Sherrone Moore addresses Michigan’s turnover woes in narrow win vs. Northwestern

If you didn't watch Michigan vs. Northwestern and looked at the box score, here's what you would have found.

Total yards: Michigan 496 - 245
Passing yards: Michigan 280 - 184
Rushing yards: Michigan 216 - 61
First downs: Michigan 25 - 11
Third downs: Michigan 10-15 / Northwestern 2 - 12
Total plays: Michigan 77 - Northwestern 53

But the final score was 24-22, Michigan. And the Wolverines needed a game-winning 31-yard field goal in order to win the game. Why? Michigan had five turnovers and didn't force any.

Following the game, head coach Sherrone Moore noted it's something that needs to be fixed right away. Bryce Underwood threw two interceptions, as he did in the previous game against Purdue, and the Wolverines fumbled the ball three times.

Semaj Morgan fumbled a punt, then was replaced by Andrew Marsh. Marsh fumbled a ball, and Underwood/Bryson Kuzdzal didn't get a clean handoff on fourth down.

Michigan WR Semaj Morgan — Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Yeah, I mean, we got to fix it," Moore said of Michigan's five turnovers. "But that’s something that hasn’t been a piece of our game. So we got to just clean it up right now and that’s decision-making. Continue to do that as we go through practice.

"Giving those hard, hard looks. Doing those things to help our guys make those decisions. Not fumbling the ball on the punt return. So the people who feel the worst about those turnovers are the guys who had them. So we’ll talk to them. We’ll continue to coach it. But again, the win is what we’re really proud about."

Moore said his team was locked in for the final drive of the game

Most teams won't turn the ball over five times and win the game. But Michigan was one of the very few teams that got a win when doing so. Coach Moore was asked if his team was losing confidence after the costly mistakes.

He said his defense was boosting the confidence of the offensive players. The Wolverines went into that final drive with confidence and believed they could drive the field and either score a touchdown or get Dominic Zvada in range to make a game-winning kick.

"I mean, you just look. You see it," said Moore of his team's demeanor. "And to see Jaishawn Barham go to the offense, give them a vote of confidence. To see Cam Brandt and Rod and all those guys in that huddle that last two minutes. It said everything. It said how close the team is. There was never a divide.

"So these guys just see the vision. And in college football, in the Big Ten, it is hard to win. Every week it’s a battle. So, you know, you can’t have five turnovers a week. That’s not going to help you win. So we got to clean that up. But I thought, I mean, we moved the ball on offense. We got a good 496 yards of total offense. Defensively, you know, held them at 61 yards rushing. That’s incredible. That’s an amazing job on the defensive staff, defensive front. But, again, proud of the team in the win."

With two games left, Michigan likely can't afford another game like this. Maryland will be next and then Ohio State comes to town. The Wolverines will need to get all of this correct in a hurry.

Moore said his team was locked in for the final drive of the game

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