Just one week ago, Brady Hoke and the Michigan Wolverines were the talk of the college football world after a big victory against Notre Dame in the final meeting in Ann Arbor. Quarterback Devin Gardner had been honored with Tom Harmon's number 98 jersey before the game, and earned that right by leading the offense to a 41-point performance. Everything was going well, and many fans didn't even know which MAC team was on the schedule this weekend.
Fast forward to the present: Michigan is 3-0, ranked in the top 15 and reasonably healthy. Isn't this exactly what fans were expecting when only a shade over 107,000 showed up to watch their team go through the motions and beat Akron by 50?
Unfortunately those numbers don't tell the whole story.
After scoring just seven points in the first half, Michigan appeared to be running away with the game, building a 21-10 lead. In the blink of an eye, however, the Zips were up by three and forced the winningest team in college football history to conjure up a game-winning drive to save their 2013 season.
Even after that drive, Michigan can thank the worst play call in Akron history for what 
turned out to be the ugliest of over 900 program wins.
A blown-up pitch to the right on the second-to-last play of the game allowed Michigan to force an incomplete pass and escape with what counts as a win, but feels much worse. For a team that had BCS aspirations following the night game victory, new questions have popped up on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, if Michigan can't get pressure against an offensive line that has won just four games in over 30 tries, how much time will quarterbacks like Taylor Martinez and Braxton Miller have? The secondary gave up so many big plays in the middle of the field that teams are sure to exploit that weakness for the remainder of the year. Greg Mattison has his work cut out for him the next few weeks as he tries to find a way to get pressure without committing too many of his secondary players to the blitz.
The defense will make adjustments, but perhaps the biggest, and most surprising, concern is Gardner.
It was easy to brush off the interceptions and questionable decisions when Michigan was 
winning by 50 points or dismantling the Irish. The Wolverines shot up in the rankings, Notre Dame was put in its place and Gardner was comparing Brady Hoke to Fred Flintstone on national television. The Michigan program was confident and relaxed with several easy victories on the horizon, and all worries were forgotten.
After a scare like this, those mistakes are brought back to life.
Gardner's most impressive attribute was supposed to be his decision-making. Denard Robinson, though limitlessly athletic, kept fans on the edge of their seats throughout every game because of his knack for costly turnovers. After Robinson's injury last year, Gardner instilled confidence in the offense with his accuracy and confidence.
Three games into 2013, Gardner has made some decisions that have the Maize and Blue faithful longing for the hail Marys and jump balls of the past few years.
The pick-six that Michigan's signal-caller threw on Saturday was almost the exact same play as one the team ran against Central Michigan. Backed up deep in his own territory, Al Borges decided to run a screen pass to Toussaint. Gardner, however, didn't check to make sure the play was there and instead threw to a predetermined spot. If there were no 
defenders there then this would have gotten the ball out quickly and worked in Michigan's favor. However, if a defensive player reads the screen, it makes for an easy interception. For an offense that likes to run screen passes as much as the Wolverines do, it is essential for the quarterback to be comfortable rolling out and making the right decision.
A more memorable play was the interception in the end zone against Notre Dame, which gave the Irish a chance to steal the final rivalry game in the Big House. Gardner and Hoke passed this play off as a learning experience and fans accepted the explanation because of the big victory, but with Akron fresh in everyone's memory, mistakes will not be so easily forgotten.
After the week three debacle, Michigan's game in Connecticut has turned into an important statement game heading into the Big Ten season. Coach Hoke will try to capture some of the success that Michigan had during the first two weeks and build on it going forward.
For Michigan to have a real chance to win the conference in 2013, Devin Gardner will need to be as good as everyone expected.
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