3 Michigan Wolverines most to blame for catastrophic home loss to Texas

Last year was last year, and this is this year. It is amazing what a difference a year can make. Michigan was on top of the world, and now the Wolverines are getting toppled on. For everybody outside of Ann Arbor, they could read the writing on the wall. While Sherrone Moore may be able to keep this thing afloat, Michigan was always going to be a one-off College Football Playoff National Champion.

Whether it be coaching attrition, star players going to the NFL or the rest of the college football world wanting to see them fail after blatantly cheating and lying the last few years, it has all combined into a massive problem that nobody can get a handle on. With Texas coming to town Week 2 and absolutely dog walking them, we can probably cross Michigan off as a serious national title contender this year.

One of my favorite parts about major college football is you are allowed to get better as the season progresses. These are kids playing a game after all. Moore is still new to this head-coaching thing, but I have seen more good than bad out of him over the last two years. Unfortunately, his last two games have not been good, and his most recent coaching performance was the worst of his career by far.

Let's do the Michigan blame game and point the finger at three Wolverines who lost them this game.

3. Michigan Wolverines defensive coordinator Don Martindale

If Michigan wanted to have any chance of staying in this game, then new defensive coordinator Don Martindale would have needed to make his presence felt on the sidelines right away. Two of Michigan's four best players are on his side of the ball in defensive lineman Mason Graham and cornerback Will Johnson. Texas has talent on defense, but not to the degree of those two phenoms.

Martindale had been John Harbaugh's long-time defensive coordinator in Baltimore. He replaces Jesse Minter, who followed Jim Harbaugh to Los Angeles. Martindale used to be on Jack Harbaugh's Western Kentucky staff back in the very early 2000s. In theory, he had the seal of approval to help get the most out of this defensive personnel for the new offensive-minded head coach Sherrone Moore.

However, we have seen Martindale's stock take a hit for a few reasons. He was on his way towards becoming an NFL head coach only a few years ago. Martindale left Baltimore to be Brian Daboll's defensive coordinator on the New York Giants. That team regressed massively last year. I don't know if the game has passed him by, but Martindale needed to do a better job of slowing down Texas today.

To be fair, most teams would not be able to slow down Texas, but Martindale had been in the NFL!

2. Michigan Wolverines quarterback Davis Warren

I don't like to put him in this spot, but I feel like I kind of have to. Davis Warren would be praised out the wazoo if he played well at quarterback in this game, but since he did not, then he has to take on some of the blame for Michigan's offensive futility. He was never going to outshine his counterpart in Quinn Ewers in this one, but he played a bit too reckless for my taste. Ball security was an issue all day long.

This is the guy Sherrone Moore tabbed to be his starting quarterback at the beginning of the season. We were more aware of Alex Orji from his run-heavy packages from the last few years to spell J.J. McCarthy. It has to be accuracy issues keeping Orji on the bench because I am not feeling what I am seeing out of Warren. I feel like we are watching some Wilton Speight nonsense from yesteryear, y'all.

Again, Warren is allowed to improve as the season progresses. My only concern is Michigan is going to come up painfully short of lofty expectations if the current coaching staff keeps trotting him out there. While it took a year or so for McCarthy to really find his footing, Michigan is simply not a contender in the Big Ten as is offensively. This team can only win one way and that is with ball control.

Michigan may still be ranked after this weekend, but the Wolverines must bounce back big next week.

1. Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore

I don't know if this was a total referendum on Sherrone Moore, but it wasn't a good look at all for the recently promoted Michigan head coach. We got back-to-back duds by the supposed heir apparent off Jim Harbaugh's staff. The defense may have had its moments at times in both games, but they were fleeting. More importantly, Moore's side of the football looks to be painfully mediocre already.

All offseason long, I questioned if he was truly ready for this opportunity. He may have bought all the snake oil Jim Harbaugh was selling him. The fact Michigan did not pursue a better quarterback in the transfer portal astonishes me! I would have taken guys like Dequan Finn and Jordan McCloud over whatever they have under center right now. Why couldn't you pay Dante Moore seven figures either?

Overall, I just feel like I am watching something doomed to fail. I had Michigan going 8-4 to start the season, and I feel pretty good about that. They were the fifth-best team in the Big Ten in my eyes, but now I would probably take a few more over them now, including Iowa. Again, why would you not entertain the possibility of bringing Cade McNamara back for one last ride as the Michigan starter?

We have been presented problems and offered no solutions when it comes to Moore at head coach.