How Indiana's 'gritty' OT victory at Michigan tilts CFP, Big Ten title race in favor of Hoosiers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Indiana had not won at Michigan Stadium since 1967.
In somewhat fitting fashion, the Hoosiers beat the Wolverines in a game straight out of the '60s. No. 6 Indiana beat Michigan 13-6 in an overtime slugfest that will be huge for the Hoosiers later.
"Regardless of how pretty it was, it was gritty," Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said on the Fox telecast. "It was gritty as hell. It's a win, and we're going to celebrate it."
Indiana's Josh Hoover led the go-ahead TD drive in overtime, and the Hoosiers' defense held on against Michigan quarterback Tommy Carr. How did the Hoosiers win? What does this mean for the Big Ten race and the College Football Playoff
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Josh Hoover battles through rough start vs. Michigan
Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover, who played through right arm and wrist injuries, struggled against the Wolverines' defense for much of the game.
The Hoosiers (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) led 6-0 at halftime behind a pair of Nico Radicic field goals, but Hoover was 7 of 16 for just 60 yards. He threw just one pass in the second half of regulation, which resulted in a Zeke Berry interception that set up a 29-yard field goal by Trey Butkowski with 2:22 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Indiana grounded out tough yardage with Turbo Richard (19 carries, 68 yards) and Lee Beebe Jr. (12 carries, 56 yards), but the Hoosiers went back to the passing game on the first play of overtime.
Hoover hit tight end Brock Schott on a deep in route for a 12-yard gain, then the quarterback scrambled for a 4-yard TD run and the game's only touchdown. Hoover finished 8 of 18 for 81 yards and an interception, but he made clutch plays similar to those in the 20-17 victory at Nebraska on Oct. 10.
Hoover 👉 Hoosier TD Josh Hoover keeps it to give No. 6 @IndianaFootball the lead in OT. Watch on FOX https://t.co/JJhaQO0ktn
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 24, 2026
Hoover did not have a great performance, and Cignetti will need more from the quarterback if Indiana wants to get back to the College Football Playoff and make another national championship run. The TCU transfer, however, did deliver the first victory at the Big House in nearly 60 years.
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Tommy Carr can't quite pull off Michigan upset
Michigan's offense also struggled with Carr, who was making his first start since taking over for Bryce Underwood. Carr finished 20 of 32 passing for 167 yards. He also had an interception and a fumble in the first half.
Still, he led the Wolverines (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten) on a potential game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. Carr extended two plays on third down, a 24-yard pass to Channing Goodwin and a 7-yard pass to JJ Buchanan, but the Wolverines could not score a TD in a goal-to-go situation. Butkowski also missed a 32-yard field goal in the first half, and Michigan offensive coordinator Jason Beck will take some heat for the red-zone failures in a game decided by a small margin. The Wolverines had 42 carries for 57 yards, an average of ...
Carr could not counter Hoover's TD drive in overtime. He just missed tight end Hogan Hansen in the end zone, and a fourth-down pass to Salesi Moa fell incomplete. The Wolverines proved they will stay in games with their defense, but Carr took four sacks, and the Hoosiers had 10 tackles for loss.
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How Indiana win impacts CFP picture
Michigan will not be a College Football Playoff team, but the Wolverines still proved they have chaos value with remaining games against Oregon (Nov. 14), No. 9 UCLA (Nov. 21) and No. 3 Ohio State (Nov. 28). Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham, however, still has to figure out how to score points with an offense that averages 15 points per game in Big Ten play.
Indiana, meanwhile, has some breathing room in the Big Ten race. Indiana plays Minnesota in Week 9 before a well-timed bye. The Hoosiers have No. 16 USC (Nov. 14), Washington (Nov. 21) and Purdue (Nov. 28) from there. Cignetti is right. This win was gritty, and it should help Indiana reach the 10-win mark necessary to earn a third straight trip to the College Football Playoff. The Big Ten championship game also is very much in play.