The Michigan Wolverines gave Dave Portnoy something Saturday that he rarely seems to have when talking about his favorite team: absolutely nothing to believe in.
Michigan suffered a 20-14 loss to Minnesota on Oct. 3, dropping to 3-2 after beginning the season with three straight wins. Minnesota walked away with the Little Brown Jug for the first time since 2014, while Michigan was left searching for answers after another Big Ten loss.
Portnoy didn’t need much time to decide what the performance meant for the rest of Michigan’s season.
“This team, the season’s over,” Portnoy said. “This season is over, done and forget about it. I was fooled.”
It was an emotional declaration with plenty of football still remaining. But considering what Portnoy had just watched, his frustration wasn’t difficult to understand.
Dave Portnoy Says He Was ‘Fooled’ by Michigan
Losing to Minnesota was one thing. Watching the Golden Gophers celebrate with one of college football’s most recognizable rivalry trophies clearly made it even worse for Portnoy.
“I sat there, I’m watching them celebrate,” Portnoy said. “They just took the Brown Jug. They haven’t had it for 100 years. They’re [expletive] celebrating right in our [expletive]. They didn’t just beat us. They just [expletive] annihilated us. We had no answers. They just jammed it down our face.”
Minnesota’s Little Brown Jug drought wasn’t actually 100 years, as Portnoy suggested in the heat of the moment. The Golden Gophers last won the rivalry in 2014. His larger point, however, centered on just how thoroughly disappointed he was by Michigan’s performance.
The Wolverines generated only 180 yards of total offense. Michigan managed 79 rushing yards, threw for 101 and failed to score at all in the second half. That made the final score almost misleading.
Michigan’s defense provided seven of its 14 points when Nathaniel Staehling returned an interception for a touchdown. The Wolverines entered halftime leading 14-7, only for Minnesota to score the game’s final 13 points. Michigan never answered. For Portnoy, that was apparently enough to erase whatever optimism he carried into the weekend.
The Minnesota defeat also followed Michigan’s 20-19 loss to Iowa, turning a 3-0 start into consecutive Big Ten defeats. One heartbreaking loss can be explained away. Following it by getting physically controlled by a rival creates much bigger questions.
Calling Michigan’s season “over” remains Portnoy’s opinion. The Wolverines still have games to play and opportunities to change the direction of their season. But Portnoy’s reaction captures how quickly expectations have changed.
Two weeks ago, Michigan was undefeated. Now Minnesota is celebrating with the Little Brown Jug, the Wolverines have lost two straight and one of their loudest supporters says he was fooled by the team entirely.
‘Season’s Over’: Dave Portnoy Melts Down After Michigan’s ‘Gross’ Loss to Minnesota