Michigan football has a lot to fix to stun unbeaten Indiana Hoosiers

Posted by Admin November 3, 2024 Football

Free Press sports writer Tony Garcia looks back at Michigan football in Week 10 after its 38-17 loss to No. 1 Oregon, and looks ahead to next Saturday’s matchup at the No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers.

Matchup: Michigan (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) vs. No. 10 Indiana (9-0, 6-0).

Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. Saturday; Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Ind.

TV/radio: CBS; WXYT-FM (97.1).

Line: Hoosiers by 13½.

Know the foe

Indiana is perhaps the most remarkable story in college football. It doesn’t matter the Hoosiers have no recent success and little historical pedigree. Coach Curt Cignetti took over the program after an extremely successful run at James Madison, and told doubters he would win immediately at Indiana.

Many laughed, but his response at the time? “Google me.”

The Hoosiers haven’t lost. Indiana trailed in a game for the first time all season Saturday, falling in a 10-0 hole to Michigan State in East Lansing. It responded to score 47 unanswered points to hammer the Spartans. The Hoosiers have the country’s No. 21 passing offense (287 yards per game) led by Ohio QB transfer Kurtis Rourke. He had thumb surgery a few weeks ago, but had no problem in his return vs. MSU, carving up the Spartans for 263 yards and four touchdowns. He has completed 154 of 210 passes (73.3%) for 2,204 yards, 19 touchdowns and three interceptions, and should be mentioned in the Heisman Trophy race. Indiana is no slouch on the ground, ranking top 25 in the nation averaging 200.6 yards per game.

Indiana is one of the best offenses in America, ranked No. 6 in total offense (487.6 yards per game) and No. 2 in scoring (46.5 points per game). Under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, it has scored 31 or more in every game, and 40 or more in five of six conference games.

The defense is good too. Indiana ranks No. 5 in the country in total defense (269.5 yards per game) and No. 7 in scoring defense (14.1 points per game) under coordinator Bryant Haines, who came with Cignetti from JMU.

Tony Garcia’s three things we learned vs. Oregon

The rushing offense has regressed: For two months, U-M was hamstrung by a bottom five passing offense in America. Davis Warren passed for 164 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers on 57.1% completion rate, a welcomed start. However Saturday, it was the rushing game which failed to show up again. U-M’s best ball carrier, Kalel Mullings, was rendered ineffective taking eight carries for 16 yards. Donovan Edwards ran 10 times for 52 yards, a moderate output, and backup QB Alex Orii gained 39 yards on six carries, most coming on a 26-yard scamper in the fourth. Though the final line wasn’t the worst (28 rushes for 105 yards, 3.8 per rush), it was also misleading as more than half of the production (56 rushing yards) came in the final quarter while down two touchdowns. U-M had seven rushing plays go for a loss, and just three gained more than 10 yards.

First down plays spell disaster: U-M was behind the chains too often to be consistent. Warren lamented a first half when U-M went 1-for-6 on third down, but it was the first-down calls and execution which truly derailed the attack.

On the first drive, a loss of five on a toss to Edwards. On the second drive, U-M attempted an end-around to tight end Colston Loveland, who was tackled for a loss of two. The third drive finally saw a first down (and touchdown) set up by a special teams turnover, but the first play of that was an end-around run by wideout Semaj Morgan for no gain. It wasn’t until U-M’s fourth possession it picked up positive yards on first down, a 7-yard run by Mullings (his longest of the day). The woes continued on the fifth drive, a first-down pass for a loss of three to Loveland, before the next drive of the half was a 2-yard Mullings run, before the final possession saw a 3-yard carry by Edwards to go it into the half down 28-10. U-M had seven drives in the first half, and the first play on those possessions combined for 1 yard.

Battered and bruised: As the season tumbles toward its final days, one can only wonder about what the depth chart will look like the rest of the way. Head coach Sherrone Moore said the only objective moving forward is to “win” but there are a number of projected 2025 first-round draft selections who will have business decisions to make. Will Johnson has already missed three full games and part of another. Loveland has also missed time too, and Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant are playing a ton: Graham has played 431 snaps, and Grant has played 432; they played 443 and 403 snaps respectively in 15 games last season (Graham was only healthy for 13 games).

Offensive tackle Andrew Gentry is out for the year, and another depth offensive lineman Jeff Persi left Saturday with an injury. There was a drive on defense that saw Mason Curtis, Jimmy Rolder, Jaydon Hood and Trey Pierce all on the field together, and there may be more like that the rest of the way.

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Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X @RealTonyGarcia