Michigan 52, Indiana 7
Last season Michigan had a number of football games where the first half was unsettling or unsatisfying, with a tenuous halftime lead understating the gap between the two squads. Michigan would eventually pull away in the second half, but it didn't always make for the best viewing experience. Their trip to Bloomington last season against that woeful Indiana squad was one such game, with the contest tied 10-10 at halftime before Michigan outscored the Hoosiers 21-0 in the second half. Today's game in some ways felt like a familiar script, a sluggish opening against an overmatched opponent. Except in this season of Michigan Football, the sluggish periods are shorter, the halftime leads are larger, and the eventual margins of victory are even larger. The Wolverines took a 21-7 lead into halftime against Indiana after a poor 1st quarter and pummeled the Hoosiers in the second half to win 52-7.
Michigan's defense started first and did well on that opening series, forcing a quick three-and-out, generating pressure and forcing a bad pass on 3rd down. After a bad punt, the Wolverine offense took the field with excellent field position but seemed uncomfortable against Tom Allen's array of blitzes, a 6v5 RPS loss in pass protection on 3rd down sacking McCarthy to end the drive after three short plays.
Indiana took the ball and stitched together what would be their most cohesive drive of the half down-to-down, traveling 60 yards over 12 plays deep into Michigan territory. QB Tayven Jackson showed poise and accuracy on his short throws, while the Indiana offensive line was able to get decent push on the ground. They converted two 3rd downs and eventually found themselves at 1st & 10 from the 14, but that's when the drive began to unravel. Indiana was stuffed on 2nd & 6, committed a false start, and then Jackson made a disastrous mistake, a terrible throw that was either sailed on the underneath receiver or woefully underthrown for the deeper receiver. Either way, Mike Sainristil tipped it up in the air and Rod Moore picked it off, returning it out to the Michigan 41.
[Bryan Fuller]
The Wolverine defense had held Indiana out of the end zone, but the tide hadn't yet turned because the Michigan offense was still out of sorts. Their second drive was another three-and-out, a promising first down run washed away by a 2nd down play that saw McCarthy sack himself and a 3rd down play where McCarthy hurried a throw for a well covered Roman Wilson that fell incomplete. Michigan punted it back to the Hoosiers and this time Indiana's offense would pay the drive off, with new QB Brendan Sorsby in the game. IU converted two third downs, one coming after a whiffed sack attempt by Mike Sainristil and one coming on a QB sneak, before the trickery came out of the garage: back-pass to WR Donaven McCulley and then the Wildcat QB turned WR uncorked a bomb down Jaylin Lucas for a TD, left wide open after Michigan S Keon Sabb got fooled by the trickery.
Michigan's third drive of the game saw them finally awaken and begin a streak of eight consecutive drives that would end in points, only to be snapped by the meaningless final drive of the game (which expired because the 4th quarter clock hit 0:00). McCarthy converted an early 3rd & 10 to Colston Loveland, a dicey throw that turned out to be the one that finally got Michigan's offense out of the mud. Blake Corum gained 12 on the next play and Loveland got 13 on a catch on the play after that. Michigan was in to IU territory and Blake Corum would finish it off, running 15 yards after the catch to get Michigan to the 5 and paying it off with two runs into end zone. 7-7.
The Michigan offense was awake, but the defense wasn't totally yet. A weak personal foul on the TD assessed to ex-Hoosier AJ Barner and enforced on the kickoff would give Indiana good field position and the Hoosiers crossed midfield for their third straight drive. However, on 3rd & 2, Sorsby made a dreadful throw right to Michigan NT Kenneth Grant, who had dropped into zone coverage. Grant did not catch the ball and then Tom Allen curiously chose to punt the football, a cowardly decision in a game that his team was such an underdog in. Michigan's defense was off the hook from having to get a 4th & short stop.
[Bryan Fuller]
The punt decision backed the home team up to their own 13 but that was no issue for the Michigan offense that was now in a groove. Donovan Edwards touched the ball on each of the first four plays from scrimmage before McCarthy connected with Tyler Morris on a deep ball, one enabled by Indiana jumping offside and giving Michigan a free play. JJ was finding his stride after three early sacks, persevering through a flea flicker that Indiana wasn't fooled by, still hooking up with Morris for a solid gain, followed by a beautiful back-shoulder throw to Barner to gain 18. Michigan now had 1st & goal and after three plays fell short, they found themselves in 4th & Goal from the 2. Jim Harbaugh kept his offense on the field and the players rewarded him, as McCarthy found an uncovered Roman Wilson in the end zone for the TD. 14-7.
