'Michigan looks lost': Joel Klatt has Wolverines among 'bad surprises' of college football's first month

Michigan has looked nothing like the program that won three straight Big Ten titles and a national championship in recent years...

Sep 28, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore on the sideline in the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Michigan Stadium. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Although No. 10 Michigan has gotten off to a 2-0 start in Big Ten Conference play, and has opened the season at 4-1 with their lone loss to No. 2 Texas, the Wolverines have looked nothing like the program that won three consecutive league championships and a national title last season.

In a review of the first month of the season, Fox Sports' college football analyst Joel Klatt called Michigan one of his five 'bad surprises' in 2024 so far.

"Michigan looks lost right now," Klatt said. "This is not anywhere close to the team that we have seen over the last three years. Now, they want it to be similar, and the difference is that I just don't sense that they have a real deep understanding of who they are now."

The good and the bad 🤷‍♂️@joelklatt shares his 10 biggest surprises from the first month of the season. pic.twitter.com/sa3yt9RYYQ

— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) October 4, 2024

Unsurprisingly, Klatt pointed to the quarterback position as one of the fundamental problems with the Wolverines through five games.

"We started with Davis Warren at quarterback. There were so many mistakes in the passing game, too many turnovers, and then they went to Alex Orji and there's just no passing game to speak of," Klatt said. "They get up big against both USC and Minnesota in the first half, and they totally fall apart with an inability to move the ball offensively in the second half and allow the opposition to get back in the game and, candidly, really be in a position to win. In particular, in that USC case."

Michigan quarterback Alex Orji (10) is picked by teammates after being sacked by USC during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It was Klatt who first described Michigan as the 'boa constrictor' of college football back in 2022, noting how the Wolverines were totally comfortable playing in close games, wearing opponents down with their run game and finally suffocating them with an elite defense and supreme physicality. This year's team has tried to play in a similar fashion, but has displayed none of the dominance of those past teams.

"This is a team that in previous seasons was so good, in terms of field position, turnover margin, discipline, in terms of lack of penalties," Klatt said. "This year, that hasn't been the case. They have lost some of that Michigan identity, which means that they don't have a blueprint to follow like they did in previous years. And there's no margin for error. If they're not perfect, then all of a sudden they can be beat, and they can be beat in a hurry."

In each of the past three weeks — against Arkansas State, USC and Minnesota — the Wolverines have built double digit leads in the first half on the strength of their rushing attack and a defense that has created short fields for the offense. However, Michigan's inability to consistently move the ball down the field after halftime has led to a fatigued defense and games that suddenly become dogfights in the closing minutes.

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore looks up during the first half against Fresno State at Michigan Stadium at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK

"I think they're going to be in a lot more one-possession games," Klatt said. "Which puts a lot of pressure on a quarterback and an offensive line, in particular when that quarterback and offensive line have shown an inability to throw the football. That has to develop.

"So, this Michigan team, for me, that was a little bit of a surprise that they look lost like this. Like, the identity has been kind of striped from them. Maybe they would argue with me and say, 'No, we know what our identity is. It's just an identity that doesn't have a big margin of error'. Okay, that's fair and we'll see if that plays out. But, the problem is that within the games — USC and Minnesota — they lose that identity. Michigan looking lost has been quite a surprise for me."

Perhaps it shouldn't come at a surprised that much of what Michigan has been appears to be striped away, considering the fact the program is no longer led by the mastermind behind that brand of football in former head coach Jim Harbaugh. It remains to be seen if the Wolverines can continue to win games in the fashion they've played through the first five weeks, starting with Saturday's road trip to Washington.

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