Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

College Football

Michigan football: After escaping Indiana, the Wolverines will have to be better in the weeks ahead

Adam Biggers

By Adam Biggers

Published:

Following an interception by Rod Moore late in the second quarter, Michigan had a chance to capture some momentum and shake Indiana off its tail Saturday in Bloomington.

However, the No. 4-ranked Wolverines couldn’t turn the turnover into points, having their subsequent 26-yard field goal attempt blocked, and they remained deadlocked 10-10 going into halftime during the Hoosiers’ homecoming game.

Out of rhythm for much of the afternoon, Michigan exposed more of its trouble areas before finishing strong to escape Memorial Stadium with a 31-10 victory. Another big fourth quarter proved to be the difference. The game, like last week vs. Iowa, was closer than the score suggests.

For the second straight week, Michigan had an extended dry spell after a 1st-possession touchdown — a far cry from the massive 50-point boat-races it put up during the first 3 games of the year.

Despite being undefeated and ranked at No. 4 in the nation, the Wolverines looked very beatable deep into the game against the Hoosiers. It seemed like they were in 3rd-and-long a lot; it felt like every third play was 3rd-and-11, 3rd-and-8, etc. Through 3 quarters, the Wolverines had converted 5 of 10 third downs — not the type of afternoon coach Jim Harbaugh envisioned.

Let’s take a look at some of the key points from Michigan’s win over the Hoosiers.

Horrible luck

Running backs coach Mike Hart collapsed on the sideline during the first half and left Memorial Stadium in an ambulance. Reports from Fox indicated that Hart had a seizure.

Just prior to the end of the first half, right tackle Trente Jones was carted off the field after suffering an apparent injury to his left leg. It’s likely that he will miss some time, possibly even the remainder of the season — that leaves questions in regard to o-line depth, a subject we’ll analyze deeper at another time.

Blocked field goal, a slew of terrible calls by the officials — Saturday was sort of a Twilight Zone for the Wolverines, who were expected to run up the score and stack some stats vs. the struggling Hoosiers.

A turnover-on-downs during the final minute of the first half certainly didn’t help matters for the Wolverines, who were on the road for the second straight week.

Normally disciplined this season, the Wolverines — who were the least-penalized team in the Big Ten — had 5 penalties for 54 yards during the first half. Four of the calls were questionable, but Michigan was off-kilter and appeared to lack focus during the opening 30 minutes of play. It finished with 10 penalties for 85 yards.

Corum was bottled-up

With the exception of a 50-yard run during the first drive, Indiana did an excellent job of containing Blake Corum most of the day, perhaps better than any team has done during the past 2 seasons. Coming off 30- and 29-carry games, Corum had just 10 totes for 60 yards during the opening half, including a 1-yard TD (11th of season).

The second half wasn’t much better for Corum, who was harassed all day by the Hoosiers. Yes, Corum put up “good” numbers, for a regular running back — but 24 carries for 74 yards outside the 50-yarder counts as a win for the Hoosiers. The fact that he was held to a “regular” day by a subpar defense was surprising, to say the least.

McCarthy’s up-and-down day

Sophomore QB JJ McCarthy has been pretty consistent this season, proving himself on the road last week during a 27-14 win at Iowa. He looked human vs. the Hawkeyes, further demonstrating his need to progress and mature at the position. He followed that average start vs. Iowa with another one, throwing his first interception of the season before closing strong.

Despite completing 13 of 18 passes for 129 yards during the first half, McCarthy didn’t appear to have control of the tempo vs. the Hoosiers, who entered Saturday with the Big Ten’s worst pass defense.

During the third quarter, McCarthy had a nice run up the left side, setting up a first down and leading to a 29-yard TD connection to Cornelius Johnson. McCarthy’s mobility made that play happen, and his ability to scoot was certainly a game-changer.

Late in the third, McCarthy tried to lace one over the middle but the ball was picked off in the end zone. The sophomore continues to grow … but another modest first half might cost UM next week vs. Penn State.

His final numbers — 28-36, 303 yards, 3 TDs — look good, but were padded by a big fourth quarter. Before then, McCarthy had some of his worst moments of the young season.

Defense matters

Entering Saturday, Michigan had the No. 6-ranked total defense in the country. Last week, the Wolverines had 4 sacks vs. the Hawkeyes. They sacked IU QB Connor Bazelak 7 times.

Former 5-star recruit Eyabi Okie was particularly effective, finishing with 1.5 TFLs, including a sack. They may not have David Ojabo and Aidan Hutchinson this season, but the Wolverines have another group of capable pass-rushers with Okie and Mike Morris (who had 2 sacks vs. Iowa) being among the best at Michigan’s disposal.

The verdict

Last week vs. Iowa wasn’t easy. Indiana proved — surprisingly — to be just as tough. However, the Wolverines have enough talent and depth to cover up mistakes. These past 2 weeks, though, have exposed a few of UM’s weaknesses, and you can bet that Penn State — which was on a bye week — will study UM’s past 2 games in order to further peel away layers of a team that clearly has work to do before becoming a true Big Ten/College Football Playoff contender.

Adam Biggers

Adam Biggers brings his expertise on the Michigan beat to Saturday Tradition. Follow him on Twitter @AdamBiggers81.