There was 3:24 left on the clock at the time of that TD, enough time for Michigan's defense to get a quick stop and still return the ball to the offense with time to score again. That's exactly what they'd do, with an assist from the Indiana offense. It seemed as if the Hoosiers had a big play down the field when McCulley toasted Michigan corner Keshaun Harris for a 37 yard catch, but the play came back because of a hands to the face penalty on Old Friend Zach Carpenter, getting his paws on the noggin of DT Cam Goode. Not just did that nullify a big gain, but it set a normally bad Indiana offense well behind schedule. The next play was 2nd & 22 and unsurprisingly, Indiana was unable to recover from that hole.
Indiana punted to Michigan with 1:40 remaining, a strange punt that hopped in front of Tyler Morris, who fielded it awkwardly but then proceeded to return it 27 yards into Indiana territory. Michigan's offense was given a short field, which would become even shorter after an unnecessary roughness penalty on Indiana's Marcus Burris Jr. on the first play from scrimmage. Michigan was inside the IU 30 just like that and they'd make it inside the 10 when McCarthy uncorked a Patrick Mahomes-like underhand flip to Edwards at the 10, who scampered down to the 2. Two plays later Corum rumbled in for a TD and Michigan would take a 21-7 lead to halftime.
[Click the JUMP for more recap]
[Bryan Fuller]
This is when the romp really began. Michigan's offense in the second half would be just as deadly as the first half, but the defense would tighten up and annihilate the Indiana offense alongside it. Michigan again got a good return to start the half, Semaj Morgan running the kickoff back to the Michigan 35. The Wolverines seemed to be in trouble early in the drive, faced with a 3rd & 10 and Tom Allen brought another crafty pressure. Edwards and LT LaDarius Henderson miscommunicated on the protection and McCarthy was quickly in trouble. None too bothered, McCarthy spun away from pressure and rolled, throwing on the run to a wide open Colston Loveland. Loveland caught it and galloped down the sideline for a TD. 28-7.
Indiana's first drive of the second half announced that Michigan's A-Game on defense had arrived. They stuffed a Sorsby run on 1st down, forced an incompletion on 2nd down, and then a blitz produced a sack for Jaylen Harrell on 3rd down. Three-and-out for the Hoosiers. Michigan took the football at their own 48 and needed just five plays to find the end zone again, a pair of chunk runs by Blake Corum capped off by a beautiful bubble screen by Semaj Morgan, who danced around defenders and bounced off tacklers on his way to the end zone. 35-7.
It didn't get any better for Indiana from here. They ran just three plays on offense again and this time it ended not with a punt, but a fumble. Sorsby was sacked on 3rd & 9 as Jesse Minter ramped up another blitz, Michael Barrett crushing the QB and recovering the fumble he forced. Michigan's ensuing drive, which started at the 15, was a clunker and gave a small bit of reprieve to Indiana. McCarthy fumbled on 2nd down, which was recovered for a loss of yardage. His QB keeper on 3rd down came up short of the sticks as McCarthy was hit hard on what would be his final drive of the game. Michigan K James Turner booted a 28 yard field goal to make the score 38-7.
[Patrick Barron]
Indiana finally moved the ball on their next drive, which was kickstarted by a ridiculous catch by Omar Cooper Jr. to convert a long 3rd down, one in which the only piece of his body that landed in bounds was somehow his head(!!). Indiana entered Michigan territory but would run out of gas, the Wolverines slamming the door on 4th & 3 and to add insult to injury, Sorsby fumbled on the play again, recovered by Mason Graham for a small return.
Another ex-Hoosier got to make his mark on the game at this juncture, with Jack Tuttle subbing in for McCarthy at QB. Tuttle would make a couple completions to Roman Wilson but otherwise this was a Benjamin Hall drive, with the freshman RB marching Michigan right down the field and into a goal line situation. Once inside the 10, Michigan finally ended their quest to get Donovan Edwards a TD, Edwards plunging in to the end zone from two yards out. 45-7.
