JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — With months of practice to prepare for the Wolverines' season opener against Connecticut, Michigan took the field in September and proudly debuted one of the nation's most explosive offenses in a 30-7 blowout win.

And with the same amount of time to get healthy and 15 valuable practices at their disposal before their Gator Bowl matchup, the Wolverines said last week that they expected the same fresh explosion that vaulted them to a 5-0 start, the best in coach Rich Rodriguez's tenure in Ann Arbor.

“If we look at the UConn game when we first came out, we had four weeks to prepare for that game, and we had great execution as a defense for that game,” redshirt junior defensive end Ryan Van Bergen said earlier this week. “It’s a similar situation here. We have the exact same amount of time to prepare for another big game.”

But after Mississippi State ran Michigan out of EverBank Field, handing the Wolverines' their worst loss in 40 bowl tries, 52-14, Michigan left the field exposed, plagued by the same execution problems that followed them after their quick start to the season. With them walked their embattled coach, who, after months of speculation and drama, may have paced his last sideline as the Wolverines' head football coach.

"Well, if I had the golden answer to why sometimes 18-, 19-, 20-year-old kids don't always execute perfectly, well, it just happens sometimes," Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said at a press conference after Saturday's game. "Sometimes you press a little bit, and I think that probably may have happened a little bit today ... I don't know, but it happens sometimes ... They played well, we didn't. End of story."

But Saturday's loss isn't the end of the story for Rodriguez, who met with Athletic Director David Brandon on Tuesday to evaluate his team and discuss his future. And after a three-season record of 15-22, a lone bowl appearance and the program's first major NCAA violations, many have reported Brandon will cut ties with the coach — though a decision hasn't been announced yet. On Saturday, Rodriguez's contract buyout dropped from $4 million to $2.5 million.

"RichRod is gone," ESPN analyst Adam Schefter tweeted after Saturday's game. "And it's up to the NFL to prevent Jim Harbaugh from going there."

Coaching changes could mean further roster attrition for the Wolverines, since a change to Harbaugh or any other coach would probably mean a change from the zone-read spread offense that Rodriguez brought to Ann Arbor.

Asked after the game whether he would play for Michigan next year if Rodriguez doesn't return as the program's coach, sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson said, "No response."

"That's my coach. That's who recruited me, so that's it."

It was Robinson who gave the Wolverines a chance in the game's opening minutes, pioneering an impressive 10-play, 78-yard drive to open the scoring in Jacksonville.

Then, after a 3-and-out and a stifling blocked punt, Robinson again marched his offense down the field, lobbing a perfect touch pass to a healthy Martavious Odoms in the corner of the endzone. The touchdown gave Michigan a 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, as Robinson remained perfect through the air — 7-of-7 for 98 yards and two touchdowns — and electrifying on the ground — averaging 12.8 yards per carry.

But the next three quarters, which yielded 42 unanswered Bulldog points, ended the Wolverines' season on a sour and frustrating note.

"I guess we didn’t take our level of preparation seriously," sophomore defensive end Craig Roh said.

Not known for his passing prowess, Mississippi State quarterback Chris Relf torched Michigan's young, struggling secondary for 281 yards and three touchdowns on 18-of-23 passing. His dominance in the passing game and threat to convert first downs with his legs had the Wolverine defense reeling, as the Bulldogs' 52 points were the most they scored in a game all season and the second-most Michigan has allowed.

With so much time to prepare for the New Year's Day bowl game, redshirt freshman lineman Taylor Lewan agreed the loss was "an embarrassment."

"7-5 was a great turnaround," Lewan said. "We were in a January 1st bowl game. And yeah, it was embarrassing … but this team’s going to come together and we’ll be just fine."

Added Roh: “It’s not the end of anything. It’s the beginning of something new."

For the program, however, this loss could certainly mean an end — the end of the Rich Rodriguez era.