Michigan Football falls short in 13-6 overtime loss to Indiana

The Michigan Wolverines suffered a 13-6 overtime loss against the defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday. Kyle Whittingham’s team was hoping to secure a signature win but instead, fell to 4-3 and 1-3 in Big Ten play with a loss.

Here’s the recap, highlights and stats.

First quarter

Indiana received the opening kick off and picked up two first downs, but Michigan’s defense settled in to force a punt. The Wolverines came up with a critical stop on third down, as defensive end John Henry Daley recorded a pass deflection.

Michigan’s first offensive possession left a lot to be desired (a constant theme on the day), but like it has all season, the defense was there to step up. The Wolverines quickly put an end to Indiana’s next drive as safety Chris Bracy shot into the backfield for a tackle for loss.

Following a second straight punt from the Hoosiers, Michigan was hoping to find a little bit of momentum on offense. The exact opposite happened though as quarterback Tommy Carr tried to pitch the ball and Indiana recovered the fumble.

Michigan’s defense was put in a difficult position, but cornerback Jyaire Hill came up with a pair of pass break ups to keep Indiana out of the end zone and force a field goal. The Hoosiers took a 3-0 lead with 3:44 remaining in the first quarter.

On the ensuing possession, Carr connected with wide receiver Channing Goodwin for a first down. However, the drive stalled as running back Bryson Kuzdzal was tackled for a 7-yard loss on the next set of downs and Michigan punted it away.

Second quarter

It only got worse on Michigan’s next offensive possession as Carr turned it over for a second time with an interception. The Michigan quarterback made a horrible decision to throw into quadruple coverage and it was picked off by the Hoosiers.

Taking over just outside of the red zone, Indiana was hoping to break the game open with a touchdown but somehow, Michigan got another crucial stop. The Hoosiers hit a 34-yard field goal to extend the lead to 6-0 with 9:31 left in the quarter.

The putrid offensive performance continued for the Wolverines, picking up a single first down before punting yet again. Carr found wide receiver Travis Johnson for an 11-yard gain, but it was 3rd and 17 so Michigan had no choice but to punt it.

On the final drive of the half, Michigan moved the ball a bit as Carr hit wide receiver Andrew Marsh for a 16-yard gain, but the freshman signal caller took a critical sack to turn a potential 41-yard field goal into a 53-yard kick, which was missed.

HALFTIME: Michigan 0, Indiana 6

Third quarter

Michigan’s offense showed some life to start the second half as Carr found wide receiver JJ Buchanan for back-to-back 17-yard first down receptions, followed by a 12-yard pass to tight end Hogan Hansen, but then disaster struck again.

The Wolverines were just one yard away from scoring a touchdown and taking a 7-6 lead, but for some odd season, offensive coordinator Jason Beck inexplicably called a play-action trick play and Carr was sacked for a loss of 13 yards.

Only to make matters worse, kicker Trey Butkowski totally shanked a 32-yard field goal and Michigan went from nearly taking the lead to still trailing 6-0. In all, Michigan put together a 13-play, 61-yard drive and came away with zero points.

It felt like the air was totally sucked out of the stadium, but the crowd was revived just moments later when cornerback Zeke Berry jumped a route and snagged an interception. Berry returned it 37 yards to put the Wolverines in the red zone.

Even though it still didn’t result in a touchdown, the turnover was enough to finally get Michigan on the scoreboard as Butkowski connected on a 29-yard field goal. The Wolverines trimmed the deficit to 6-3 with 2:22 left in the third quarter.

Fourth quarter

On the first snap of the fourth quarter, Michigan continued to seize momentum, as defensive back Smith Snowden got home on a blitz and came up with his first sack of the season. However, the offense just wasn’t able to take advantage.

Michigan came up empty on the next two possessions and still trailed 6-3 midway through the quarter, but the defense continued to dominate and give the offense a chance to take the lead. Well, that came to fruition on the following drive.

The Wolverines marched down the field for a 13-play, 53-yard drive, resulting in a game-tying field goal as time expired. Carr barely avoided a sack and found Goodwin for a 24-yard gain on third down, to put the Wolverines in scoring position.

Later in the drive, Carr connected with Buchanan for a first down to get within a few yards of a go-ahead touchdown. The Wolverines weren’t quite able to punch it into the end zone but Butkowski made a 26-yard field goal to force overtime.

END OF REGULATION: Michigan 6, Indiana 6

Overtime

It didn’t take much time for Indiana to score in overtime as quarterback Josh Hoover hit tight end Brock Schott for a 21-yard gain on the first play. On the very next snap, Hoover scored a 4-yard touchdown run to put the Hoosiers up 13-6.

Michigan nearly scored a game-tying touchdown on the next possession as Carr targeted Hansen in the end zone but the tight end was barely out of bounds. On the final play of the game, Carr’s last gasp came up short as Indiana survived.

FINAL SCORE: Michigan 6, Indiana 13

Michigan stat leaders

• QB Tommy Carr: 20-for-32, 167 passing yards, 1 interception
• RB Jordan Marshall: 12 carries, 26 rushing yards
• WR JJ Buchanan: 6 catches, 57 receiving yards
• TE Hogan Hansen: 4 catches, 34 receiving yards
• DB Chris Bracy: 13 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss
• DB Zeke Berry: 6 total tackles, 1 interception, 1 pass deflection
• LB Troy Bowles: 5 total tackles, 1 quarterback hit
• DB Smith Snowden: 4 total tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss

Indiana stat leaders

• QB Josh Hoover: 8-for-18, 81 passing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 1 interception
• RB Turbo Richard: 19 carries, 68 rushing yards
• WR Charlie Becker: 3 catches, 32 receiving yards
• LB Rolijah Hardy: 9 total tackles, 2 sacks
• DB Amare Ferrell: 8 total tackles, 1 interception
• LB Isaiah Jones: 8 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss
• DL Stephen Daley: 4 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss

Up next

Michigan will look to bounce back with a road trip to face Rutgers on October 31 (12:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network).