Michigan 28, Arkansas State 18: The wrong kind of answers
This post is locked and can be read by premium subscribers only.
A common refrain from fans and talking heads alike on the heels of Michigan’s 28-18 win over Arkansas this weekend was something along the lines of “Michigan exits non-conference play with plenty of unanswered questions.”
And while I understand the sentiment, I actually pretty strongly disagree with the statement itself.
I don’t think Michigan has that many questions that are still unanswered. Most questions regarding personnel and season outlook heading into the season have enough data points surrounding them for folks to make informed opinions at this point. The major problem: most of the answers aren’t fun for Michigan fans to accept.
It’s not exclusively bad news. There was progress on Saturday in some areas that were beginning to trend to be areas of concern, with the running game at the top of that list and a few trouble spots on defense also looking to be sured up a bit.
But I imagine just about anyone who went into the Arkansas State game looking for a pick-me-up as the Wolverine season now shifts to Big Ten play walked away disappointed. And just about anyone who came into the season three weeks ago with an idea in their head of what the Wolverines’ ceiling was in 2024 has amended what that ceiling looks like. And it’s unfortunately lower than expected.
Below the paywall jump, I’ll dive into those questions and what most of us know those answers are. Whether fans (and in some cases, the coaching staff) are ready to accept those answers is a whole different question, though…
