The Lack Of Competitiveness From The Wolverines Saturday Was Astonishing
For the second straight week, the Wolverines played uninspired football and got outplayed in every facet of the game against a team that has inferior athletes. The Hoosiers, like the Spartans last week, controlled the entire contest, and no Wolverines other than Ronnie Bell showed any emotion. While on the other sideline, the Hoosiers defensive coordinator was yelling at the offense to “Put them away” late in the fourth quarter. After hearing all week from the media how bad they were, one would think the Wolverines would come out fired up; however, they came out the exact opposite: flat.
For the second straight week, it looked like the Wolverines opponent wanted to win the game more than they did. It was an embarrassing effort for the second consecutive game, as Harbaugh got out coached, again.
Offensively
The only bright spot all day for the Wolverines was the play of wide receivers Ronnie Bell and Cornelius Johnson. The latter had four catches of more than 10 yards in the contest highlighted by a terrific catch climbing the ladder for a 37-yard touchdown in the first quarter. The catch by Johnson was the first pass Milton had completed all season 20-plus yards down the field. Bell was Michigan’s best player on Saturday and the only one who showed a competitive fire. He had four receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown in the second half alone. If Michigan had 22 players and a coaching staff with the same competitiveness as him, maybe the Wolverines don’t get blown out in Bloomington.
Joe Milton was not the reason Michigan lost; however, he did not play very well. Despite throwing for a career-high 344 passing yards with three touchdowns, Milton left points on the field Saturday. His receivers didn't help matters dropping several passes throughout the day. Milton's touch on the deep ball clearly needs work, as he missed a few throws down the field, the most obvious being a wide-open touchdown to Ronnie Bell late in the third quarter. Milton also made a couple of poor decisions with the football, whether it be a miscommunication with a receiver or just a bad throw. The Wolverines were forced to throw often, as Michigan found themselves in a hole early, which is why Saturday was the perfect opportunity for Milton to show Wolverines fans and his coaches that he is ready to be an elite college quarterback; however, he failed to deliver.
The running game was putrid. Even though the Wolverines were forced to throw more because they were losing almost the entire game, 18 carries for 13 yards is unacceptable. Michigan’s longest run of the game was 11 yards, as the offensive line never established themselves. While Michigan was down two starting offensive linemen in Jalen Mayfield and Ryan Hayes, the Wolverines were expected to be able to push the Hoosiers defensive line around way more than they did.
The offense in the first half was horrible. Milton went 4-for-13 in the first half, while the Wolverines running game had nine yards rushing on 13 attempts. Other than the one touchdown drive in the first half, Michigan had five drives that resulted in a total of 48 yards. Michigan showed some life offensively in the second half, scoring on two of their first three drives after halftime. Michigan’s comeback effort in the second half, though, was derailed by Milton's turnovers and a horrific performance from the defense.
Defensively
Michigan’s defense did nothing well on Saturday. When the Wolverines played man defense, the cornerbacks got torched, and when they played zone, Michael Penix Jr. picked them apart. Penix Jr. threw for a career-high 342 yards and became the second Indiana quarterback to throw for over 340 yards against the Wolverines. Michigan’s defensive backs continued to allow big plays, as Indiana had six catches for more than 20 yards.
While the back end of the defense was bad, the defensive line was equally inadequate. Michigan jumped offsides five times in the first half alone. For the second straight week, the Wolverines failed to get pressure on the quarterback and recorded zero sacks. Michigan also allowed Indiana to rush for 118 yards. Even when the Wolverines knew the run was coming they could not stop it, as the Hoosiers ran out the final five minutes of the game by running the football ten straight times down U-M's throat.
For the second straight week, the Wolverines also dropped interceptions that could have changed the momentum of the game. Daxton Hill had a sure interception on a toss up, but Brad Hawkins mistimed his jump and dropped the pass. There were simply no bright spots for Don Brown’s defense, as they did nothing well in this game.
