Michigan Football: Jack Tuttle is imperfect, CBs struggle against UW

Through the first six weeks of the season, the Michigan Wolverines have lost two games and tried three different quarterbacks. It's always been a rebuilding year, and given the way the rest of the schedule is shaping up, this team is certainly in for a few more losses before the season is over.

Saturday's loss to Washington was more of the same, but also featured a few new twists, starting with Jack Tuttle at quarterback. The Wolverines now have a week off to regroup before playing four teams currently ranked in the top 25. Here's what we learned from the second loss of the season.

Simple and stable

In many ways, Tuttle is similar to Starbucks, the company that was founded at Seattle's Pike Place Market – he's not flashy, but he's consistent and predictable. It's entirely possible to get a bad cup of coffee at Starbucks or encounter poor service at a particular location, just like the costly fourth-quarter turnovers against Washington's defense, but that's only part of the cost. ..him.

However, Starbucks is mostly the same from drink to drink (read: bottom to bottom) and has a lot of options (hearing the game, using its legs, making different throws). While some people prefer local or more niche stores, at this point this team just needs a Starbucks-like starter with a defined menu. Tuttle certainly has some weaknesses, as he showed on Saturday, but he also has more visible positives than the rest of the quarterback team. The cap is limited, but Michigan's best chance is to play with the veteran the rest of the way.

Too green

Seattle got its nickname “Emerald City” because of the greenery that surrounds it, but the greenest thing this weekend was Michigan Secondary School. Nobody expects Jyaire Hill and Zeke Berry to be completely at full speed in their first season as starters, but man, it's hard to see them constantly being attacked as teams (wisely) avoid Will Johnson on most of their throws.

From the first play of the game, Hill struggled to maintain his balance, biting on double moves and finding himself out of position all too often. In the meantime, Berry had missed several tackles and also missed attempts downfield. Even without suicidal blitzing, these players find it difficult to stay on task. There have been some high points in each case, but there are still many growing pains.

There is not much that can be done to mitigate this. First, it's pretty unlikely that Wink Martindale will make a ton of adjustments for inexperienced defensive backs, but it's not like Michigan has enough moving parts in the back seven to do otherwise anyway. The second half of the season will be about getting those two more reps and hoping they can learn from their mistakes before facing the Ohio State receivers.

On the rise

The Wolverines weren't planning on coming into the game 9-1 after the loss to Texas, but the loss to Washington really solidified that reality. That means dreams of the College Football Playoff are all but over, which is an uncomfortable feeling in early October. However, I believe that this program, like the Space Needle, is ultimately on the rise; I know it's strange to say this after a loss, and I know there will be more hiccups, but bear with me.

The chances of making the playoffs were always slim after so many roster changes and a much more difficult schedule than last year, but fans were hopeful to start the year. After six weeks, I think everyone can finally look at this team with clear eyes and see its flaws and where it currently stands in the college football landscape. There may not be many warm, fuzzy feelings, but sometimes it can be valuable, like that clarity,

What we see is an incomplete team with plenty of room for growth. We learned on Saturday that there will be more losses over the next two months, but we can also see that overall there is plenty of upside potential in this program. The arrows may be pointing downward for 2024, but quarterback, offensive line and cornerback are just a few of the things that need to be better in 2025. There can be hope in times of darkness, and remember to keep your head up despite this frustration.