CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It was supposed to be now or never for Michigan football off a bye week.
The defending national champions preached urgency, not panic in the week leading up to the game at No. 21 Illinois. Coaches made personnel changes along the offensive line, worked a new game plan around a new starting quarterback, and had some key players return on defense.
Yeah, about that.
Instead of a rejuvenated unit, the Wolverines looked awfully similar to the group that saw their 27-game Big Ten winning streak snapped in Seattle a few weeks back. The defense continued to allow big plays and commit penalties. Special teams didn’t flip the field and even missed a field goal. The running game wasn’t enough by itself; Kalel Mullings was again great with 19 carries for 87 yards and the lone score, but Donovan Edwards lost a first-half fumble.
The No. 22 Wolverines lost Saturday for the third time on the season 21-7 at No. 21 Illinois on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Michigan, in Year 1 under head coach Sherrone Moore, will almost certainly fall out of the top 25 college football rankings for the first time in 54 weeks.
The Wolverines committed three turnovers, two from an erratic Jack Tuttle in his first start at Michigan, and lost All-American cornerback Will Johnson to a foot injury in the first quarter. Tuttle finished 20-for-32 for 208 yards — boosted by some garbage time completions — and a fourth-quarter interception and Kalel Mullings rushed for 87 yards and a score on 19 carries.
Illinois (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) quarterback Luke Altmyer was just 9-for-18 for 80 yards and a touchdown, but the Illini rushed for 187 yards.
The Wolverines (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) have now lost as many times in the past 42 days as they had in the previous 1,042 days, and will have to try and get off the mat for a rivalry game hosts Michigan State at Michigan Stadium (7:30 p.m., Big Ten Network) in Ann Arbor.
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Michigan had momentum when the second half begun. The Wolverines took their final drive of the first half 72 yards on 12 plays and Mullings hammered in a one-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to six.
Right when it looked like Illinois would make it a nine-point game going into the half, Makari Paige blocked a field goal. The Wolverines got the ball to begin the second half, but after two short Mullings rushes, TeRah Edwards bulldozed Greg Crippen on third down and sacked Tuttle.
Michigan’s defense appeared to come up with a timely stop on the ensuing Illinois possession, only for Bret Bielema to call the perfectly-timed fake, which went to Tanner Akin who kept the ball 37 yards up the middle. Five plays later, Altmyer dove in to go up 21-7.
Even still at that time, all hope was not lost. Michigan put together its second solid drive in three possessions, but on third-and goal from the six Tuttle was sacked which brought on what felt like an automatic Dominic Zvada field goal. Wrong. It was blocked by Ezekiel Holmes, to keep U-M down by 14.
Still, Michigan didn’t quit. The defense came up with a stop and got Tuttle and company got ball back on their own 16 with 13:22 left. Facing fourth-and-18 from the Illinois 44, Tuttle even found Loveland on a 29-yard strike to keep the drive alive, but was intercepted by Matt Bailey on the next pass attempt.
Sloppy start dooms Michigan vs. Illinois
It didn’t help matters that the Wolverines began about as poorly as possible on offense. After the Illini drove the field on their opening possession and came away with a field goal, Kirk Campbell’s unit went three-and-out on its opening possession, which featured two incompletions and gained just two yards.
After the two sides exchanged punts, Michigan’s defense made a key play on the next Illinois possession, when Josiah Stewart and Jaishawn Barham combined for a tackle for loss on fourth-and-1 to turn the Illini away at the U-M 21.
But again, the offense would sputter. On third-and-7 in U-M territory, Tuttle avoided the rush and tucked the ball and ran only to get stripped by Gabe Jacas and lose a fumble for the second time in as many games. Yet once more, the defense would stand tall.
Illinois got down to the Michigan 8 yard line, but Derrick Moore came away with a sack on third down to force another field goal to go up 6-0 late in the first quarter.
Tuttle appeared to throw an interception on the first play of the next drive which was returned to the goal line, but U-M was temporarily saved when an Illini defender was flagged for holding away from the play.
U-M had new life, only for Donovan Edwards to fumble two plays later and gave it back to Illinois, which put together a 7-play, 51-yard drive and finished it when Luke Altmyer found Tanner Arkin on a two-yard touchdown pass to go up 13-0.
That’s when Michigan, finally, did something on offense. The Wolverines opted to ride their workhorse Mullings on four consecutive carries, picking up 24 total yards and opening up the pass game which allowed Tuttle to find Loveland on consecutive passes to pick up 26 yards and then a screen to Semaj Morgan which gained eight.
U-M would run Mullings four of the next five plays which included a one-yard touchdown run on fourth and goal to put Michigan on the board. The Wolverines then kept the momentum going into the break when Makari Paige swatted a field goal attempt on the final play of the second quarter.
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Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football completely broken in 21-7 spanking by Illinois
