After a great showing against Cincinnati last week, Michigan struggled to maintain its momentum against Western Michigan in its 15-44 loss Friday night. An onslaught of penalties and knock-ons kept the Wolverines on defense for much of the game, and the Broncos utilized a slew of hard forward runners that Michigan wasn’t willing to tackle.
Despite the lopsided score, Western only scored five tries versus Michigan’s three. Nathan Feldman, Braden Loughnane, and Connor Gilfillan all punched it in for the Wolverines. Western’s supreme penalty and conversion kicking is what really gave them an edge.
Furthermore, Michigan’s set pieces did look much better than the previous week. Lineouts weren’t perfect but were generally successful, and the Wolverines forced a number of penalties and free kicks in the scrum despite having the smaller forward pack.
The second sides played a closer game, but Michigan still lost 7-20. Senior Andrew Backer provided the only try.
Michigan has a bye this week. On September 16, the top side travels to South Bend, IN to take on Notre Dame. While Notre Dame is in the Big Ten this year, this game won’t count towards conference standings. The second side will remain in Ann Arbor to play Hillsdale College’s top side.
