5 takeaways from Michigan's 52-17 blowout win over UTEP

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- It wasn't a pretty start, but it was a beautiful finish.

Michigan football pulled ahead by just three at halftime against what was expected to be an overmatched UTEP team, and yet the Miners had two leads in the game thanks to early penalties and turnovers. The Wolverines weren't particularly poor when it came to penalties this game, reducing the 11 from Week 2 to just four penalties for 44 yards. But the first two -- a holding call on tight end Jalen Hoffman and an offside on edge rusher Dom Nichols -- negated a likely scoring drive for the Wolverines while the defensive penalty allowed UTEP to pull ahead 7-0. Meanwhile, two fumbles -- one on the opening drive by quarterback Bryce Underwood, and the other from running back Savion Hiter deep in Michigan's own territory -- put the maize and blue in an early hole.

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But they climbed out, and they did so emphatically. The first blowout of the Kyle Whittingham era was a 52-17 romp over the Miners.

Here are our five takeaways from the game.

Better but still not great

As noted, the penalties and turnovers kept the game close in the first half, and Michigan cannot afford to play a first half like it had on Saturday against pretty much any of the remaining opponents. With Big Ten play about to start, the Wolverines need to minimize the mistakes, especially since this is a team that isn't particularly consistent just yet.

Still, the pass game was firing on all cylinders, which helped the Wolverines pull out of the muck it had put itself in. And we're not saying the team has to go without penalties and turnovers -- they're part of the game. But the timing of the penalties -- drive-killers or extenders -- remains a cause for concern. As do the fumbling issues that go back to last year.

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The offense takes a big step forward

OK, notably this was against UTEP. But the fact that Michigan was able to get the backups was a testament to how well the offense played as a whole. Though the running game continues to be a concern overall, Michigan did finish with nearly 200 yards, thanks in large part due to Savion Hiter coming alive with 62 yards on 11 carries (he scored two touchdowns, as well).

But Bryce Underwood was much improved, having completed 76% of his passes and missing very few receivers in the process. In fact, there was really only one turnover-worthy throw all game. He finished with 223 yards passing and 22 yards rushing.

Behind Underwood, wide receiver Andrew Marsh was electric, having his second-best game in a winged helmet. He was the primary offensive focal point, and finished with 10 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. JJ Buchanan had a third straight solid game with seven catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.

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But the blocking needs to be more consistent

You can see the building blocks of the offensive line coming together, but in the first half, there were far too many missed blocks that could have sprung bigger plays than they netted. That's where the run game struggled -- a miss block here and a missed block there.

There were some better blocking in the second half. Tight end Hogan Hansen returned to the lineup and he, along with fellow tight end Zack Marshall had some big blocks that helped the offense greatly. But the rhino situation continues to be a mystery, as the sixth lineman hasn't always helped matters.

The defense led the way

The Miners drove the field 73 yards on their first possession, signaling it could be a long day for what has been an elite unit thus far. However, UTEP only managed 77 more yards for the rest of the game, with only 32 yards surrendered in the second half.

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It was a group effort and the Wolverines were living in the UTEP backfield. With four sacks and 11 tackles for loss, there wasn't a lot that the Miners were able to do after the first few drives. Quick game didn't work, misdirection minimally had success, and Jonah Lea'ea's pick-six was the exclamation point for the unit -- preceding the backups starting to come in.

This is a group that, at the very least, can make pivotal adjustments. It should bode well for Big Ten play.

Consistency is needed down the line

Michigan won't be able to afford having many first halves as it had in Week 3, and it cannot turn the ball over multiple times like it had on Saturday. Head coach Kyle Whittingham said, "I didn't think we had the passion or energy at halftime." Well, we saw those things improve in the second half, but against the better teams on the schedule, the team cannot afford to put itself into big holes. There are still five marquee games left on the schedule, and when the Wolverines are playing their best football, they appear hard to beat. But they also look like a team that could lose to any team on the schedule at times.

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Still, this was a step in the right direction, and with the blowout win, it should help the team grow up quickly.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: 5 takeaways from Michigan's 52-17 blowout win over UTEP