Into the 4th quarter at this point, Michigan would get the football right back. On the first play from scrimmage of Indiana's next drive, Tayven Jackson (back in at QB) was intercepted by Keon Sabb, who returned the deep ball 28 yards to the Indiana 36. Michigan's second team offense was back in business, Hall again doing the heavy lifting until the red zone. Tuttle completed a pass to WR Fred Moore on 3rd & Goal, which got Michigan down to the 4, and just as Harbaugh had believed in his first team offense earlier, he believed in his second team offense now. He left Jack Tuttle's group on the field and Tuttle threw a TD against his former team, a strike to Karmello English for his first collegiate receiving touchdown (the third and final freshman WR to make an impact on the game). Michigan led 52-7 with 6:03 remaining and it was over.
Indiana would have one final drive, chewing up nearly the entirety of the remaining clock against Michigan's defensive reserves, the drive closing after a turnover on downs with six seconds remaining. It appeared for a moment that Indiana would be the first team this season to surpass 10 points against Michigan, but the TD pass to Omar Cooper Jr. was nullified upon review which clearly showed his foot was out of bounds before the catch. Once IU turned it over on downs, walk-on RB Danny Hughes had the honor of carrying the ball on the final rush of the game. The clock expired and Michigan had another victory.
[Patrick Barron]
Despite being outgained 141-17 in the first quarter, Michigan outgained IU 407-232 for the game and 51 of those Hoosier yards came on the meaningless final drive. Indiana's offense made an early imprint and then were completely swallowed up, going punt, punt, punt, fumble, fumble, INT, downs to finish the game. Through seven games, Michigan's first team defense has ceded 30 total points. On offense, Michigan was ruthlessly efficient after the first two drives, still gaining 6.4 YPP for the entirety of the game in spite of the opening. McCarthy and Tuttle combined to to go 19/22 for 244 yards (11.1 Y/A), 4 TD and 0 INT through the air. The four sacks allowed aren't ideal, but not all were the fault of pass protection and they are a result of the way Indiana plays defense, with the typical Allen blitziness making an appearance today.
The Michigan rushing game ran for 4.9 YPC excluding sacks, with Corum notching two rushing TDs and Edwards having one. As a sign of how the game went, Benjamin Hall was Michigan's leading rusher by yardage and YPC, though Corum led in carries with 13. The pass game was highly diversified, 11 different receivers catching the 19 passes thrown by McCarthy and Tuttle. Morris led the way with four, followed by Loveland and Wilson with 3. Wilson's TD in the first half was his 9th receiving TD of the season, tying Jehu Chesson for the most receiving TDs in a single season in the Jim Harbaugh era... with Michigan still having at least six more games to play. Should Michigan make the CFP and play 14 or 15 games, Wilson has a legitimate chance to challenge Desmond Howard's program record of 19 in a single season.
Michigan is now 7-0 on the season, their third consecutive season starting 7-0. I don't have research on how many times that has happened previously in the program's history, but it is something I will research in the subsequent hours. They've won 20 in a row at Michigan Stadium, with the next home game being in a few weeks against Purdue. In the meantime, Michigan heads to East Lansing next weekend to take on Michigan State in the battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy. The Spartans melted down in the fourth quarter today, being outscored 21-0 by Rutgers to close the game and with it, MSU has dropped to 2-4. Regardless of MSU's record, it is a marquee game and is being broadcast as such, under the lights at 7:30 PM EST next Saturday on NBC.
October 14th, 2023 at 6:56 PM ^
Edwards must be showing something in practice that isn't translating to the games. That's the only rational explanation I can come up with for why they keep trying to give him inside runs and crap out of the I-formation.
October 14th, 2023 at 7:06 PM ^
yes. It was frustrating watching him miss cuts and not make plays today. It was humorous to me when he tried to wave off Corum near end of first half with the clock running down. Harbaugh ended up calling a TO and rightfully got Corum in to score the TD.
October 14th, 2023 at 9:22 PM ^
He's still not 100%. That step-back to juke a tackle was incredible though.
And Corum wasn't lighting up Indiana either, but showed that he's a step above. No shame in that for Edwards.
