The case for firing Sherrone Moore has nothing to do with Michigan's moribund offense

The case against Sherrone Moore and whether he’s the right person to lead Michigan came to a head Saturday. And it has nothing to do with the loss to Indiana, or how one of the worst offenses in the Power 5 once again failed to show up.

No, the case against Moore isn't about taking a step back on the field after a national title. It has everything to do with his inability to properly manage the game. Maybe it wouldn’t have made a difference anyway, with Indiana getting a first down and being able to seal the game, but the final drive of the Wolverines' 20-15 loss to the Hoosiers showed Moore still has a lot to learn in crunch-time moments — and it was hardly the first questionable decision he made on Saturday afternoon.

Moore was always going to be in an interesting situation with Michigan this year, given all the playing and coaching talent that left following Jim Harbaugh's departure to the NFL. He deserves a chance to grow. But the early evidence isn't encouraging.

Sherrone Moore might have just sealed his fate as Michigan’s head coach after loss to Indiana

Michigan’s loss to Indiana felt like an ominous portender of Moore’s tenure in Ann Arbor. He mishandled the end of the game, and while it may not have changed the outcome, it didn’t give fans confidence he’s the one. 

This wasn’t a bad loss by any means for a team that’s struggled through 2024, but how things were handled doesn’t help either.  Moore made questionable decisions to punt late in the game instead of going for it after the Hoosiers had a less than stellar second half. The moment that stood out was the timeout right before the Hoosiers converted the third down to seal the game. Moore wasted 30 seconds trying to find the right play call, and only then did he opt for a timeout.

The purpose of timeouts is to take additional time to make the right decision without using the game clock. And then to not get the stop was just the icing on the cake of how far Moore and this team is from returning to the top of the Big Ten. 

They can get there and can probably do it under Moore; he got this job for a reason. But Saturday didn’t give the fan base or any college football fan any confidence he can. Because coaches lose their jobs all the time when they don’t know how to manage late game situations. 

Moore might have just sealed his fate.