Video & Analysis: Cesar Ruiz Talks Offensive Successes And Struggles Against Penn State
Junior center Cesar Ruiz spoke with the media on Saturday night to explain how he felt on two different ends of the offensive spectrum.
On one end, Michigan and senior quarterback Shea Patterson looked as good as they've looked all season and fought back into a game that looked like it was over early.
On another end, the team started the game way too slow and still came away empty handed a couple of times once close to the end zone.
Ruiz did a great job describing his feelings when things were going really well and when they didn't work out according to plan.
Brown's Breakdown
This one really just stings. You understand where Ruiz is coming from. The offensive line did do a really good job against an extremely talented Nittany Lion defensive line. Shea Patterson was only sacked once and Zach Charbonnet had a pretty good day on the ground. On the flip side, there were a couple of empty possessions, especially early, that could've made the difference.
You also feel terrible for a guy like Ronnie Bell, who had a great game but of course dropped an easy one that should've tied it up late in the fourth. Or Patterson, who has been criticized all year long and played a great game only to be labeled as the "losing quarterback" in a big game again.
At the end of the day, Michigan now has two losses in the Big Ten and is essentially out of the race for the conference title. Beating other good teams like Notre Dame, Michigan State and, of course, Ohio State seems like a long shot and the College Football Playoff is not part of U-M's picture before we flip the calendar over to November.
It'll be up to guys like Ruiz, who seems to be able to find the positive in a negative situation, to rally the guys who really want to give their all to keep the season from really going off the rails.
How do you see the rest of the season going? Who besides Ruiz needs to step up in order to keep the team together? Comment below!!!
