Sherrone Moore's 'coaching malpractice' almost cost the Michigan Wolverines a victory against Northwestern on Saturday

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Travis May | Last updated Nov 15, 2025 8:23 PM ET

The Michigan Wolverines continue to win games. They are somehow now up to an 8-2 record despite the offense largely looking completely broken for the majority of games. It's great that the team keeps finding ways to win, and it speaks to the unbelievable drive and character of this team.

However, Sherrone Moore's refusal to change one big problem (again) – the same issue labeled as 'coaching malpractice' by Michigan great Devin Gardner earlier this season – almost cost them the game against Northwestern. Yes, the Wolverines ended up winning 24-22, but Moore's decision to keep Semaj Morgan in the punt return role (and any role at all, really) almost single-handedly led the team to a loss.

Sherrone Moore refuses to accept the issues with Semaj Morgan

Wide receiver Semaj Morgan has been a major problem and point of contention for Michigan Wolverines fans for the entire season. It doesn't matter what he tries to do, Morgan just finds a way to mess up.

Coming into Saturday, Morgan had eight drops on just 35 targets. He got in the way of Justice Haynes on what would have been a critical long touchdown earlier this season. He had a costly fumble in the Wisconsin game. He's been mistakes left and right, and according to many fans and famous alumni just doesn't belong on the field anymore.

Still, Sherrone Moore continues to trot out Semaj Morgan every single week despite his complete failures across the board. That stubbornness almost cost Sherrone Moore and Michigan a win on Saturday. Michigan was up 14-6 in the third quarter. They had just stopped Northwestern in their own territory. Then Semaj Morgan decided to try and return a punt, immediately fumbling the ball away (as you can see in the post below).

The ball is out and @NUFBFamily comes up with it once again! pic.twitter.com/ncUQvDA4zM
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 15, 2025

The play was reviewed, and it seemed like the possession situation was a bit controversial – perhaps Michigan should have retained the ball. Regardless, Morgan fumbled, setting up the entire situation. Fans then erupted in collective outrage on every single social platform out there because this was the most predictable outcome imaginable (a solid example of this disdain in post below).

Was that a bad call? Probably. But Michigan 100% deserves that result for continuing to trot him out and expecting something to change.
— Scott Bell (@sbell021) November 15, 2025

Morgan just clearly has the yips. He's been a good player in prior seasons, but he is having some major confidence issues in every facet of the game. It's unlikely that head coach Moore does anything differently here in the near future, but every Michigan fan and media member recognizes that Morgan needs to take a seat on the bench and stay there. He's hurting the team.

Luckily for Michigan, Northwestern only turned the turnover into a field goal, cutting the deficit at the time to 14-9. However, it was that very field that even made things close late in the game. Had that field goal not happened then Michigan could have coasted to victory instead of needing the last-second field goal for the win.

We’ll be back with more Michigan Wolverines coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!

This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Nov 15, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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