There was a time in the not-so-distant past when facing Ohio State and Michigan in consecutive weeks was an unfair task for any Big Ten team.
The Wolverines’ recent slide has made this no longer the case. But No. 6 Indiana could still wind up with back-to-back losses if it’s not ready for Saturday’s clash against the Wolverines (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) in Ann Arbor, Mich.
“Out of the frying pan and into the fire as we get ready for Michigan,” said Indiana coach Curt Cignetti.
The Hoosiers (6-1, 3-1) must recover quickly from their first regular-season loss since Nov. 23, 2024 – which also came at the hands of Ohio State.
In Saturday’s 19-15 loss to the Buckeyes, which could have been a win if wide receiver Nate Marsh’s first step hadn’t been out of bounds while hauling in a would-be touchdown pass from Josh Hoover with 1:02 to play, Cignetti suggested his Hoosiers didn’t live up to their normal M.O.
“We fell short, plain and simple,” Cignetti said. “Gave great effort and had our opportunities, for sure. In some ways, we beat ourselves – which is uncharacteristic of this football team. But I certainly think we proved we’re capable. We just have to clean up a couple areas and use this setback to learn and grow, come back stronger and better.”
The Ohio State game marked the second straight week when Indiana’s vaunted rushing attack struggled to find yards against a defense determined to shut down the run.
Against the Buckeyes, the Hoosiers managed 73 yards on 29 rushes (2.5 yards per carry) with a long run of just eight yards. The week before against Nebraska, the Hoosiers totaled 65 yards on 22 carries (3.0 yards per carry) with Hoover’s 16-yard scramble the longest run.
Indiana won’t find it any easier to run against Michigan, which ranks ahead of Ohio State and Nebraska with the nation’s No. 13 run defense. The Wolverines surrender just 89.7 yards per game and 2.7 yards per carry.
“It all starts up front,” Cignetti said. “We all want more consistent production and explosive plays. We haven’t gotten any explosive plays the last two weeks in the run game.”
Conversely, Michigan walks into Saturday’s game feeling at its peak offensively. After going into halftime of last week’s game against Penn State trailing 3-0, the Wolverines benched quarterback Bryce Underwood in favor of freshman Tommy Carr.
The grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr directed the Wolverines to three second-half touchdowns to rally for a 21-18 victory.
Carr didn’t throw a lot — he went 5 of 7 for 47 yards — but he didn’t turn over the ball and rushed for a crucial touchdown with 2:58 to play.
“Tommy is a very good runner,” said Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham. “He’s deceptively fast. …All his testing numbers really tell you how quick and fast and explosive he is, but he doesn’t look like it because he’s so smooth.”
Whittingham declined Monday to say whether Underwood or Carr will start against Indiana. Considering Underwood threw for five interceptions and two touchdowns in his last 10 quarters – which included losses to Iowa and Minnesota – it would be a surprise if the sophomore incumbent was the answer.
“Well, we saw good stuff out of Tommy in the second half and we know exactly what we’re doing and the plan going forward,” Whittingham said. “We’re not going to tip our hand to the opponent, but we have a good plan in place. And that’s about all I can say about that right now.”