Bob Wojnowski

Wolverines get pushed around as expectations take big drop

Ann Arbor -- Michigan was stumbling all over the place, and that's one concern. The Wolverines and quarterback Tate Forcier are starting to get shoved around too, and that's a big concern.

What Penn State did to Michigan on Saturday -- manhandling its way to a 35-10 victory -- was clear and decisive. What the Wolverines did to themselves was ridiculous -- dropping passes, committing penalties, fumbling, fumbling, fumbling.

What they do from here is unclear, although expectations just took a major plummet. The defense's struggle is not a surprise. The offense's collapse under young Forcier, admittedly against a tough Penn State defense, was a staggering reality check.

This was dismal play in the drizzle, with setbacks in every area, and all of a sudden, Rich Rodriguez has another big hurdle. A quick start for the Wolverines, who scored on their first drive, melted to an awful finish, and the story of the game better not become the story of the season.

For Michigan's sake, it can't become the story of Forcier's season. When the Wolverines (5-3) were winning in heart-stopping fashion early, it was easy to forget Forcier was a freshman. It's hard to forget it now, although this certainly isn't all on him. He was erratic and appears to be aching -- 13-for-30, five sacks -- but the offensive line got pushed back on top of him again and again.

Fellow freshman Denard Robinson lost a fumble and threw an interception in limited action, so the Wolverines aren't going anywhere without Forcier, who vowed to rebound. The kid sounds unbroken and determined, which is good to see, but Michigan is fragile right now.

Repair work ahead

Perhaps that's why Rodriguez was unusually calm afterward, placing a lot of blame on the coaching staff. There was an odd placidness about him, which suggests he knows he has significant repair work with his youngsters.

"Maybe we should not expect too much too soon," Rodriguez said of Forcier. "We have to remember, he's a true freshman, and all these experiences are new experiences. He's a competitor, he'll battle back. Sometimes you have a little bit of success and people think, OK, your freshman year is over. But it's not over yet."

Forcier turned the ball over only once, on a late interception, but he made poor decisions, while his receivers chipped in with dropped passes. Michigan can't win with its defense these days, so it sure can't win committing four turnovers. Every time something bad happened, it seemed like Forcier tried too hard to make something good happen.

He said he banged up his sore right shoulder again but declared he'd be fine. I asked if the physical Big Ten was taking a toll, and Forcier shook his head.

"Nah," he said. "I can say it a thousand times, but I think we're beating ourselves. There are reads that I'm not making, and a lot of it is preparation. A lot of it is on me. I want people to expect me to play the way I played in the first part of the season."

In Rodriguez's spread offense, a lot is on the quarterback, and Forcier's inspired play early in the season obscured Michigan's weaknesses, especially in the trenches. It's not just that Penn State (7-1) dominated after falling behind 7-0; it's that we've seen these soft stretches from Michigan before.

Small margin for error

If you're counting, this is three straight Big Ten losses to physically punishing teams -- Michigan State, Iowa, Penn State. That can be the knock on spread teams, although it's too early to pass that judgment. We'd seen rapid improvement early, but in the growing cold, the Wolverines are 1-3 in the conference, as they head to what should be a winnable game at Illinois.

They've been stomped two straight years by the Nittany Lions, who carved up Michigan's back-tracking defense with sharp senior quarterback Daryll Clark. Defensive coordinator Greg Robinson isn't finding many answers, notably in that jumbled secondary.

Some of that was expected. But at least you figured the Wolverines had the weapons to force a shootout. Uh-uh, not even close. The total yardage difference was telling -- 396-250 -- as Penn State's terrific defensive front overwhelmed Michigan's line.

The Wolverines are undersized in a lot of areas. Of course when they win, we say how speedy they are. When they lose, we talk about how small they are, and whether they can handle the rigors of the Big Ten.

This is for certain: Their margin for mistakes is incredibly narrow, and they went way, way outside the margins in this game.

"Obviously I'm disappointed, but I'm not discouraged," Rodriguez said. "I don't know if one game really defines you either way, good or bad. We're a young team but we've played enough games to get some experience. At times, as coaches, we gotta be a little patient."

Patience is fine, but regression is troubling. I didn't hear excuses from Rodriguez or Forcier, and just because expectations rocketed with the 4-0 start, doesn't mean they were fully warranted. The Wolverines are several notches below the Big Ten's best, and the sobering truth is, if their quarterback doesn't play well, they have no way to make up the difference.

bob.wojnowski@detnews.com