After weeks of discussing the aftermath of Week 1 and the final second and Hail Mary against Western Michigan, Michigan football got a little moment in the limelight with the win over Oklahoma, only for the second to return to the narrative forefront. So after the Wolverines routed UTEP, the hope was that there would be more positive buzz coming off the 52-17 win.
However, next to no one is discussing the maize and blue. In searching to create a roundup of outlets talking about Michigan football, only ESPN had any real mention.
ESPN had its recap of the weekend, and though it credited the Wolverines for eventually stomping UTEP, it believes that the game will make Wolverines fans 'less optimistic' with the meat of the schedule coming up.
Only two
weeks removed from its wake-up call against Western Michigan, Michigan spent much of its first half sleepwalking against a UTEP team that had lost 51-0 to Oklahoma -- the same Oklahoma team Michigan beat 17-10 last week. UTEP led 14-7 late in the second quarter before the Wolverines finally woke up to win 52-17 in a game that will likely make Michigan fans less optimistic about what is to come.
While the first half was a struggle and could have caused plenty of consternation, the second half all but erased that. The first half featured plenty of issues, including two ill-timed penalties and two turnovers, but the second half saw the Wolverines flex in a way they hadn't this year, and only really had once last year against Central Michigan.
If anything, the second half should inspire confidence, especially given the pass game and Bryce Underwood passing for 223 yards with a 76% completion percentage -- his second-best game in terms of efficiency (he had 77.8% against Washington last year).
That's not to say there weren't issues. Blocking offensively continues to be a concern, even though there was a makeshift offensive line with Andrew Sprague out. But this does look like a team that may have issues in Big Ten play. It very well be able to escape with how good the defense is and there are weapons offensively. But they're not always on the same page, so the team will have to be more consistent with the next four games on the schedule being a big step up in terms of competition.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: ESPN still skeptical of Michigan after 52-17 rout of UTEP
