Michigan has gone from a rally team to a fall apart team
I noticed a trend in Michigan's performance that reversed itself completely, and I don't know what to make of it. Observe - the following are summaries of scoring by half for Michigan's first four games against competitive opponents (Eastern, Western, and loloware state are excluded):
Vs. Notre Dame
First Half: M 17, ND 20 (-3)
Second Half: M 21, ND 14 (+7)
Michigan rallies in the second half for the win.
Vs. Indiana
First Half: M 21, IU 23 (-2)
Second Half: M 15, IU 10 (+5)
Michigan rallies in the second half for the win.
Vs. Michigan State
First Half: M 6, MSU 10 (-4)
Second Half: M 14, MSU 10 (+4)
Overtime: M 0, MSU 7 (-7)
[Second Half + Overtime]: M 14, MSU 17 (-3)
Michigan rallies to tie at end of regulation, but loses in overtime.
Vs. Iowa
First Half: M 14, Iowa 20 (-6)
Second Half: M 14, Iowa 10 (+4)
Michigan rallies in the second half but comes up just short.
Notice that, in each game, Michigan does better in the second half than it did in the first, even when taking into account overtime versus MSU. Michigan does not always win, but they stay strong and improve in the second half. And then, after DSU, this happens:
Vs. Penn State
First Half: M 10, PSU 19 (-9)
Second Half: M 0, PSU 16 (-16)
Michigan hangs in there for the first half, but then things get ugly.
Vs. Illinois
First Half: M 13, Ill 7 (+6)
Second Half: M 0, Ill 31 (-31)
Michigan leads at the half, but then things get ugly.
Vs. Purdue
First Half: M 24, PU 10 (+14)
Second Half: M 12, PU 28 (-16)
Michigan leads by two scores at the half, but then things get ugly.
Vs. Wisconsin
FIrst Half: M 17, W 21 (-4)
Second Half: M 7, W 24 (-17)
Michigan hangs in there for the first half, but then (say it with me now!) things... get... ugly!
What is going on here?
I don't know. There are a lot of reasons why one team might do better or worse in the second half of a football game. One team might be better conditioned and the other might tire. One team's coaches might make better adjustments to the other team's game plan. One team might start out hyped up on adrenaline while the other team comes out flat. The truly puzzling thing, though, is how Michigan has gone from second half rally team to a second half fall apart team, with a clean, complete, utter reversal of tendencies somewhere around mid-season. Is it a psychological phenomenon? Have Michigan's offensive game plan and defensive vulnerabilities been figured out to the point that any coach can, after a half game of observation, pick them apart? Your theories are welcome.
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