Observations on the loss to Indiana, 15-20
Indiana gained two red zones for 10 points; Michigan also had two red zones for 9 points. Both teams scored 3 points off one turnover on both their parts.
Offense couldn't get the job done! The Wolverine offense gained 206 net yards with 69 on the ground and 16 first downs; they were 6 of 17 on 3rd and 4th down conversions. Davis Warren hit 16 of 32 for 137 yards with many overthrows due to his lack of poise under pressure; he fumbled the ball in first red zone attempt, and luckily Myles Hinton recovered. Donovan Edwards had 15 carries for 46 yards. Ben Hall had 4 carries for 9 yards. Alex Orji had three carries for 1 yard, and fumbled the ball for our only turnover. Tyler Morris has 3 catches for 36 yards. Colston Loveland had 4 catches for 37 yards. Freddy Moore had one catch for 16 yards. Payton O'Leary had three catches for 24 yards. Kendrick Bell, Kalel Mullings and Semaj Morgan also caught short passes; in all, we had 16 receptions for 137 yards which was 8.6 yards per catch. Michigan held a 6 minute time of possession advantage that resulted in 10 more offensive plays. The Wolverines had a chance to tie the score with 9:35 to play, but Indiana stopped the two point conversion attempt. The Wolverines had two more 4th quarter possessions, but the Hoosiers stopped us cold. Aidan Fisher had 14 tackles to lead the Hoosiers. C.J. West had 9 tackles. Jalin Walker had 7 tackles, and Terry Jones had 6 tackles, 2 for loss, forced a fumble plus had 2 pass break ups. The Hoosiers broke up 8 Davis Warren passes, and recorded 3 quarterback hits. Give Indiana credit! The Hoosiers shut down our running game, and pressured Warren repeatedly throughout the game forcing him into overthrowns, a fumble and bad decisions; they prevailed in a close defensive struggle.
It was an outstanding defensive effort in the second half, and all Wolverine fans should be proud of the defense. Indiana had 246 total yards with 40 on the ground; they were 4 of 12 in 3rd and 4th down conversions for 14 first downs. Kurtis Rourke hit 17 of 28 for 206 yards with 2 TDs, and one interception; he was sacked 4 times. Ke'Shawn Williams caught 6 passes for 70 yards. Omar Cooper caught 3 passes for 53 yards and a TD. Elijah Sarratt caught a 36 yard TD, but disappointed many Hoosier fans with two big second half drops. Justice Ellison ran 9 times for 17 yards, and caught 3 passes for 20 yards. Ty Son Lawton ran 12 times for 55 yards. Zeke Berry had an impressive second half with a red zone interception at the 7, but our offense could only get 3 points off it; Berry also recorded 3 pass break ups. Jaishawn Barham had 6 tackles including a sack and several hurries to lead the defense. T.J. Guy had 5 tackles including 2 sacks. Brandyn Hilman had 4 tackles with a couple big hits.
Special Teams cost us this game! A poor punt by Tommy Doman in the 4th quarter of 35 yards from his 26, and a 22 yard return by Ke'Shawn Williams to the Michigan 39 yard line set up Hoosiers with a game winning field goal with 2:45 to play. Dominic Zvada's 3 field goals kept us in the game, but the late special teams problems proved costly in this loss.
After the Bye Week, Northwestern comes to Ann Arbor for a chance to finish the season with a 6-6 record, and perhaps a spot in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Phoenix. Indiana will get blown out by the Buckeyes in two weeks. Go Blue!