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Takeaways: Michigan 33 Northwestern 7

Here are our takeaways from the Wildcats' 33-7 loss to No. 6 Michigan.


Hilinski has an off day

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Ryan Hilinski threw for just 114 yards and an interception.
Ryan Hilinski threw for just 114 yards and an interception. (USA Today Sports)

Coming off of his best performance as a Wildcats, quarterback Ryan Hilinski needed to be sharp for the Wildcats in his fourth consecutive start. Instead, he played probably his worst game in purple.

Hilinski's completion percentage was below 50%, with only 14 of his 29 pass attempts being hauled in by Northwestern receivers, and for only 114 yards. He also threw an interception on a play where he tried to force a ball into tight coverage, and predictably, the ball was tipped and eventually picked off. Northwestern's only points came on a 75-yard touchdown run by Evan Hull; other than that, their performance was ugly.

Hilinski looked rattled by pressure, abandoning his footwork and firing inaccurate passes that had little chance of being caught. In the third quarter, Northwestern trailed by 10 but had a drive going into Michigan territory. On third down, Hilinski had freshman Jordan Mosley wide open inside the 5-yard line, primed to set up NU up with first-and-goal. Hilinski overthrew Mosley and forced NU to settle for a (missed) field goal attempt.

On a third-and-one in the first quarter, Michigan had a coverage bust that left Charlie Mangieri streaking down the middle of the field without a defender within 15 yards. Instead of hitting Mangieri for the TD, Hilinski opted to throw to Marshall Lang for a first down, and the drive eventually ended with a punt.

WIth Northwestern's ground game stymied save for Hull's run, Hilinski needed to make plays in the passing game. He wasn't up to the task against the Wolverines. It didn't help that he was missing his top two receivers in Bryce Kirtz, who was inactive, and Stephon Robinson Jr., who left in the first quarter.

"I think [Hilinski] did a lot of good things today, but I'm also sure there are a lot of things he himself would like to have back," said head coach Pat Fitzgerald.


Special teams cost the Wildcats

Hassan Haskins scored a TD after Michigan blocked NU's punt.
Hassan Haskins scored a TD after Michigan blocked NU's punt. (AP)

Northwestern had two blunders on special teams that turned the tide against them.

The first was Charlie Kuhbander's missed 39-yard field goal in the third quarter. Northwestern, trailing 17-7, had by far its most productive drive, converting two third-and-longs and going 59 yards in 12 plays to get into field-goal range. But Kuhbander hooked his 39-yard field goal attempt to the left. It was his fifth miss in nine attempts this season and it squandered Northwestern's last chance to get back into the game.

"I have great confidence in Charlie," said Fitzgerald, who blamed a swirling wind, as well as the holder and snapper for the miscue. Whether or not Fitzgerald believes that is anyone's guess, but one things is certain: it's going to be difficult to win tight games down the stretch without a reliable placekicker.

Then, on their very next possession, a punt-team mistake put the game on ice for the Wolverines. Cornelius Johnson came off the left edge untouched and blocked Derek Adams' punt at the NU 31-yard line. The loose ball was recovered by Caden Kolesar at the NU 24.

Three plays later, Hassan Haskins scored on a 13-yard run to make it 24-7, and the game was effectively over. That was the point of no return for Northwestern's struggling offense.


Defense set up to fail

Northwestern's defense kept them in the game for two and a half quarters.
Northwestern's defense kept them in the game for two and a half quarters. (AP)

Northwestern's defense played well for a second consecutive week. Michigan may have racked up 457 yards, including 294 of them on the ground, but the Wildcats' stellar play around the goal line, where they allowed the Wolverines just 10 points on three trips inside the 5-yard line, kept them in the game until the third quarter.

However, Northwestern's offensive ineptitude was just too much for the defense to overcome. Except for Hull's 75 yard run, Northwestern's 18 other plays went for a total of 39 yards in the first half.

Michigan had the ball for nearly 23 minutes in the first half and just under 40 minutes for the game. As a result, the defense was left out to dry.

What's more, just two of NU's 13 total offensive drives in the game when for more than six plays. On top of that, miscues gifted the Wolverines 13 points on two touchdowns, after the blocked punt and the interception.

Northwestern's defense essentially held Michigan to 20 points. On the road and against a Top 10 team of Michigan's caliber, that is more than good enough.


Third downs tell the story

Northwestern's defense had trouble getting off the field on third down.
Northwestern's defense had trouble getting off the field on third down. (AP)

One could get a good idea of the final score just by looking at the third-down conversion rate for both teams. Michigan converted 60% of their third-down tries; Northwestern just 28.6%.

The Wildcats offense converted more than one third down on a drive just once all afternoon -- in the third-quarter possession that resulted in Kuhbander's missed field goal. Other than that, they never had more than one conversion on any drive and picked up first downs just four times in 14 tries.

Northwestern's defense, however, could have helped its cause and evened the time of possession a little bit by getting off the field on third down more often. Michigan converted 12 of 20 third-down opportunities in all. In the second quarter, the Wolverines went 6 for 9 as they held the ball for 13:01 of the 15 minutes of game time.

Getting off the field on third down was a problem for the defense earlier in the year, especially against Michigan State and Duke. While they showed progress last week against Rutgers, there is still a lot of room for improvement.


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