Saturday’s game at Oklahoma was a bit of a debacle offensively, as the Michigan Wolverines‘ offense lacked identity and struggled to threaten the Sooner defense. The cause of a lot of issues for the maize and blue was in the trenches, as the offensive line struggled to stall or stop a penetrating Oklahoma defensive front.

On Wednesday, Michigan offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey noted that credit mostly goes to the Sooners, as it wasn’t as much the missed assignments up front that put the offensive line in a precarious position. It was more that the OU players were superior on their side of the ball.

“I think more sometimes just getting beat. I don’t think there were a ton of missed assignments,” Lindsey said. “But in every run scheme, there’s a way to block it. And then, okay, they’re giving this look, here’s our adjustment. Everybody’s got to be on the same page with that. So it might have been a couple of those. And losing a guy like Gio — a veteran guy who can help with some of that. Crip does a great job. But some of that’s growing pains you go through, I think, when you’ve got some young guys in young spots.

“But no excuse. We’ve got to get it done. We’ve got to make sure as coaches we get it done with them and put them in the best position possible.”

That’s tough to take for Michigan fans who have become accustomed to seeing the Michigan OL being among the best in the country, while usually being the best on the field in any given game.

Lindsey does acknowledge that missed assignments were a part of the struggles and shared what the O-line needs to do to rebound. The good news is he’s seen some resurgence behind the scenes in practice thus far this week.

“Yeah, definitely more than we want, for sure. We don’t want any,” Lindsey said. “But I think a couple things: it was a loud environment, which I thought we prepped really good for that. I think Sherrone does a great job of, as the head coach, your job is to create the best atmosphere to prepare your team for what you’re going to see. He did that. We did that. But at the end of the day, I think it’s a combination of maybe that, as well as just being young in some areas, that we need to make sure we tie up.

“It was a great test for us to go on the road in that atmosphere. We play a little better, we have a chance to win the game. We were right there driving in a one-score game and didn’t execute on a ball that we thought we had a great shot to throw down the sideline. But at the end of the day, a good learning experience for us. We’ll take what we can from it and move on. And what I like is they’ve responded this week. It’s been a great week so far, and we need to finish. Today’s a big day for us as well. But I love the attitude of this team. These guys are warriors. They’re competitors, and they like to practice, and I know they’re motivated this week.”

Michigan has a chance to rebound in Week 3 with Central Michigan coming to town. Kickoff will be at noon EDT at The Big House.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Chip Lindsey explains Michigan OL struggles in loss to Oklahoma