EAST LANSING — The cracks in the foundation were made in Nebraska, where the Cornhuskers scored a pair of touchdowns over 40 yards. They deepened last week at Michigan Stadium, where Northwestern’s lone score of the game came on a 75-yard run by tailback Evan Hull.
Michigan’s defense had flashed a recent vulnerability to the kinds of missed assignments and poor execution that lead to enormous gains. It was a concerning development for defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, whose scheme places an emphasis on reducing explosive games through a combination of split-safety coverage and an attack-minded front seven in the trenches.