[Upchurch]

Sometimes you sail to a 25-point win, sometimes you grind one out. Saturday’s contest, absent the hey-hand-me-that-roster period that most expected, did little to reveal the depths of the depth chart. It did, however, reveal an increasingly efficient passing game and little else.

A plodding start to the game saw both teams punt on their first two possessions and eat up over half of the first quarter. An Ambry Thomas jet sweep went for 11 yards on the first play of Michigan’s third drive. They then ran Chris Evans three times to another first down before Shea Patterson found Zach Gentry deep; a cornerback dove as soon as Gentry caught the ball, erasing himself from the play and opening up some yards after the catch for what turned into a 32-yard reception. Michigan then ran the ball six straight times to the SMU 12-yard line before Patterson rolled out, motioned Sean McKeon up, and tossed an interception to a defensive back that cut in front of McKeon.

Said plodding start had come to a complete standstill. Devin Gil tore into the backfield on the next play from scrimmage, but Ben Hicks got the ball out in a hurry to James Proche on a slant for 13 yards. Proche was a thorn in the secondary’s side the rest of the game, finishing with 11 receptions on 17 targets for 166 yards and two touchdowns, including a 50-yard touchdown reception that saw Lavert Hill and Brad Hawkins both take the inside receiver on an apparent coverage bust. On this drive, though, Proche didn’t have the same luck, catching two passes after the slant for –1 yards. SMU punted and, as their special teams was wont to do, gave Michigan advantageous starting field position.

Michigan, starting at their own 43-yard line, hunkered down and took 6:25 to reach the end zone, finally punching it in on a fullback dive from Ben Mason on fourth-and-one.

The Wolverines quickly found themselves knotted at 7-7 after the aforementioned coverage bust TD to Proche. Michigan responded, converting on 4th-and-1 via an Evans carry out of I-form in which he followed Ben Mason’s block to just eek out the necessary yardage. Michigan Stadium, which had been nearly silent for so long, seemed to startle awake, golf claps rising into relieved, albeit quiet, cheers. An unsportsmanlike conduct call on SMU head coach Sonny Dykes moved Michigan from midfield to SMU’s 35, and Patterson took over from there, slowing SMU’s secondary with a Ambry Thomas jet sweep action and then hitting Donovan Peoples-Jones downfield; Peoples- Jones did the rest, turning the ball upfield and leaping into the end zone.

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[Barron]

Michigan’s defense then forced SMU into a 3rd-and-11 from their own 24 before giving up an uncharacteristic 32-yard reception to Proche. They returned to form one play later as the defensive tackles pushed the pocket into Hicks, Gary started to come around the end, and Mone got off his man for the sack. Josh Metellus was flagged for a seemingly phantom pass interference call on the next play, then responded with an interception on the east sideline near Michigan’s 30-yard line. Metellus slowed to allow his blockers to set, Aidan Hutchinson blew up Hicks, and Metellus ran past the carnage, cut past a diving defender, and dove into the middle of the end zone as time expired in the first half.

It was an odd game, what with the highlights like Metellus’ pick-6 and the defensive line’s dominance (particularly Chase Winovich’s eight tackles, two TFLs, and one PBU on which he lined up on the interior and managed to twist around the tackle in time to jump and get his hands on the pass) tempered by the long second-half drives allowed and repeated pass interference calls on what seemed like typical plays from tight man coverage.

One drive in particular looked like it should have ended long before it reached midfield. Michigan allowed a first down on a 12-yard completion on third-and-9 before forcing SMU into a third-and-10. William Brown, in for Ben Hicks after he was taken out by Hutchinson on Metellus’ interception return, flung a ball toward the sideline that appeared to be uncatchable. Tyree Kinnel, however, was flagged for pass interference and the drive lived. Brown ran the ball up the middle on the next play and Khaleke Hudson approached from the side, appearing to try to throw his shoulder into Brown. Even so, their helmets made contact and Hudson was tossed from the game after an upstairs review resulted in a targeting call; Hudson will now miss the first half of next week’s game against Nebraska. “It seems like a really high level of scrutiny to be placing on a play between the tackles,” Harbaugh said after the game.

By this time, Michigan’s offense was in the midst of finding a rhythm that the passing game hasn’t had in quite some time. Give Patterson two solid beats and he’s able to make any throw. Give him less than that and, if tonight is any indication, he’ll spin out of a would-be sack and improvise his way to success. He finished the day 14-of-18 for 237 yards and a passer rating of 232.3.

Despite Karan Higdon’s absence (which Harbaugh said was a game-time decision), Michigan scored on its final six drives of the game, three of which ended with a touchdown pass from Patterson to Peoples-Jones. Zach Gentry also emerged as a literal and metaphorical big target for Patterson, hauling in four receptions on five targets for 95 yards and a long of 32. He did much of his damage down the seam; SMU didn’t seem to know how to cover him when Michigan ran him downfield out of a tight bunch.

There is still much to work on. The defense will need to clean up communications on assignments that caused issues throughout, though it’s worth noting that much of the statistical damage done came on two long fourth-quarter drives that saw them cede 65 passing yards and 113 total yards. The offense will need to look at what caused the running game to sputter. For now, Michigan will take their lumps alongside their multi-score victory.