October 15th, 2023 at 3:53 PM ^
I was curious about that. Several times recently I've seen defenses slow-play their matching subsitutions, a couple of times even successfully running the game clock to zero. Have we reached the point that if you substitute on a running clock that late in the half you're committed to the timeout anyway?
October 14th, 2023 at 8:43 PM ^
Donovan's playing himself into a 4-6 round draft grade, so maybe the Mullings-Hall thunder will have some Edwards lightning in '24?
October 14th, 2023 at 6:06 PM ^
I wanna say the last time we started 7-0 three straight seasons was the early Bo years where our only loss/tie would be Ohio State
October 14th, 2023 at 7:01 PM ^
Yes, pretty sure that's correct. 1970 through 1974, Michigan started undefeated every year until the OSU game, where they had a L against OSU every year, except for 1971 when they got the W and 1973 when it was the infamous 10-10 tie.
October 14th, 2023 at 9:58 PM ^
Ah yes, the five year stretch when they lost to OSU every year, except for 40% of the time...
October 14th, 2023 at 11:18 PM ^
40% of the time, it worked 100% of the time.
October 15th, 2023 at 4:33 PM ^
Excellent work both of you!
October 15th, 2023 at 9:28 AM ^
That 10-10 tie was the functional equivalent of a loss.
October 15th, 2023 at 1:00 PM ^
You gotta be pretty good when the broadcast keeps coming up with stats that 'this team hasn't done that since the 70's'. What was the stat they mentioned that we haven't scored +40 and allowed less than 10 since '75 or so? Something like that? Every week they break out a new stat. Don't Eff this up guys; we've had this feeling of being destiny's darlings before only to have the clock strike midnight on us. This year's team seems more 'darling' than even the '97 squad. Both of them.
October 14th, 2023 at 6:07 PM ^
An absolute dismantling.
It’s fitting that Michigan, the winningest program in college football, beat Indiana, the losingest program in college football
October 14th, 2023 at 9:39 PM ^
It would have been fitting to have this as the 1000th win.
I wil take the Tortuga Soup for it as well.
October 14th, 2023 at 6:11 PM ^
I just wanted to note for @Brian’s sake that FOX called for a full media timeout with 0:19 seconds remaining. In a game that Michigan led 52-7. With its second- and third-string players on the field for the entirety of the 4th quarter. In the rain.
Clearly, they’re doing this only to annoy @Brian. You’re welcome.
October 14th, 2023 at 6:58 PM ^
I noticed that too. It was after an incomplete pass -- the reversed touchdown. And it wasn't for the review of the play -- it was after they had reversed the TD. And they never really showed a good replay showing the out of bounds.
October 14th, 2023 at 11:47 PM ^
They did in the stadium. His foot was on the sideline when he caught the pass. There was no question about it.
October 15th, 2023 at 4:35 PM ^
Homeboy yammered for 2 and a half minutes to then send us to a 2 and half minute break. Idiots.
October 14th, 2023 at 7:08 PM ^
my god the commercials. the commercials.
October 14th, 2023 at 6:13 PM ^
Im trying to enjoy the place this program is at week to week. One day we’ll look back on this as a super fun time to be a Michigan fan
I was thinking during the game about how Michigan coming out flat and going down 7-0 doesn’t elicit the old feeling of “ah hell here we go again”. Its now a feeling of “ok how long is this gonna be annoying before we inevitably win by 4 scores”. Its nice
October 14th, 2023 at 8:52 PM ^
100%, I was never worried for a second! That is a very different reality from the past 20 or so years!
The Air Force /Army /UConn /MOON games, ekeing out Ws vs wildly outmatched opponents.
Or for God's sake the Appy or Toledo games, not ekeing out Ws!
October 15th, 2023 at 12:02 AM ^
Yep....going down 7-0 2006-2020 elicited feelings of dread. In 2021, and especially 2022 and 2023, no problem.
October 15th, 2023 at 4:37 PM ^
We only won by two score (+2)
October 15th, 2023 at 8:20 PM ^
Football can be incredibly frustrating when you watch plays that make you wtf.
I have been a Michigan fan a long time and don’t recall a period of time like this where those wtf moments have become so few and far between.
It’s just awesome.
