Thoughts on Middle Tennessee State's loss to Michigan

The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders fought valiantly in Ann Arbor, losing to the Michigan Wolverines 21-40.

Here are some thoughts on the game:

Bright Future on the Horizon for Asher O'Hara

Middle Tennessee State's signal caller really flashed and exceeded my expectations Saturday night.

Despite being under pressure and duress, O'Hara, in my eyes, had a solid outing. Through the air, he was 22 for 32, 217 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Again, O'Hara was being constantly pressured by the Wolverines defense. There were plenty of occasions where it was jailbreak city for the Michigan defensive front.

O'Hara had to make some instant, snap-shot decisions, often times immediately after he received the snap.

O'Hara flashed the ability to sense the defensive pressure and dart forward, rushing the ball for bits of yards. Yes, he only gained 32 yards on 13 carries. The impressive thing was how O'Hara avoided incoming defenders to salvage a few yards here and there. Frankly, it was amazing that Michigan's defense only recorded two sacks. Jordan Glasgow recorded two sacks for Michigan's defense.

This was likely the toughest defense O'Hara will face all season long. His performance showed me that he has the ability to be a gamer.

Middle Tennessee State Showed Resiliency

In my prediction prior to the MT/Michigan game, I predicted that the game would be relatively close at the halftime intermission.

I have to say though, I was thoroughly impressed by the way Middle Tennessee State competed. When Michigan took the lead, 24-7, I thought, oh boy, here we go.

The Blue Raiders weren't fazed, scoring a touchdown to make the score 24-14. Yes, Michigan tacked on a field goal, making it 27-14 at half, but It could have been much worse considering the circumstances.

I have to admit that, even in the second half, I thought Michigan was going to blow the game wide open.

From a talent and depth standpoint, Michigan certainly had the advantage, but the Blue Raiders battled and kept throwing counter punches.

The Wolverines had the horses to step on MT's throat in the second half, but that simply did not happen. They only outscored the Blue Raiders 13-7 in the second half.

Time to Change my Prediction?

After what I witnessed last night, I am leaning towards altering my outlook and prediction for the Blue Raiders in 2019.

I predicted that MT would go 6-6 and would struggle throughout the duration of the season. At this juncture, it would not surprised me if Middle Tennessee pulled off a mild upset and defeated the Duke Blue Devils at home in a couple of weeks.

To go into the confines of the big house and only lose by 19 showed me that they can compete with Duke Blue Devils and essentially almost every other team on their schedule. Yes, the game at Iowa will be a tall task to win, but outside that, I think that MT can roll with the rest of their opponents.

Major Injuries Avoided

When you face a week one opponent like Michigan, you cross your fingers and hope that you don't suffer a rash of key, crucial injuries.

One fear entering the game was that, even if MT competed till the bitter end, that they could get hit by the week one injury bug.

MT linebacker Khalil Brooks did get banged up, exiting the game, but he did return to action.

One thing to note is that the margin for error with the MT offensive line is razor thin. To stay on track, they need to avoid bad news on the injury front.

We will see if the team can stay healthy going forward, but so far, so good.