Michigan football stumbles against Illinois and suffers its third loss of 2024

The hope was that Michigan would use the bye week to clean up mistakes and start the second half of the season, but the first half of football was as uninspired as ever. The Wolverines turned the ball over twice — a Jack Tuttle fumble and a Donovan Edwards fumble — allowing Illinois to convert turnovers into points. The Wolverines managed to put together a drive with less than two minutes left in the half and take a 13-7 deficit into halftime.

Things didn't get any better in the second game. Michigan made a three-pointer on its first drive, allowed Illinois another touchdown, and then Dominic Zvada had a field goal blocked on Tommy Doman's layup. The Wolverines struggled – once again – to get anything done offensively, and Michigan suffered its third loss of the season after falling to Illinois 21-7.

Here are my five takeaways from the game.

Some people, myself included, felt that the bye week came at just the right time for this Michigan team to regroup for the second half of the season. But it was a new week and the same Michigan football team.

Sherrone Moore started Jack Tuttle, who, like every Michigan quarterback, struggled to get anything going. The Wolverines' defense held as long as it could, but eventually it collapsed.

For the Wolverines, it's the same story every week. A lackluster offense and a disappointing defense. It's all about the Michigan coaching staff. Wolverine fans haven't seen this from Jim Harbaugh and Co. in the last three years. Michigan was fundamentally a strong team and made no mistakes – the 2024 Wolverines are far away.

Michigan continues to turn the ball over at a worrying rate, the Wolverines are not disciplined and are being sent off at a high rate and are simply making too many mistakes.

Moore is the head coach and the responsibility ultimately falls on his shoulders, but it's safe to say the coordinators and position coaches aren't helping anyone. The way things continue to unfold, the Wolverines could be looking for new personnel in 2025.

That may sound harsh, but it's the truth. The Wolverines are on their third starting quarterback, and while Jack Tuttle provided the spark for the Michigan offense against Washington two weeks ago, he turned the ball over twice in that loss.

After Illinois, Tuttle had a full week to work with Michigan's offense and he looked just as bad as any of the other quarterbacks. Tuttle fumbled the football and threw an interception right to the Illinois linebacker, which was fortunately called back – although Donovan Edwards fumbled two plays later.

Tuttle had a little momentum in the second half, leading Michigan down to within seven points, but after making a great pass to Colston Loveland, he followed it up with a terrible interception.

It appears Tuttle has some confidence issues. There were several times on Saturday when he had a clean pocket, got nervous, tucked the ball and ran. Either the Wolverine receivers couldn't catch up or Tuttle was very gun-shy against Illinois.

Both Davis Warren and Tuttle, who are supposed to be the polished passers, have problems with the ball. Alex Orji is having trouble throwing the football, and quarterbacks Jayden Denegal and true freshman Jadyn Davis aren't ready to play yet.

While he's a home run threat waiting to be called upon, Donovan Edwards continues to struggle. Edwards recovered his second fumble of the season in the first half and the Wolverines picked Ben Hall when Kalel Mullings lost his helmet and had to leave the field for a play.

When Michigan finally got a drive late in the first half, it came from Mullings. He continued to fight for yards and capped a long drive with a touchdown.

No other Michigan running back – that we have seen – has played the ball as hard as Mulings. He has the Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum in him, who goes along with his runs and is consistent.

Everyone wants Edwards to succeed at Michigan, but sometimes you have to stick with your best player, and that is undoubtedly Mullings. The Wolverines left Mullings several times on Saturday and he was pretty much the only thing that worked.

Michigan's defense bent over quite often, but the Wolverines' defense did what it could to keep Michigan in the game. But despite the absence of their best player, Will Johnson, who went out after the first drive, brutal penalties and a constant delay in the offense – the Wolverines' defense played well enough to win the game.

A lot of the problems come down to coaching, but if you want something positive here, there were a few players who played really well. Cornerback Jyaire Hill was in position Saturday and made some nice plays that gave hope for his future. While linebacker Jaishawn Barham had his best game as a Wolverine. Barham had a sack recalled and was playing fast and physical against the Illini.

There are no moral victories when you're the reigning national champions, but there were a few bright spots in the Michigan defense against one of the Big Ten's best offenses.

No matter how you try to pick it apart, with three losses and a brutal schedule, Michigan's goals are no longer in sight. The win against Ohio State is the only thing left in this schedule that could please the fan base.

Michigan isn't going to win too many games with this team's numbers. Whether the talent is simply not there or the coaching staff is the main problem, all I know is that this team is a mess.

If Michigan wants to get back into national competition next season, it's time to see what you've got in the bag. I'm looking at players like Jadyn Davis, Jordan Marshall – when he gets healthy – Channing Goodwin and other young guys who should be impact players.

The Wolverines will need to hit the transfer portal this offseason and hit hard — hello, Indiana — if Michigan is to do well next season. But in the meantime, see if you get anything from these little kids. Gain experience and get reviews going. I know Davis wasn't supposed to play this year. But will it be worse than what Michigan has? I don't know, but it's hard to believe. And if those young guys aren't anywhere near game-ready, Michigan has some tough decisions to make in the age of the transfer portal.

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