Opinion: Blame should go everywhere for Michigan football team's second-half struggles

Since then, it’s been a cavalcade of errors and missteps for Michigan - most of them coming after halftime as the Wolverines have lost five consecutive Big Ten games.

“I don’t know what it is,” junior cornerback Troy Woolfolk said. “And I’m kind of frustrated myself. It’s too far in the season to still be making those mistakes. We just have to fix it.”

Michigan has been outscored, 135-111, in the second half and overtime this season. While that may not sound that bad, consider this: In Michigan’s last three losses, the Wolverines have been outscored 75-12.

Even worse, Michigan has been outgained in total yardage after halftime in those three games, 836-492.

In two of those second halves - Penn State and Illinois - Michigan was shut out. Against Penn State, the Wolverines had 100 yards of offense after halftime.

And the yardage numbers scream that it isn’t just a defensive problem. It’s an offensive problem, too, for the better part of the Big Ten season.

“It’s just a matter of playing better,” Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said. “If you go look at, you know, second halves all year from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, it’s just a matter of us, like I said Saturday, a matter of playing better.”

Part of it is on Michigan’s players. Every player Michigan has brought in front of the media has said it’s the players on the field making the plays.

But the players aren’t all to blame. Part of it absolutely is coaching, be it during the week or on game days. Often this season, Michigan’s players or defensive coordinator Greg Robinson have said the opponent showed the Wolverines something they didn’t expect.

In many ways, it is on the coaches to prepare players for everything.

Also, playing well in the second half comes down to making adjustments. Rodriguez said there isn’t enough time at halftime to make major changes but that coaches can make “minor adjustments here or there.”

Except that every Big Ten team Michigan has adjusted better than the Wolverines after halftime. That goes for the best teams in the league (Penn State) to the mediocre (Purdue) to one of the worst (Illinois).

Doesn’t matter the staff or the school. The result remains the same.

“You got time to make some adjustments,” Rodriguez said. “Not like you have a whole week to get ready. Not as much as people think. Everybody talks about halftime adjustments. Really, this is what’s happening, this is what you’re seeing, kind of calm them down then just go play.”

There’s also the question of whether conditioning has anything to do with Michigan’s second-half woes. The more tired players are, the easier it is for them to lose focus and make mental mistakes.

Considering Michigan’s defense is on the field, on average, seven more minutes a game than its offense this season, it’d make sense if the Wolverines were a bit fatigued - Mike Barwis-trained or not.

Rodriguez, though, wouldn’t hear of it.

“Do we look out of shape?” Rodriguez asked the questioner. “I don’t think so.”

When pressed about conditioning and second-half collapses, Rodriguez got even shorter.

“No,” he said.

All of this might be the biggest problem of all for Michigan. Everyone acknowledges there is a problem after halftime. Thing is, no one seems to be able to pinpoint how to fix it.

And time - for a bowl game, a successful season and the ability to remedy what ails Michigan - is running out. Fast.

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.