Michigan football running back and captain Jordan Marshall said he couldn't fall asleep until 5 a.m. following U-M's lackluster and fortunate 13-12 victory over Western Michigan in the season opener.
Coach Kyle Whittingham said he couldn't fall asleep until that time either. Just a handful of hours afterwards, the Michigan captains called a meeting.
Marshall said it was Trey Pierce's idea, but that he, Rod Moore and Bryce Underwood, along with the leadership council, were all on board.
After the meeting, all four players who met with media on Tuesday mentioned the theme of the week is "do more."
"Everybody said it was kind of embarrassing," Moore said of U-M's performance. "I mean, like I said, we didn't play how we were supposed to. I was embarrassed
at the way that went out there and played. I'm the leader of the team, the oldest guy on the team, with the most experience. So, that's why I feel more embarrassed."
In some ways, it was also shocking. It's not just that U-M barely beat Western Michigan, but it also needed one final controversial play to do so. For the vast majority of the game, U-M was outplayed. The Wolverines went eight consecutive drives without points, going 3-and-out five times and turning the ball over on two others.
The defense was better, but far from perfect. It didn't give up a single touchdown, even when Michigan's offense turned the ball over inside its own territory on three occasions. The problem, however, was Jay Hill's unit struggled to get off the field. It allowed WMU to convert 8 of 18 third downs and possess the ball for more than 40 minutes.
"We've got to stop being soft, really," Moore said. "That was a soft game. That was not our standard. And we've got to come out of this week and work and just do more."
Michigan has no time sulk. Instead, it must address its upcoming matchup head on, as the No. 24 Wolverines host No. 10 Oklahoma as the Fox Big Noon Kickoff host site for one of the biggest matchups of the week.
The players weren't satisfied with how they executed in the biggest stadium in the country in the opener, even if somehow, someway, it did end with a win for the home team.
"What gets me upset is how we performed for our fans and the countless of people that come to watch our games," Marshall said. "We have 110,000 people and more that support us every single week. So for me, that just had me upset because they give everything and they love this program.
"I'm just excited for the opportunity that we get to go play a team like Oklahoma. It's a really good football team, a top-10 football team. I'm excited for the opportunity for not only myself, but our team, our coaches, our fans, and I'm excited to go out there and have a fresh start."
A short memory is often required in football. It's a dangerous game when one week bleeds into the next, particularly off a bad performance. But what Michigan is trying to remember is that it won the opener even though Whittingham said in many ways "it felt like a loss."
In the end, it wasn't a loss and if U-M can have the same result again this week, then the whole season is back on track. Michigan got back after it in practice on a day they call "bloody Tuesday," which is often their most physical day of the week.
There was an emphasis on increased urgency this week and now there's just a handful of days left until Michigan takes on the first of four preseason top-10 foes on its schedule.
"Something that we have to do is go one and zero every week, and you know whatever happened last week, you kind of got to move on," center Jake Guarnera said. "It's a different team and a different scheme. So just kind of locking in on what they do and and playing to the best of our abilities and just being intentional in practice is something that is important."
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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 eager to turn the page after 'soft' and 'embarrassing' opener
