Michigan loses to Indiana in Big Ten slugfest: Recap, box score

The Michigan Wolverines fell 20-15 to the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday in Bloomington, falling to 5-5 on the season and letting another winnable game slip away.

Michigan was down 17-3 at the half and could not build enough momentum in the second half to pull ahead and get to bowl eligibility. Now, it heads into a bye week before playing Northwestern on Nov. 23.

Here is the recap from Saturday’s loss to the Hoosiers.

First quarter

Michigan won the coin toss and deferred its choice to the second half, giving Indiana the ball to start the game on offense. U-M’s defense was able to get off the field relatively quickly, allowing 17 yards in 6 plays before a punt down to the 13-yard line with 12:30 left on the clock. The Wolverines followed it up with a 14-play, 66-yard drive, but a fumble on third-and-goal let the wind out of the sails. Dominic Zvada kicked a 39-yard field goal to give Michigan the lead with 5:01 left in the first quarter.

Indiana’s quick-strike offense did just that on the next drive, going 75 yards in 7 plays and scoring a touchdown on a 7-yard pass from Kurtis Rourke to WR Omar Cooper Jr. After the extra point, Indiana led 7-3 with 1:17 to go in the first. U-M went three-and-out on its next drive and punted down to the 15-yard line, but IU’s 20-yard punt return brought the ball out to the 35-yard line. On the play, graduate WR C.J. Charleston suffered a left leg injury and he would need to be carted off the field. The quarter ended with the Hoosiers facing a second-and-6 from the 39-yard line.

Indiana 7, Michigan 3

Second quarter

Indiana made it look easy again on its next possession, going 65 yards in 7 plays and scoring a touchdown on a 36-yard strike from Rourke to WR Elijah Surratt. After the extra point, Indiana led 14-3 with 12:10 left in the first half. The U-M offense responded with a 6-play, 13-yard drive that ended in a punt down to the 25-yard line with 9:49 on the clock. Indiana went 42 yards in 6 plays from there, but turned the ball over on downs at the Michigan 33-yard line, handing the ball back to the Wolverines with 7:04 to go.

Michigan went 15 yards in 4 plays before Alex Orji came into the game and fumbled the ball at midfield, giving the ball back to Indiana with 5:43 remaining at the 48-yard line. The Hoosiers would go 27 yards in 5 plays, but settle for a 40-yard field goal to push their lead to 17-3 with 2:20 to go.

Michigan gained 16 yards on 5 plays on its next drive before being forced to punt back to Indiana, who took over at its 20-yard line with 1:20 remaining. The Hoosiers ran two plays before sending the game into halftime.

Indiana 17, Michigan 3

Third quarter

Michigan started the second half on offense at the 40-yard line after a 37-yard kick return from freshman running back Jordan Marshall. Unfortunately, the offense managed only 13 yards in 5 plays before punting back to Indiana, who took over at its 4-yard line with 11:04 on the clock. One play later, junior defensive back Zeke Berry intercepted Rourke, setting the Wolverines up in prime scoring territory at the Indiana 7-yard line with 10:59 remaining.

Michigan was forced into a 22-yard field goal attempt, which went through to make it 17-6 with 8:41 left in the quarter. The defense came back out and forced a punt after 5 plays for 14 yards for the Hoosiers, who sent it back to the Wolverines with 7:10 to go. U-M then put together a 12-play, 44-yard drive that set up a 56-yard field goal from Zvada to make it a one-score game. Michigan trailed Indiana 17-9 with 8 seconds to go in the third quarter.

Indiana 17, Michigan 9

Fourth quarter

Michigan’s defense stepped up in a major way on its next defensive possession, which spanned the third and fourth quarters. Indiana went three-and-out and lost 16 yards thanks to a pair of TJ Guy sacks on Rourke. Then, the Hoosiers shanked a 26-yard punt, giving U-M the ball at the IU 34-yard line with 13:27 to go. Michigan finally hit paydirt, going 34 yards in 7 plays with Kalel Mullings finding the end zone from a yard out before a failed 2-point conversion. It narrowed the lead to 17-15 in favor of Indiana with 9:35 left.

On defense, Michigan stood tall again, forcing a punt after 6 plays for -4 yards. The Wolverines started their next drive on their own 27-yard line with 7:09 to go. However, they’d go three-and-out, and then a bad Tommy Doman punt was returned for 22 yards do the U-M 39-yard line with 5:10 to go. The Hoosiers went 16 yards in 6 plays and settled for a 41-yard field goal, bringing the score to 20-15 with 2:34 remaining.

Michigan took over on its 21-yard line with 2:28 to go and got two quick completions for 12 yards to move the ball to the 33-yard line when the two-minute timeout struck. However, they would come up a yard short on a fourth-and-10, giving the ball back to the Hoosiers, who would run out the clock and secure the victory.

FINAL: Indiana 20, Michigan 15

Michigan vs. Indiana final box score