Michigan's downfall can be blamed on several people

Ann Arbor --The good news for Michigan: The Wolverines are a victory away from being bowl eligible with a month of football left, and play at Illinois, winless in the Big Ten, on Saturday.

The bad news: Where do we start?

Michigan is 5-3 and 1-3 in the Big Ten after Penn State dismantled Michigan in every phase, 35-10, last Saturday at Michigan Stadium, shutting them out and shutting them down in the second half. Michigan went scoreless in the second half, gaining a mere 100 yards on 31 plays and had three turnovers.

There was nothing good about this game, essentially the Wolverines' third straight loss if last week's statistics-padding annihilation of Delaware State is removed from the equation. Again, where do we start? There were turnovers, fumbled snaps, communication issues (one that led to a safety), badly thrown balls and dropped passes.

Senior defensive end Brandon Graham paused for quite a while when after the game he attempted to answer what happened to the Wolverines. He couldn't pinpoint a problem.

That's because there wasn't one specific issue.

Michigan's bright September, its 4-0 start and three-week stay in the AP top 25 poll seems like a long time ago. Since then, Michigan has lost back-to-back road games to Michigan State and Iowa and after beating up on Delaware State, got beaten up by Penn State.

There is no one person to blame, of course. The defense has struggled all season (remember, forget about Delaware State), and with the exception of Graham and cornerback Donovan Warren, there haven't been defenders who have distinguished themselves on a consistent basis.

As easy as it was the first month of the season to praise freshman quarterback Tate Forcier for his gutty play and comeback performances in wins against Notre Dame and Indiana, and the near win at Michigan State, it would be just as easy to be critical, especially after the Penn State game.

That would be unfair.

Forcier didn't drop the passes he threw, and he didn't make the botched snaps, but for most of the game he looked like a freshman. This has been a tough few weeks for Forcier, who injured his right (throwing) shoulder against Indiana, declared himself 100 percent last week and then had the shoulder "banged up" against Penn State. He also suffered a concussion toward the end of the Iowa game.

He's a quarterback who likes to be on the move, looking to make something happen, but against Penn State, after the touchdown drive to open the game, he sometimes appeared overwhelmed, missed throws, and was sacked five times.

Forcier, to his credit, shouldered much of the blame after the Penn State loss.

"There are reads that I'm not making that I need to be making," Forcier said. "A lot of it is preparation. A lot of it is on me. I just have to prepare myself for next week."

And then there's the Michigan defense, that Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark described as occasionally confused.

"A couple plays, they had trouble lining up," Clark told reporters after the game.

It should be a bit disconcerting that eight games into the season, the defense, according to an opposing quarterback, is having trouble lining up.

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said after the game that while the Wolverines are young, they have played enough games to gain experience. The key, he said, is not losing patience.

"As coaches, we have to be patient," he said. "You have to remember, 'Geez, some of these guys are playing for the first time.' "

The Wolverines need a win for bowl eligibility, and they'll have a good shot Saturday at Illinois, a team that hit the skids early. Illinois, coming off a 24-14 loss to Purdue, is 1-6 and 0-5 in the Big Ten. Because quarterback Juice Williams has struggled, Illinois played Williams and redshirt freshman Jacob Charest last Saturday and likely will run a two-quarterback system the rest of the season.

This could be an important game for the Wolverines to set them up for the final stretch that includes a game at Wisconsin and two home games including Ohio State in the season finale.

It'll be imperative for the Wolverines to, not to sound like psychoanalysis, but find themselves again. Forcier said he wants people to expect him to play the way he played "in the first part of the season," but he has to earn those expectations by playing unrushed and not looking for the big play every play.

The offensive line, absent center David Molk again, who injured a knee not long after returning from a four-game break for a foot injury, didn't give Forcier great protection against Penn State. The line played well in a two-point loss to Iowa and will need to find rhythm if Michigan's young quarterback is to find his confidence.

And finally, Michigan's defense. While it looked in recent weeks that the line was showing some signs of life, the defense took a step back against Penn State. The middle of the defense and the backfield are the most susceptible. How do you fix that? That's what Michigan's defensive coaches will have to figure out and fast.