Michigan football grades: F, F, F of a performance in embarrassing loss to Wisconsin

Free Press sports writer Orion Sang grades Michigan football after the Wolverines' 49-11 loss to No. 14 Wisconsin on Saturday night:

Offense: F

More than 15 minutes into the game, the Wolverines had more interceptions than yards. Yes, it was that bad of a performance. Michigan had 1 yard of offense over its first four drives, and quarterback Joe Milton threw two interceptions on his first two attempts: One that didn't appear to be his fault, and another that definitely seemed to be his fault. But, once again, Michigan's struggles can't be entirely placed upon Milton's shoulders. Every position group is struggling right now. And the Wolverines have nothing they can rely on: No easy completions, no base run plays that can consistently generate positive yardage. There's no extra frippery either to create chunk plays, which we began to see toward the second half of 2019. Instead, this is a somewhat aimless offense that doesn't do anything particularly well besides get into second- and third-and-longs.

Now, one wonders if Michigan will turn the reins over to backup quarterback Cade McNamara, who entered the game in the third quarter and promptly completed his first four passes for 74 yards, one touchdown and a two-point conversion. The Wolverines could certainly use more scoring drives like that.

Defense: F

Wisconsin running back Nakia Watson may never have an easier touchdown than his 10-yard scamper in the second quarter. The Badgers averaged under 3.5 yards per carry in their first and only game this season, but cured their ails against Michigan's run defense. The Wolverines were consistently blown off the ball up front and also ceded the edge on jet sweeps. The passing defense wasn't much better either: Michigan's best hope was of a Wisconsin drop. The Badgers had open receiver after open receiver off play action, and it almost seemed as if coach Paul Chryst called off the dogs after taking a 28-0 lead. Yet Wisconsin's basic second-half scheme was still unstoppable against the Wolverines' defense. The Badgers even gained 43 yards on a fullback dive. The only difference between this week and the past two games: Michigan's defense got gashed on the ground instead of through the air.

Special teams: C+

Quinn Nordin made a 46-yard field goal. Giles Jackson had a 43-yard kick return. And then the Wolverines committed a running into the kicker penalty that gave Wisconsin a first down after the defense had forced a punt. Right now, special teams is the only phase of the game in which Michigan isn't being thoroughly outplayed by the opposition. But the Wolverines haven't been amazing, either.

Coaching: F

For a second consecutive season, Michigan found itself in a 28-point hole against Wisconsin. The Badgers are good — but probably not that good. Just as they did in last season's 35-14 loss, the Wolverines just looked unprepared against Wisconsin. They seemed dejected, too. Michigan is clearly rebuilding, but that doesn't mean the Wolverines should necessarily be blown out against a superior team. It's on the coaching staff to get the players ready and motivated to play every week. And they haven't exactly done that for the past three weeks. And it could only be harder to keep the players locked in after their third consecutive loss.

Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football grades: F, F, F of a performance against Wisconsin