Observations on the loss to Indiana, 21-38

The Hoosiers totally dominated the game from start to finish; Indiana had 4 red zone trips for 28 points, and Michigan only scored 7 points in one red zone opportunity. Indiana scored 7 points off two second half Wolverine turnovers. The Wolverines were behind by three scores at halftime, and they couldn't get any closer than two scores or 10 points in the second half.

Offense was not prepared for this game by the offensive coaching staff including Coordinator Josh Gattis and Jim Harbaugh. Joe Milton was 18 of 34 for 344 yards with 3 TDs and 2 interceptions while being sacked 3 times; he ran once for 10 yards, but ended up with -9 net yards. Offense gained 357 yards with only 17 first downs; they were 3 for 11 in 3rd down conversions. There was no running game as the Wolverines ran 6 players 18 times for a net of 13 yards. Ronnie Bell caught 6 passes for 149 yards and a TD; Cornelius Johnson caught 4 passes for 82 yards and a TD. Roman Wilson caught a 13 yard TD pass. Reese Taylor led the Hoosier defense with 7 tackles with 2 for loss including a sack; Devon Matthews had 5 tackles plus an interception.

Michael Penix completed 30 of 50 for 342 yards and 3 TDs; he ran twice for 4 yards, and had no sacks while taking 6 quarterback hits with no sacks and few hurries. The Hoosiers put up 460 yards with 28 first downs, and ran 88 offensive plays with a 17:40 minute time of possession advantage that gave them 36 more offensive plays. Indiana was 11 of 20 in 3rd and 4th down conversions. Stevie Scott carried 24 times for 97 yards and 2 TDs; he also had 3 catches for 13 yards. Ty Tryfogle had 7 catches for 142 yards and a TD. Whop Philyor had 11 catches for 79 yards, and Miles Marshall caught 3 passes for 36 yards and a TD. Brad Hawkins had 12 tackles, and Michael Barrett had 11 tackles. Aidan Hutchinson left the game with a foot injury on the first drive, and didn't return. Defense had 5 offside penalties in the first half, and overall the Wolverines had 8 penalties for 89 yards. Defense only forced Indiana into 5 punts.

Special Teams play continued to be sub-par under the leadership of Jay Harbaugh. J.T. Turner was called for holding on a punt return. Giles Jackson continues to make poor decisions in kickoff and punt returns; he had 5 returns for 73 yards. The only highlight for Michigan was the punting of Brad Robbins; he kicked 7 punts including a 66 yarder with 4 punts over 50 yards for a 53.6 yard average with 4 downed inside the 20. Indiana booted a 52 yard field goal.

Many are speculating that next week's game with Wisconsin will be cancelled due to Co-Vid after the Badgers game with Purdue this past week was also cancelled. This team will have two weeks to prepare for a road game at Rutgers on November 21; hopefully, the coaches will prepare them enough so they rebound with a win. I haven't had any confidence in this coaching staff for quite a while, and it is about time that others are on board with a coaching change. Harbaugh and his staff have not been getting the job done, and have not raised the level of the players for several seasons. They win most of the games they are expected to win, but have not won one game in six seasons where they have been the underdog; Harbaugh has been outcoached by our rivals and other coaches at every turn. It really doesn't matter if Harbaugh is a Wolverine grad, he hasn't let the team to a championship in six seasons, and the program is not in a good place. Indiana and MSU have taken "3 star" recruits, and built themselves into better football programs than Harbaugh has been able to achieve while recruiting mostly "4 star" players; Harbaugh and his coaches are simply not developing players well enough for this football program to win conference championships and defeat its rivals.

Observations on the first half with Indiana Box Score Player Participation Post Game Press Conference: Harbaugh Players: Joe Milton Cornelius Johnson Daxton Hill Michael Barrett