It has to be a concern for Jim Harbaugh and Josh Gattis, a major concern considering the opponents that lie ahead. Not that Harbaugh would ever admit it.
Asked afterward where the offense can make the biggest strides, Harbaugh said, "I really think we’re hitting our stride, I really do. The way our offense has been practicing, the way they’ve been preparing, I have great faith that they’re hitting their stride."
If that's what their stride looks like, the Wolverines are in trouble. They managed just 267 yards and 13 first downs on Saturday, both season lows, in a game of punting pinball that they won thanks to their defense. There were a couple big plays early, including a 51-yard pass from Shea Patterson to Nico Collins that set up Michigan's only touchdown. That came with 8:33 left in the first quarter.
Michigan would not score again.
Instead, the offense appeared to go into conservative mode, careful not to disrupt the momentum of the defense. If so, Harbaugh once again wasn't letting on.
"That’s not what we did," he said.
Rather, Harbaugh said, the offense took what it was given.
"This is about every Iowa-Michigan game I’ve ever been associated with -- 12-10, 10-3, 13-10," said Harbaugh. "I thought Shea (Patterson), in particular, took what was there, and sometimes there wasn’t anything there. Managed the game extremely well. Did the job on the turnovers, won that battle, and I thought our offensive line played really well, really physical. Played against some really good players, too."
Speaking of really good players, Michigan has more than a couple on offense, particularly among their wide receivers. Collins, for one, showed what he can do when given the chance on a ball thrown deep down the field. It's these kind of plays that were expected when Gattis took over the offense and began crowing about 'speed in space.'
But Michigan hasn't been able to get its best players the ball, not consistently. Patterson completed 14 of 26 passes for 147 yards Saturday, a paltry average of 5.7 yards per attempt. It's an offense that still appears to be working through growing pains, though Patterson shut this notion down.
"Not really," he said. "That’s just how football goes sometimes. You have days like that. And when the defense is playing lights out like that, just stay patient and don’t put them in bad situations as far as turnovers and field position. But I know we left a lot out there and we’re going to keep working to get together."
There's lots of work to be done, and it needs to be done quickly. After a visit to Illinois next week, Michigan goes to No. 12 Penn State, then hosts No. 9 Notre Dame. Gattis spoke this week about the importance of dictating terms on offense. The Wolverines failed to do that on Saturday, and admitted as much in different words.
But Harbaugh insisted the offense is ready for the challenges that await.
"Got great faith in our players and our coaches," he said.
In what ways, exactly, is the offense hitting its stride?
"In every way," he replied. "That’s what I see."
It's not what anyone else sees, and it's surely not what Harbaugh sees himself. If there isn't something new to see soon, Michigan's season will end in familiar fashion.