No. 8 Michigan led 14-0 and had a chance to throw an early haymaker against Cincinnati in the first quarter of Saturday's game.
Then, a punt hit a Wolverines player, and the rest of what transpired was an uneven-at-best performance in a 36-14 win against the Bearcats in two of three phases. The other two phases are a work in progress as well, especially the offense.
That should give third-year coach Jim Harbaugh more than enough to work with heading into a Week 3 matchup against Air Force.
MORE: Week 2 highlights
The Wolverines left three questions after the victory:
Why was the score this "close?"
Michigan didn't stretch its lead to more than 14 points until the fourth quarter, and there were a few anxious moments in between.
A lot of the mistakes were self-inflicted. A misjudged punt resulted in a Cincinnati rumble recovery. That resulted in a Bearcats' touchdown. A bobbled snap by Speight on first-and-goal led to a field goal, instead of a touchdown. Michigan couldn't convert a third-and-2 inside the 5-yard line, and that led to another field goal.
Not that the Bearcats didn't help. Cincinnati receiver Kahlil Lewis could have made it worse if he didn't drop a sure touchdown with 13:20 remaining in the game. Will Hart had two 21-yard punts in the second half that the Bearcats didn't take advantage of.
When you bundled all that together, Michigan didn't play well enough to blow out the Bearcats.
MORE: Yes, Michigan can win with Speight
What needs to be fixed?
Speight (17 of 29, 221 yards, two touchdowns) didn't make any critical mistakes, but the offense was stop-and-start and there's still a developmental curve with a young group of receivers. Kekoa Crawford (four catches, 83 yards, touchdown) and Grant Perry (four catches, 66 yards, touchdown) are the go-to receivers right now while some of those highly touted targets such as Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black develop consistency.
That remains the big question for the Wolverines in competing with No. 2 Ohio State and No. 4 Penn State in the Big Ten East Division. Michigan hasn't answered that question yet.
Is there a reason for concern?
The Wolverines can still bank on a nasty defense that produced two more defensive scores: one on Tyree Kinnell's 28-yard interception return in the first quarter and the second Lavert Hill's touchdown pick-six with 4:21 remaining. Michigan's defense is as good as advertised after the victory against Florida in the opener.
The Wolverines got nine 3-and-outs and held the Bearcats to four plays or fewer on 12 of 16 drives. Through two games, the defense has allowed two scores, and one started inside of Michigan territory.
Michigan's defense has now scored 21 points this season, while giving up 17 points.
— John U. Bacon (@Johnubacon) September 9, 2017
Ty Isaac has emerged as a power back. He added 20 carries for 133 yards. Michigan can run and play defense. That's great news.
Air Force will offer a unique challenge for Michigan in Week 3. That's why cleaning up the mistakes in the other two phases, or next week will be a little more interesting.
