ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Exactly which words or phrases were uttered in meeting rooms and on practice fields here in Michigan this week, where the Wolverines licked their wounds following an embarrassing, nationally televised road loss to unranked USC, will likely never be known by those outside the football program.
Those discussions were still referenced ad nauseam in recent days — most notably when defensive tackle Damon Payne told reporters that defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale had questioned the defense’s manhood — but the accounts were always sheathed in ambiguity, vague enough to avoid any public assignment of blame, even after Michigan clamped down Washington, 24-7, to stabilize the season’s trajectory.
Linebacker Cole Sullivan, whose timely third-quarter interception of Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. facilitated what proved to be the game-winning touchdown on Saturday afternoon, labeled the message from Martindale a “gut check.” His compatriot, fellow linebacker Jimmy Rolder, who intercepted Williams again on the Huskies’ next possession to set up another game-clinching score, preferred the term “reality check.”
Head coach Sherrone Moore, whose standing among the Wolverines’ expectant fan base had begun to teeter ahead of this week’s win-or-get-left-behind battle for the College Football Playoff, preferred the more elegant “tough conversations” descriptor. And then he reminded reporters that “nobody else needs to hear what was said,” especially people unaffiliated with Michigan.
But when it came to Moore and everyone else he employs on the Wolverines’ bulging coaching staff, the challenging dialogues with players were accompanied by soul-searching moments of uncomfortable introspection as a campaign that dripped with promise threatened to run aground.
Head coach Sherrone Moore of the Michigan Wolverines reacts during the first half of a college football game against the Washington Huskies. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
There were potential ramifications for Moore, the second-year head coach whose overall record of 12-7 entering Saturday’s date with Washington left plenty to be desired; for Martindale, the highly paid, blitz-breathing coordinator whose defense had been filleted by a walk-on running back from USC and a quarterback who began his career at UNLV; for offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, a handpicked newcomer whose debut season at Michigan has felt — at times — like a difficult marriage of contrasting schematic ideas. What happened on Saturday against the Huskies would be a referendum on them as much as the players.
“In this position,” Moore said, “I’ve learned you’ve got to hold everyone accountable. I’ve got to hold myself accountable, the coaches accountable, I’ve got to hold the players accountable. So that’s just part of it. We talked about hardship plus commitment plus trust equals connection. And we wanted to stay connected.”
It was a mission they certainly accomplished during what finished as a lopsided victory over Washington, a team whose only previous defeat came against No. 1 Ohio State. An embattled Michigan defense that surrendered 31 points and 489 total yards to the Trojans responded by suffocating one of the most explosive offenses in the country, intercepting Williams three times and kneecapping his running ability for five carries totaling minus-19 yards.
An offense that had slipped to 47th in yards per game and was tied for 60th in scoring bounced back to manufacture the most efficient outing of quarterback Bryce Underwood’s career (21-of-27 for 230 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs) while riding the broad, tackler-dragging shoulders of tailback Jordan Marshall for a career-high 133 yards and the go-ahead score.
Droves of maize and blue fans flooded through the exits early once a fourth-quarter field goal from kicker Dominic Zvada pushed the Wolverines’ lead to an insurmountable margin.
With such a thorough disposal of Washington on Saturday, and with a September victory over Nebraska already on its résumé, Michigan has now positioned itself squarely in the Big Ten’s second tier, battling for what the league hopes will be a third, fourth or even fifth bid in the College Football Playoff alongside presumptive frontrunners Ohio State and Indiana.
An argument can now be made for the Wolverines to be favored in each of their next four games — at Michigan State, vs. Purdue, at Northwestern, at Maryland — which means the path is there for a run of five consecutive wins before a massive showdown with the top-ranked Buckeyes to end the regular season. And if Michigan enters that game at 9-2 overall and with a 7-1 record in the Big Ten, a victory would unequivocally vault them into the playoff.
“It was time,” Sullivan said when asked about the team’s moments of self-reflection during the week. “We were coming to a split in the road, you know, which way were we gonna go? We needed to bounce back big this week, and I thought we responded well.”
Jimmy Rolder #30 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates his second half interception with Troy Bowles #18 and Cole Sullivan #23. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Some underlying details of Michigan’s performance against Washington hinted at a formula that should be replicated in the coming weeks, particularly with the level of competition expected to dip after a difficult four-game stretch against Nebraska (5–2), Wisconsin (2–4), USC (5–1), and Washington (5–2).
— The injury-related absences of starting tailback Justice Haynes and starting safeties Brandyn Hillman and Rod Moore were rendered negligible on an afternoon when Marshall was afforded the highest volume of his carries in his career (25) and a makeshift secondary limited the Huskies to 209 passing yards, their second-lowest output of the season. Even the in-game injuries suffered by left tackle Evan Link (leg) and defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny (leg) were hardly felt, such was the effort of everyone else.
— The continued emergence of wide receiver Andrew Marsh, a true freshman, has given Underwood another perimeter target with plus-athleticism. Marsh caught five passes for 49 yards and a touchdown on Saturday — including a breathtaking one-handed snag on a crossing route — after breaking loose for eight catches, 138 yards and a touchdown against USC last week. There were several plays called by Lindsey that seemed clearly designed to get Marsh the ball.
— The tremendous response by Michigan’s run defense following a mistake-strewn loss to the Trojans restored belief that Martindale’s unit can control the line of scrimmage without defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, two stars from last year’s team now playing in the NFL. In addition to hemming in Williams, whose dual-threat ability became entirely one-dimensional, the Wolverines also smothered tailback Jonah Coleman, limiting him to just 50 yards on 16 carries. That the Huskies finished with a miniscule rushing average of 1.7 yards per carry demonstrated how forceful Michigan was at the point of attack.
— The three interceptions and one fourth-down stop reinforced the Wolverines’ impressive takeaway number this season. Moore’s team entered the weekend tied for 18th nationally with 11 turnovers gained — eight interceptions, three fumble recoveries — and then added three more takeaways against Washington by becoming the only team to intercept Williams more than once in a game over the last two years combined.
‘We never folded!’ 😤 Sherone Moore & Jordan Marshall on Michigan’s bounce-back win over Washington
If all of those things hold true, and if Michigan’s arrow really is pointing in the right direction after walloping the Huskies in all three phases, the next four games should offer some favorable environments to grow, to continue building and learning until the annual showdown with Ohio State. And perhaps by then, with another month of accountability under the Wolverines’ belt, they’ll be in position to challenge for a spot in the playoff.
“Our guys wanted it more,” Moore said. “At the end of the day, that’s football. It’s pretty simple: You’ve got to want it more than them. And if you do that, you can come away with victories like that.”
Michael Cohen covers college football and college basketball for FOX Sports. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.
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