Column: Sherrone Moore is likely to face some very difficult decisions to keep Michigan relevant

Trent Knoop | Oct 20, 2024

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

You'd have to go back to 2014 to find the last time Michigan scored fewer points than it did on Saturday against Illinois. The Wolverines' 21-7 loss to the Illini was their lowest scoring output since a 31-0 defeat against Notre Dame in Brady Hoke's final season.

Michigan started that horrendous 2014 season 3-4. Ten years later, Michigan is sitting at 4-3 and the Wolverines are truly in unfamiliar territory. When Sherrone Moore accepted the head coaching job at the University of Michigan, the Wolverines went through the best three-year stretch you can recall. Under Jim Harbaugh, Michigan went to three-straight Playoffs, beat Ohio State three years in a row, and won the national championship last season before leaving for the NFL.

Moore took the job -- which appeared to be the correct choice -- with the hopes of keeping roster continuity at Michigan and in hopes of keeping most of Harbaugh's staff around. We know how that went. The Wolverines didn't lose too much talent to the transfer portal, but a ton of staff left with Harbaugh or for the NFL. We all thought Michigan had enough talent returning to stay relevant in 2024 and contend for the 12-team Playoff.

But this level of play in 2024 is not up to par -- some will say unacceptable for Michigan's standard. The Wolverines have the 112th-ranked scoring offense, the 119th-ranked total offense, and the 129th-ranked passing offense in the nation. That isn't 'Michigan football', or is it?

Through seven games, this is what Michigan football looks like. It's undisciplined, it's being out-coached, and it's coming off of a bye week looking as unprepared as you possibly can. The Wolverines spent an entire week preparing for Illinois and the Wolverines' offense looked arguably more inept than it has all season.

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Sherrone Moore is the head coach and while some might not think it's fair, he is going to take the brunt of the blame for the Wolverines' performance. Moore put together this staff in a hurry because there wasn't much time to wait around. Jim Harbaugh left Michigan at a bad time -- very poor timing for Moore -- and he tried to make the most of it. But as he said after the 14-point loss to Illinois, there isn't any finger-pointing.

"I think we just have to reevaluate and see and look," Moore said following the loss to Illinois. "You know, we had a bye week. I feel disappointed in myself as the head coach that we didn't come out and execute at a better level. There's too many bits and pieces. Not enough consistency. So, you know, I have to look at myself, too. So there's no finger-pointing. I'm gonna reevaluate myself and see what I need to do to be better for them, for the players, and coaches as well."

The Michigan defense has plenty of faults as well, but the Wolverines' defense allowed 21 points to Illinois on Saturday and they did enough to allow Michigan to win the game. But this quarterback conundrum continues in Ann Arbor. Through seven weeks, Michigan has started three different quarterbacks and none of them are ready to start for the maize and blue. The Michigan coaching staff doesn't appear to trust Alex Orji to throw the football, while both Davis Warren and Jack Tuttle turn the ball over at alarming rates.

No matter how you try to slice it, this is what Michigan football is in 2024. It's a team that doesn't have enough playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, without a capable quarterback, and a coaching staff that doesn't appear to be good enough to correct any of the mistakes that happen week after week.

Let me say, for those of you who want Moore gone after seven games -- it's not happening, nor should it. Moore should be given a chance to correct his wrongs and become the next successful coach at Michigan, but it will come by making difficult decisions. Being the head coach at Michigan isn't easy. If you don't win, you're going to receive backlash, and a ton of it. The thing about Moore, he's been around for a while and knows it wasn't always sunshine for Jim Harbaugh in his early years at Michigan -- there was a large portion of the fanbase who also wanted him fired after consistently losing to Ohio State and following the 2020 season. But Moore also realizes what the standard at Michigan is and that's winning games.

"Yeah, I mean, I have extreme high expectations for the program," said Moore. "Going on year seven, I've seen where we've been, what we've done, and this is not indicative of who we are and what we should be. And it's my job to fix it, and we will."

Every game this season seems to be the next 'big game' for Michigan. Almost all of Michigan's goals are now off the table. No Playoff, no Big Ten Championship, and almost certainly no beating Ohio State -- not happening with what we've seen through seven weeks. If Michigan and Moore have any mettle whatsoever and pride themselves on playing and coaching at Michigan, these last five games are going to be telling. Can this coaching staff get these players ready to play rival Michigan State at home? That's going to be the start.

But if we continue to see the same results the last five weeks, fans are really going to start thinking Michigan may have turned back the clock toward that 2014 season when Hoke was on his way out of Ann Arbor. That's when Moore will certainly be faced with making some altering changes if he's going to compete in 2025.

- Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI -