IU’s matchup against No. 3 Michigan on Saturday seemed to be a carbon copy of its previous losses in the 2016 season.
The Hoosiers started strong and pushed a competitive game into the second half, even though they were 24-point underdogs. Michigan struggled in the passing game just like Ohio State did in Week 5. IU's special teams floundered again, as two Hoosier punts were blocked.
Michigan even sealed its victory with a strip-sack, much like the strip-sack that sealed Penn State’s win against IU last week.
There were bright spots, as always.
Junior quarterback Richard Lagow made precise throws that he hadn’t made in recent weeks. Junior running back Devine Redding found space. Sophomore receiver Nick Westbrook made the “competitive plays” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said are necessary.
There were big plays for the Hoosiers in the first half, and then there were bigger plays for the Wolverines in the second.
And once again Wilson said the game was decided by the running game.
“We tried to get it in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t get a stop,” Wilson said after the 20-10 loss.
After a first half where the Hoosiers didn’t allow a touchdown and scored just the fourth rushing touchdown the Wolverines have allowed all season, IU took a 7-3 lead into halftime.
The Hoosiers had more average yards per play, more first downs, fewer penalties, more total yards and didn’t turn the ball over against the Wolverines in that first half. Michigan failed to convert on seven third downs.
Junior running back Devine Redding broke off three runs for more than eight yards but only had one in the second half.
The Wolverines had three big runs in the first half, and added four in the second.
Two of those came on back-to-back plays when Michigan quarterback John O’Korn broke a sack to run for 30 yards and running back DeVeon Smith found enough space to run 34 yards into the endzone.
Those two plays gave Michigan the lead, and the Hoosiers were paralyzed.
The IU offense never saw Michigan territory after losing the lead, and the defense gave up another touchdown — this time on a 39-yard touchdown run by Smith — on Michigan’s next drive to push the lead to 20-10.
“We’ve got to find a way to finish,” junior linebacker Tegray Scales said. “We didn’t have the same juice that we had coming out to start the game. We’ve got to figure out a way to eliminate those plays.”
With back-to-back weeks ending in lost leads in the second half, Wilson said the breakdowns on defense are a testament to how the IU defense has been playing at the beginning of games.
But regardless of the breakdowns in defense, the Hoosiers stymied an offense that averages 46 points per game, 237 pass yards per game and 25 first downs per game to 20, 59 and 15, respectively.
That offense is the offense of the No. 3 team in the country at a stadium in which Michigan is famous for demolishing opponents.
But it didn’t demolish IU, just like Ohio State didn’t demolish IU — and Penn State and Nebraska and Northwestern.
“We had a lot of respect for Michigan coming in,” Wilson said. “Our guys battled hard. The defense was fighting, fighting, but did give up the difference in the game — the run game.”
