Michigan's Offense Stinks, But What Happened To Defense, Special Teams?

Michigan football writer Tony Garcia discusses three things we learned in the Wolverines' 15-6 rivalry loss to MSU and what, if anything, U-M can do to salvage its season in the final three games under beleaguered coach Kyle Whittingham.

1. No answers seem to be coming

It seemed to be an impossibility, but Michigan's offense somehow took a step back Saturday night.

All that prevented Michigan (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) from its first home shutout to MSU since 1967 was a garbage-time touchdown with 1:35 to play after completing two fourth-down conversions. Michigan is No. 126 (out of 138 FBS-level teams) in scoring (19.6 points per game), No. 132 in total offense (302.6 yards), No. 109 in rushing (128.7) and No. 125 passing (173.9).

Whittingham said postgame he was not planning to make an offensive coordinator switch before the end of the season.

“Not right now, not as I’m sitting here at this podium, no," he said. “But at some point you’ve got to have results. It’s a results-driven business, and it’s a bottom-line business. We’ll evaluate everything after the season and determine what the best course of action is."

But on Sunday afternoon, offensive coordinator Jason Beck was fired. Offensive line coach Jim Harding has been named interim offensive coordinator. That doesn't change the impression that this offense seems broken beyond repair.

TRENDING: Here's how much it would cost Michigan to fire Kyle Whittingham

The offensive line gave up five sacks to one of the worst defensive fronts in the Big Ten, statistically speaking. The line was atrocious and had Pro Football Focus' three lowest-graded players (Avery Gach, Blake Frazier and Manuel Beigel). Frazier left in the second half with an injury, leading to the first 21 snaps of 2025 five-star recruit Andrew Babalola's career.

U-M turned the ball over four times against a unit that forced five in the first two months.

The run game reached new levels of futility, with 26 carries netting 54 yards (2.1 per carry).

Michigan has made a last-ditch effort to right the ship. It had to happen. Yet one of Whittingham's answers after the game suggested there might not be a true solution in the short term.

“It’s been a big challenge,” Whittingham said. “Very confident we can get things fixed. Maybe not right away – I can’t say it’s going to happen overnight, or over the next couple days – but I promise you, eventually, we’ll get this thing right. I can promise you that.”

2. Keeping the locker room is not a given

Whittingham said the players are full of "pride" and he's not worried about losing the locker room. U-M still has something to compete for, needing one win in its final three games against No. 19 Oregon (6-3), No. 4 UCLA (9-0) or No. 20 Ohio State (6-3) to reach bowl eligibility.

In this era of college football and with the season going poorly, players – healthy or otherwise – may consider sitting out to risk any future prospects. Of course, that was not the tone postgame.

"We’re definitely not going to give up − we’re going to come in and we’re going to represent Michigan to the best of our abilities," defensive end John Henry Daley said. “I believe we’re heading in the right direction. If you’re sailing the right way, but you run into a storm for a little bit, it doesn’t mean you’re going the wrong way. It just means you’re going through some hard times. If you continue and endure, then you’re going to come out on the other side of it.

"I think part of that is, the process is the process and there are no shortcuts and there are going to be some rough times, but that doesn’t mean what you’re doing is wrong. That just means you need to keep working and putting your head down and doing everything you need to day in, day out, and it’ll all pay off.”

3. Defense, special teams don't get a pass

The offense and coaching are the crux of the problem in Ann Arbor. But defense hasn't been elite the past few games now.

Last week at Rutgers, it gave up four explosive plays which led to three touchdowns and a tight game in the fourth quarter against one of the worst Power Four teams.

Against MSU, the defense allowed a 17-play, 79-yard drive from the 1-yard line that took nearly 11 minutes off the clock. Coordinator Jay Hill's unit didn't force a turnover and allowed the Spartans to score on five of their final six drives (prior to victory formation), even if they were all field goals.

Special teams was worse.

A holding call negated a big play, a missed 26-yard field goal in the second quarter was a gut-punch when U-M had a chance to take the lead and a shanked punt set up MSU at the 50 for its first points of the game late in the first half.

"Defensively, special teams, not much going on there," Whittingham said. "We missed another field goal, which was disappointing early in the game. That was kind of deflating at that point in time, but got to be able to overcome that. I'm not saying that was a reason for all the other stuff, but disappointing."

Michigan has made two of seven field goals its past three games and special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs' name should rank alongside Whittingham and offensive coordinator Jason Beck's when discussing changes this offseason.

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Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan's offense stinks, but what happened to defense, special teams?