October 14th, 2023 at 6:18 PM ^
Your opening paragraph says it all. As good as the 2021 and 2022 Michigan teams were, with a first quarter like this team just had, they'd be headed into the half tied or behind. And then they'd still win, since they simply wore down all but the most elite opponents
But this team? This team is better than those last two teams. A disastrous first quarter and still--somehow--a nearly impeccable beatdown of a conference foe. 4 sacks, 4 takeaways, 52 straight points without a defensive or special teams score (and in less than two full quarters of QB1 playing at his usual level). It's a little scary how good this team is right now. Hope they keep it up
October 14th, 2023 at 6:24 PM ^
- Curious why IU never went back to Tayven Jackson who was killing us.
- Semaj Morgan and Tyler Morris are dudes.
- JJ is for real
- Concerned about Edwards. Need to get him the ball in space though short passes
- Go Blue!
October 14th, 2023 at 6:40 PM ^
Pretty sure they did go back to him. Then Michael Barrett ate his face and took the ball.
October 15th, 2023 at 12:47 AM ^
Tayven Jackson who was killing us
sometimes I just don’t think you people are actually watching the UM game
October 15th, 2023 at 8:50 AM ^
He came back in and immediately threw a pick on his first attempt. Might have something to do with his extended time on the bench.
October 14th, 2023 at 6:45 PM ^
Very good write up Alex. This season has quite a bit of promise.
October 14th, 2023 at 6:59 PM ^
The Game 93
Old Oaken Bucket 14
(was 59-0 in the middle quarters)
October 14th, 2023 at 11:39 PM ^
This went over my head
October 14th, 2023 at 11:47 PM ^
Sorry for the obscurity...
Michigan + OSU = 93
IU + Purdue = 14
October 15th, 2023 at 4:40 PM ^
That is a good one. OSU (and to a lesser extent ND - making them a much better win) showed a lot this week. Things are shaping up to get good for the BigTens November to Remember.
October 14th, 2023 at 7:05 PM ^
Dear Michigan football team: so far so good! Please fortheloveofGod stay healthy. Big games ahead.
October 14th, 2023 at 11:09 PM ^
Wouldn't surprise me one bit if MSU tries some cheap shot bullshit next week.
October 15th, 2023 at 6:10 AM ^
Me either, but for now I am going to assume Harlon Barnett is a decent human being unlike their last two coaches.
October 15th, 2023 at 9:17 AM ^
Still a bunch of dirtbag players though, plus old Mork stomping around.
They already have four losses and still have to play M, Penn State, and OSU. So they don’t even have a real shot at any kind of bowl eligibility. Get ready for ALL the personal fouls.
October 15th, 2023 at 11:09 AM ^
He's a great guy TBH lol. Was my high school basketball coach
October 15th, 2023 at 3:16 PM ^
One can hope
October 15th, 2023 at 8:22 PM ^
Guaranteed.
October 14th, 2023 at 7:31 PM ^
Nice write up! Go Blue!
October 14th, 2023 at 7:33 PM ^
Benjamin Hall lives up to his spring game hype.
Mullings and Hall next season, Thunder and Thunder!
October 15th, 2023 at 3:46 AM ^
I'm ready for some MuHallings on the ground next year
October 15th, 2023 at 4:42 PM ^
Muhaha! All your broken tackles are belong to us!
October 14th, 2023 at 7:42 PM ^
I don't mind JJ doing those end around runs to the sideline but I get very nervous when he takes off running down the middle. He got up very slow on that run in the 2nd quarter. My heart can't take that stress.
Otherwise, that was about as perfect a response to that 1st quarter as the team could possibly make. I'm happy. Now beat the tar out of Sparty.
October 15th, 2023 at 6:12 AM ^
Did you miss the big shot he took when up 38-7? He got planted on his right shoulder when clearly, he shouldn't have been running in that situation. Harbaugh wasn't too thrilled with it either. I believe that was his last series.
October 15th, 2023 at 10:20 AM ^
JJ should not have been in the game at that point. They can’t be too careful with him at this point in the season. Up that much late in the 3rd should have been Tuttle time.
October 15th, 2023 at 4:43 PM ^
We were still miles better than Indiana after TuttleTime started. Start prepping that backup as well. Is this his last year?
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