In what can only be described as a disappointing end to the season, the Wolverines failed to come out with a victory against their rivals in the final two games of the regular season.
On October 18th the Wolverines traveled down to Columbus for a showdown against the Buckeyes in a highly anticipated Big 10 matchup with playoff implications on the line. The game did not go as planned for the Wolverines as they fell 69-21 under the lights against the Buckeyes. Multiple dominant carries from senior captain Mathew Daines and strong tackles from senior lock Brendan Willis helped keep the Wolverines in the game. Senior captain Shea Loughnane connected with Freshman wing Mark Farb on a beautiful cross-field kick to put Michigan on the board. Michigan then converted off a set piece in Ohio State territory with Sam Glusker scoring from a series of passes through the back line. Mathew Daines scored in the end for the Wolverines as well. However, it was too little too late for the Wolverines as they had trouble defending against a talented Ohio State squad.
The Wolverines then turned around the next week to take on their in-state rivals Michigan State at Mitchell Field in the final regular season game of the season. Despite a valiant effort across the board, the Wolverines fell short once again 22-10 in front of a packed crowd. Even with a majority of the game being played in Spartan territory, the Wolverines struggled to convert on their opportunities inside the 22-meter line.
Not being able to win set pieces was a common theme that plagued Michigan throughout the night. Winning the set piece became even more difficult when senior hooker Jamie Wilcox went down while fellow senior Michael Ackerman had to move from lock to take his place. In the face of adversity and multiple injuries to the starting forward pack, Michigan continued to battle and pressure the Spartans deep within their territory. Shea Loughnane was able to convert and put the Wolverines on the board. Multiple hard runs from the center pairing of Captain Luke Zana and Jack Regan brought the Wolverines to within the MSU 22-meter line. Freshman Kiyan Jacobs was able to capitalize and score to put the score at 22-10. Even though the Wolverines lost, there was no doubt that the team put forth a supreme effort. Michigan looks to pivot and bounce back on the road against Illinois next week in the playoffs.
