Michigan fans expected much more than this.

Five games into the Kyle Whittingham era, the Wolverines are 3-2 and searching for their first Big Ten victory after Saturday’s 20-14 loss to Minnesota. One week after watching Iowa escape Michigan Stadium with a last-second win, Michigan supporters watched another winnable game disappear, this time against a Golden Gophers team the Wolverines had dominated for most of the past decade.

Whittingham understands the frustration.

Asked what he would say to a fan base watching Michigan stumble through consecutive losses, the Wolverines’ head coach offered no excuses and made no attempt to lower expectations.

“Yeah, they’ve got to be disappointed. They should be. They should be,” Whittingham said. “And our fans have been great in supporting us at home. We had four of the first five at home. And they are used to winning here. And they are passionate about their football. And they deserve a better product than what they’ve had the last couple weeks.”

For a program with Michigan’s expectations, that might be the most important acknowledgment Whittingham made all afternoon.

Michigan Fans Have Every Reason to Expect More

This was not simply Michigan losing a competitive Big Ten road game.

The Wolverines finished with only 180 yards of offense, including 79 rushing yards, and were held scoreless for the entire second half. Michigan went 3-for-10 on third down, turned the football over three times and possessed it for just 22:24.

Even Michigan’s 14 points are misleading when evaluating the offense. Nathaniel Staehling supplied seven of them himself with a 79-yard interception return, while Smith Snowden’s interception gave Michigan possession at the Minnesota 34 before Jordan Marshall scored the Wolverines’ only offensive touchdown.

Michigan’s defense gave the offense opportunities.

The offense gave almost nothing back.

It is an especially jarring development after Michigan moved the football far more effectively in its 20-19 loss to Iowa. Bryce Underwood threw for a career-high 276 yards in that game, and Michigan accumulated 429 total yards against one of the nation’s best defenses.

One week later, Michigan’s production fell by 249 yards.

Wolverines Have Quickly Lost Their Margin for Error

The bigger concern for Michigan fans is where the Wolverines now stand.

Michigan is 3-2 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play following losses to Iowa and Minnesota. The Wolverines now enter their bye before hosting Penn State on Oct. 17.

Saturday also carried some historical sting.

Minnesota reclaimed the Little Brown Jug after Michigan had won eight of the previous nine meetings. The Wolverines had not lost to the Golden Gophers since 2014, and Michigan entered Saturday having won five consecutive games in Minneapolis.

That is not what Michigan fans envisioned when this season began.

It is certainly not what they expected after watching the Wolverines enter Saturday as a substantial road favorite.

Kyle Whittingham Knows What Comes Next Matters

There was another revealing moment during Whittingham’s postgame press conference when he discussed what he told his players.

“They’re soul-searching right now,” Whittingham said. “It was a tough locker room again just like last week. And we’ve got some prideful guys, and they are hurt. And we’ll see what kind of response we get on Monday.”

That response now becomes critical.

Whittingham also acknowledged that Michigan’s bye arrives at an opportune time, giving the Wolverines an extra week to address their problems before Penn State comes to Ann Arbor. Michigan will not play again until Oct. 17, giving the coaching staff nearly two weeks to determine how to get considerably more from an offense that failed to score after halftime Saturday.

The Wolverines have seven games remaining, so there is plenty of football left to change the story of Whittingham’s first season.

But his message to Michigan fans was exactly what it needed to be after Saturday.

They should be disappointed.

And they deserve better.

Source: Yahoo Sports