Michigan is trailing to Michigan State at the half, and a disappointing showing by the secondary is a big reason for the deficit.

This is not how Saturday’s rivalry game for the Wolverines was supposed to go down. After a strong Week 1 win and entering the contest as a 24.5-point favorite, Jim Harbaugh and Michigan were expected to drop the hammer on their in-state rival.

Unfortunately, Michigan State quarterback Rocky Lombardi has thrown for two touchdowns with a couple of huge gains in the air. Throw in a couple of key penalties by the Wolverines and it was not a good half defensively for Michigan’s secondary.

In his breakdown of the first half, Charles Woodson highlighted “too many penalties, and not playing fundamental football.” This area must get better in the second half: