BLOOMINGTON, Ind – The Michigan Wolverines' abysmal offense reared its ugly head as the Indiana Hoosiers staved off their first loss of the season in a 20-15 nailbiter.
Michigan fell to the high-powered Hoosiers, who went on to win their 10th game, which was a first in program history as the Wolverines could not keep up as a coaching staff for putting these second-string players in poor positions to succeed.
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It’s never a good sign when you see the defensive players’ nameplate, as the Hoosiers receivers were blowing by the Wolverines early and often taking a 17-3 lead into the half.
Again, the Wolverines had under 100 yards of total offense, 94 to be exact, as quarterback Davis Warren was either scrambling for his life or missing wide-open receivers down the field.
Warren was 7-18 for 83 yards, while the rushing attack was null and void as they accumulated 11 yards on the ground.
Warren opened the game by completing 5-6 for 64 yards, but he only had eyes for tight end Colston Loveland on the team’s first two plays of the game for 22 yards.
But he only completed two more passes for 19 yards to end the half, with his best pass coming in the second quarter when he dimed up a referee who nearly caught the pass but decided to drop his hands in the last second.
#MichiganWolverines quarterback #DavisWarren does his best #TheLongestYard impersonation as he dimes up the referee who nearly made the snag. Even the commentators got a chuckle out of this first-half performance. pic.twitter.com/cPtKPBBKO8
— Brandon L. Carr (@Carrpediem21) November 9, 2024
After going three-and-out to open the second half, defensive back Zeke Berry jumped a run-pass option for an interception to put the Wolverines into the red zone.
However, they went three-and-out again and settled for a field goal to trail 17-6 from the five-yard line.
The Wolverines punted the ball on fourth and two to pin the Hoosiers in their own endzone while trailing 17-3.
Then, they kicked a field goal from inside the five-yard line instead of going for it, bringing the game to 17-6.
Another drive to end the third quarter ended with a career-long 56-yard field goal by Dominic Zvada, his third of the day to bring the game to 17-9.
The momentum swing in the once-snoozefest was thanks to defensive end TJ Guy, who wreaked havoc on Indiana’s offensive line by getting two sacks late in the game.
linebacker Jaishawn Barham got another huge sack for 14 yards to force the Hoosiers to punt again with a 17-15 lead with a little over seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Picking up their fourth sack of the game, the Wolverines put the ball back in the hands of their offense, who went three and out once again after another poor throw by Warren.
Warren, on third down and 11, airmailed wide-open receiver Kendrick Bell, which led to a shanked punt that was returned for 34 yards, putting the struggling Hoosiers in scoring position with over five minutes to go.
The Hoosiers scored a field goal to take a 20-15 lead and gave the ball back to the struggling offense, who came up short one yard on fourth and 11 to cap off the 73rd matchup between both schools.
After the defeat, the Wolverines lead the all-time series 62-11 and now have a 20-3 record at Memorial Stadium.
Warren finished the game 16-32 for 137 yards and one unforced fumble on the team’s opening drive, which returned to haunt them in the end.
Wink Martindale and his injured defense put a lid on the high-octane Hoosiers in the second half, as his ragtag bunch of second—and third-unit guys played well.
But it‘s offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell’s play calling that is hurting the already abysmal offense with questionable play calling, which is nothing new for Team 145.
The Wolverines are now 5-5 with two games remaining, and from the looks of it, they’ll be lucky to make a bowl game this season after coming off a national championship.
Their next matchup will be in two weeks when they play host to the Northwestern Wildcats for senior day.
