If you were to do the oft-overused comparison of a dumpster fire to Colorado’s punting unit, the dumpster might sue you for defamation.
Michigan got up by enough where a Hail Mary wouldn’t have mattered unlike in 1994, mostly because the Buffs were the gift that keeps on giving on special teams, first allowing the Wolverines on the board when Grant Perry returned a blocked punt for a touchdown.
Then, up 21-7, Alex Kinney rolled out for a rugby style punt and nailed his offensive lineman in the back, which led quickly to Michigan’s second touchdown.
They’d sandwich two delay of game penalties (one of which was in the final minute of the first half, which Michigan quickly scored a touchdown on after gaining possession) into those aforementioned screw ups and then allowing a touchdown return by Jabrill Peppers.
All in all, a metric ton of mistakes for one single special teams unit.
With all of that, Colorado was in the game until starting quarterback Sefo Liufau went out in the second half with an ankle injury. His last play was a 70-yard touchdown pass that gave the Buffs their final lead.
If anyone wondered as to whether or not the Buffs were on the way back in full under Mike MacIntyre, let them wonder no more. They’re a little Liufau-dependent, but hell, what teams aren’t overly dependent on their quarterback when they’re in a rebuilding process?
Michigan, though, showed some dents in the otherwise spotless armor. The defense was getting their hides tanned all over the first half, from trick plays to just getting it shoved down their throats. The middle of Michigan’s defense looks Play-Doh soft at times against the pass.
On offense, CU mostly pushed around the Michigan OL for the better part of the first half. Quarterback Wilton Speight looked wildly unsettled and sailed several easy throws, plus flat out seemed to think some CU defensive backs were ghosts, throwing right at them at times.
Michigan’s receivers showed limited ability to separate down field too often, and the kicking game remains an annual adventure in Ann Arbor, with Kenny Allen badly missing two kicks.
All of these things will be issues if the Wolverines are to challenge in the Big Ten and nationally. By the time the first series that Liufau missed was going down, Michigan was only up 31-28. This was anyone’s game to that point.
But wins are wins, and they’re better than losses.
If you’re looking for two main takeaways from this one, they’re this:
1. Colorado is on the way back, in a big way.
2. Michigan is good, but that offense will need to be better to win a Big Ten title. The limitations looked obvious.
And pour one out for Colorado’s punting unit. There won’t be one in college football today that has a rougher day.
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