If you're reading this article, you likely have seen the horrible play that we should never, ever speak of again. Click here if you haven't, but suffice to say that #12 Michigan's 27-23 loss to #7 Michigan State should have ended much differently. However, we're to move forward with our list of 5 Things We Know About Michigan Through 7 Games.
5. Jake Rudock Needs To Step Up
Rudock didn't throw a pick in Saturday's game, but he didn't really do much from a production standpoint other than managing the game in solid fashion. For Michigan to take the next step, they need Rudock to up his game and start making throws down the field. If he could have aired it out just a bit in this one, it wouldn't have been close enough for Michigan State to pull off the shocker.
4. Jourdan Lewis Is Still An All-Big Ten DB
No one is playing better on defense for Michigan than corner Jourdan Lewis. Through the team's first four games, he had one pass completed against him. It's saying something that Lewis is the standout on a Michigan defense that shut out three straight opponents and had Michigan State lined up for a beating. He's going to make an NFL team VERY happy in the near future.
3. The Offensive Line Is Doing Great
Just wow. If you watched Michigan's loss to Utah in Week 1, you'd proably thought the offensive line was destined to flounder after an absolutely uninspiring performance. Just six weeks later, the unit has taken a near-complete 180. Michigan's running game is averaging nearly five yards per carry and his averaging around four tackles for a loss per game. And, while QB Jake Rudock was besieged by the turnover bug earlier this season, the O-line has given him plenty of time to operate since Week 1.
2. The Defense Remains Top Of The Class
MSU QB Connor Cook did throw for 328 yards against Michigan, but he completed less than 50% of his passes and was harassed all day long. Michigan State's running game did absolutely nothing, picking up just 1.8 yards per carry on 33 touches. Michigan's defense had the Wolverines in position to win. They did everything they could, just like they did in the team's previous three straight shutouts. This loss is not on them.
1. Things Are Trending Up, No Matter How It Feels
Saturday's heart-crushing loss is going to sting for a long time. But, credit still goes to Jim Harbaugh for getting Michigan back to a point where this loss means SO MUCH. If this was a Brady Hoke-led game, some fans would be lauding the Wolverines for giving the Spartans such a battle. It's a credit to Harbaugh that moral victories aren't victories anymore for this program.
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