The Wolverines trailed by four points in the second quarter as sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson dropped back and saw one of his favorite targets, redshirt sophomore wideout Roy Roundtree, open across the middle of the field. It looked as though his throw would be a guaranteed touchdown.

But as the ball reached Roundtree, it hit the Trotwood, Ohio native directly in the hands and fell incomplete.

It wasn’t until Roundtree reached the endzone that he realized he didn’t have the ball.

“I just lost focus on it,” Roundtree said after the game. “I tried to just catch it go into the endzone, but I realized I didn’t have the ball and thought of it as a mistake. Lesson learned.”

But Roundtree wasn’t the only receiver who made a few agonizing mistakes in the Wolverines’ 34-17 loss to the Spartans.

In fact, many of the explanations Michigan (1-1 Big Ten, 5-1 overall) players gave after the loss centered around their own mistakes on both sides of the ball — mistakes that made the game too far out of reach, especially against a poised team like Michigan State.

“There’s nothing on the field that went wrong that can’t be fixed,” redshirt junior slot receiver Kelvin Grady said. “We had a couple of things that went wrong, a couple of dropped balls — that can be fixed.”

None of the drives were more frustrating for the maize and blue, however, than the Wolverines’ drive late in the third quarter when Robinson passed three balls to three different receivers — a different wideout on first, second and third down — all of which were dropped.

Robinson ended the game with his worst completion percentage of the year — 17 completions on 29 attempts — but the mistakes made by his wideouts definitely contributed to the Michigan quarterback’s worst performance of the season.

TROUBLES IN THE GAP: For much of the game, Michigan's pass rush seemed to be in top form.

Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins, a natural pocket passer, was forced to make quicker reads and scramble more than usual as defensive linemen like junior nose tackle Mike Martin spent more time in the backfield than they had in previous games.

And through the past three games, the Wolverines have tallied a three-sack effort (against Bowling Green) and a pair of two-sack efforts (against Michigan State and Indiana).

“We were getting pressure on the quarterback all day,” freshman defensive end Jibreel Black said. “We just let up a few big plays and that’s kind of where they got us.”

But the line’s play against the pass wasn’t the issue on Saturday. Coupled with the linebackers, the defensive line struggled to fill running lanes, giving Spartan running backs Edwin Baker, Le’Veon Bell and Larry Caper ample room to bust big runs.

“We just had miscommunication on who’s got what gap,” redshirt junior defensive lineman Ryan Van Bergen said. “It’s simple. Run defense is simple. Everyone has one gap and you’re accountable for that gap. We weren’t in the right one twice, same play.”

Those two plays resulted in a 61-yard sprint from Baker and a 41-yard run from Bell, both for touchdowns, which gave the Spartans a great deal of momentum heading into the half.

The touchdowns runs were the two longest running scores the Wolverines have given up all season.

TO PUNT OR NOT TO PUNT: With 5:41 remaining in the game and Michigan trailing by 17 points, coach Rich Rodriguez sent freshman punter Will Hagerup out to give the ball back to the Spartans. His decision was met with resounding boos from Michigan fans, and the Wolverines never got the ball back.

After the game, Rodriguez admitted that it may have been the wrong call.

“It was probably a mistake,” Rodriguez said. “I thought we’d get a quick turnaround and maybe get a minute-and–a-half or two minutes off the clock and have it … If I had do-overs, I wouldn’t punt.”

INJURY REPORT: Rodriguez said after the game that junior slot receiver Martavious Odoms may have a broken foot. … Martin said he would be ready to go for Iowa ... Senior cornerback James Rogers's status is unknown, but Rodriguez said Rogers likely just dealt with in-game cramps.