The lesson Michigan should take from the Ohio State loss? Go buy some better receivers

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It was obvious in the first quarter. 

Michigan had scored a field goal on its first drive, intercepted Julian Sayin and turned that into a field goal. Now, Michigan had the ball back after holding Ohio State to a field goal following a goal-line stand.

Most of the breaks had gone Michigan’s way to that point. But on a second-and-5 Bryce Underwood run, a flag came out. Michigan H-back Jalen Hoffman was called for holding linebacker Sonny Styles in the backfield on a play that gained zero yards. As Michigan players prepared to walk back and run a second-and-15 play, referee Kole Knueppel’s voice boomed throughout the Big House to announce the penalty.

The TV broadcast missed the ultimate act of disrespect that came next. A few seconds later, Knueppel informed both sidelines that Ohio State coach Ryan Day had decided to decline the penalty.

The message from Day to Michigan coach Sherrone Moore in that moment was abundantly clear: You don’t have the dudes to make these five yards, and we all know it.

Underwood, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2025, dropped back to throw and found no one open. He scrambled and got planted by a trio of Buckeyes after a gain of one.

Michigan still led by three, and more than three quarters remained. But the game was over at that moment.

Michigan didn’t have the dudes. And that will be Moore’s mandate from this moment forward. Get the players who can help Underwood beat Ohio State. Even though the gap felt wide Saturday as the Buckeyes broke Michigan’s four-game win streak in the series, Michigan might only be a solid recruiting class and good transfer portal class away from living on Ohio State’s level.

I wrote after Michigan beat Ohio State last year that the 2024 edition was the worst edition of the Wolverines the Buckeyes would see for a long time. And Saturday’s result just made last year’s outcome even more mystifying. Because this Michigan team was better than last year’s, and considerably so. (Despite not having tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant as a defensive cheat code.) 

This year’s Michigan team finished the regular season 9-3. The passing game improved over 2024 despite playing a true freshman QB and not seriously upgrading the receiving corps through the portal last offseason. This improvement also came as the Wolverines dealt with injuries to their best backs, which turned a running game that could be deadly at times into a merely adequate one.

The primary focus when the portal opens should be on finding playmakers to team up with Underwood. Freshman Andrew Marsh emerged late this season as a future star, so that’s a perfect building block. Now Michigan needs to spend top dollar on the best receivers it can find in the portal. Call Oracle founder Larry Ellison’s Michigan superfan wife and ask her to borrow her husband’s checkbook again. 

If Michigan can upgrade its receivers this next offseason, the way Texas A&M did this past offseason, the offense could look completely different next year. The Aggies struggled to throw with Marcel Reed late in 2024. They brought in K.C. Concepcion (N.C. State) and Mario Craver (Mississippi State) from the portal, and suddenly they had an explosive passing offense to pair with a solid offensive line and an excellent tandem of backs. The result was an 11-1 season and a likely College Football Playoff appearance.

Michigan is going to have to deal with Jeremiah Smith one more year, and it appears Day has figured out that he doesn’t get extra points for beating Michigan while playing Michigan’s preferred style. Day attacked Michigan’s defense Saturday with downfield shots to Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. 

I’m not dumb enough to suggest that Michigan try to spend in the portal on a corner who can cover Smith one-on-one next year. Such a human doesn’t exist. The truth is that if Day now understands he’s allowed to use all his weapons, then Moore needs to develop a more diverse arsenal himself.

So get spending in the portal, Wolverines. If there’s a receiver or two you think would fit well with Underwood, write the check.

While Saturday’s margin of defeat might have seemed huge, the program isn’t that far away. Saturday dawned with a chance to make the College Football Playoff. If Michigan does what it should this offseason, next year’s edition of The Game might kick off with both teams playing for seeding.