for the Wolverines’ downfall.
“They executed very cleanly. All the credit to them, what they did and how they played,” Moore said. “Not going to take anything away from them. But for us, we know that there’s the turnovers, the third-down margin. You take those two things and it gives us a much better chance to be successful. We know where we’re at. We know what we’ve got to do, and it was a good lesson for us to learn.”
The good news for the Wolverines is that their goals haven’t changed. The expanded College Football Playoffs — to 12 teams — gives teams more breathing room to qualify.
“Saturday was a sad day for Michigan, but we have 10 more opportunities left in the season,” Michigan edge rusher TJ Guy said. “We can’t dwell about it and let it bleed into the coming weeks, because that’s not going to help us at all.”
Ironically, Arkansas State will be the undefeated team playing in Ann Arbor — the Red Wolves are 2-0 for the first time since 2008.
Arkansas State scored 21 third-quarter points to rally past Tulsa 28-24 on Saturday. Red Wolves quarterback Jaylen Raynor completed 21 of 32 passes for 255 yards and two scores and rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown.
Arkansas State now must face two ranked teams back-to-back. The Red Wolves will visit No. 21 Iowa State next weekend.
“I don’t know of another G5 (team) going to play back-to-back perennial top 25 teams. But it’s a great opportunity,” Arkansas State coach Butch Jones said. “Michigan will expose you if you’re not fundamentally sound.”
Jones grew up in Saugatuck, Mich., and has friends at the University of Michigan, but he’s going there on a business trip this week.
“We’re in the business of winning. That’s kind of the mindset,” he said. “It will be good to see everyone in passing. It’ll be great to go there, but really, your focus is the task at hand, and that’s the defending national champion.”
–Field Level Media