This game was mostly about Michigan's excellent offensive line opening killer holes for Chris Perry & co., as well as giving Navarre all the time he could want for most of the game. That line is certainly the best we'll see all season (sorry, Toledo!).

Michigan also won the turnover battle (2-1, both of CMU's in scoring position ) and got a few breaks (recovered their own fumble, great catch on a tipped Navarre pass, CMU DB unable to come up with another tipped ball :( ).

I'm not going to dwell on the loss any more than I have to. It was basically expected, and even the score wasn't much worse than I predicted. Instead, here are the positives CMU can take away from this game:

1. This will be our toughest opponent of the season, a top 10 team on the road, and the result was better than last year's 43-0 loss to BC and 46-0 meltdown at NIU :mad: . In other words, CMU should only be more competitive for the rest of the season.

2. The running game clicked against a presumably good Wolverine defense (218 yards rushing + a TD). Terrance Jackson was particularly effective, with 104 yards on 21 carries.

3. The passing game was sufficient, with newbie starter Jeff Perry completing 18/29 for 150 yards and just one pick. I give props to our offensive line for this stat: 0 sacks surrendered. :D

4. Defense had a rough game, but the DBs interrupted several passes and really only got caught out of position a couple times. SS James King seemed to get his number called on just about every defensive tackle and absolutely lit up a couple of Wolverine receivers.

5. CMU's first possession after haltime, when we drove 92 yards for a TD and cut the lead to 10 was a beautiful thing to see. If only we could have finished those two first-half drives, instead of turning the ball over...

6. New faces performed well, including QB Perry & true freshmen Joe Staley (#2 TE) and Jerry Seymour (#3 TB). Freshman DE Dan Bazuin got a baptism by fire and should be better for it.

7. No significant injuries.

Amendment: There was one significant injury; Starting RT Jeff Jenerou is out "indefinitely" with an unspecified leg injury. :( However, one CMU insider suggests he may be back by the Ball State game. Also, forgot to mention that Bazuin is a RS-freshman.

Jackson will only get better as the year progresses, as long as your O-line can stay relatively healthy. Perry had a decent game considering he's a new starter and you were playing Michigan on the road. His numbers can be something to give him and his teammates confidence.

Doesn't surprise me about King. He's a tough player!!

I was hopeful when I saw the halftime score was 17-0. Still, will only make you stronger for conference play. Good luck.