Hoosiers Survive Wolverines 20-15 to Improve to 10-0

Written by: TJ Inman

The Indiana Hoosiers entered the game at 9-0 for the first time in school history and a sold-out Memorial Stadium welcomed the reigning National Champions to Bloomington with a chance for the Hoosiers to secure their first ever ten-win season. Kurtis Rourke tossed two touchdown passes in the first half to give the Hoosiers a 17-3 lead at the break but the offense fell apart in the final 30 minutes. IU’s defense held on to keep the Hoosiers in front and Nico Radicic nailed a pair of field goals to give Indiana the 20-15 victory.

Kurtis Rourke and the Indiana offense took the field first and got one first down before being forced to punt the ball to Michigan. The Wolverines fed tight end Colson Loveland and quarterback Davis Warren had a few nice completions to get Michigan inside the IU ten-yard line but a fumbled snap stalled the drive and the Maize and Blue settled for a short field goal to take the 3-0 lead. The Hoosiers responded quickly with a couple of very nice catches by Ke’Shawn Williams and touchdown pass to Omar Cooper to give IU the 7-3 lead to cap the seven-play drive. Michigan went three and out and Kurtis Rourke struck gold again as he lofted a perfect pass into the end zone and connected with Elijah Sarratt for a 36-yard touchdown to make it 14-3. After the two teams traded unsuccessful possessions, the Hoosiers forced a fumble on Alex Orji and Mikail Kamara fell on the ball at the Michigan 48-yard line. Indiana had a chance for a knockout blow but the Hoosiers were held to a 40-yard field goal that was nailed by Nico Radicic to make 17-3 at the half.

Credit has to be given to the Michigan Wolverines because everything changed in the third quarter. The Wolverines dominated the ball all second half and frustrated IU’s offense in a way no one else has all season. Michigan drove into IU territory before pinning the Hoosiers at the 4-yard line. Kurtis Rourke then threw an interception on the first play of IU’s drive and Michigan started the drive at the 7-yard line. Indiana’s defense stood tall and limited the Wolverines to a field goal that made it 17-6. IU’s offense was stuck in reverse, getting one first down before punting the ball back to Michigan. They again moved into IU territory with a plodding but effective drive before settling for an impressive 56-yard field goal to cut the lead to 17-9. IU went three and out to begin the fourth quarter and James Evans shanked a terrible punt that gave UM the ball at the Indiana 35-yard line. The Wolverines capitalized for a short touchdown on fourth and goal but the two-point conversion failed and the score was 17-15. Indiana again went three and out as the offense lost 16 yards on the drive and Michigan had a chance to take the lead with the ball. The Hoosiers’ defense stepped up and forced a quick punt and Ke’Shawn Williams made a great play to catch the punt on the run and scamper forward to the Michigan 39-yard line. IU got one first down and nearly had the ball inside the five-yard line but Elijah Sarratt was unable to maintain possession when he hit the ground. It was his second costly drop of the fourth quarter and the Hoosiers had to settle for a 41-yard field goal to push the lead to 20-15. Michigan got the ball back at the 21-yard line with 2:29 to play and the stakes were clear: they needed a touchdown to win the game. The Wolverines picked up one first down but then faced a fourth and ten and came up one yard short, giving IU the ball back with less than two minutes to play. TySon Lawton picked eight yards on first down with a tough run and Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore inexplicably wasted thirty seconds before calling a timeout. Kurtis Rourke kept the ball on second and short and jogged for a first down before sliding down and effectively ending the game. The Hoosiers ran out the clock with a kneel down and secured the first ten-win season in school history. Despite a very rocky second half, the Indiana Hoosiers are 10-0. The win keeps IU’s Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff hopes very much alive. Curt Cignetti’s team gets a well-earned bye week before heading to Columbus to play the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Key Takeaways

-Indiana’s offense really fell apart in the second half. Injuries to Drew Evans, Justice Ellison and Myles Price certainly played a role and the bye week comes at a perfect time for Indiana.

-Ke’Shawn Williams was arguably IU’s best offensive weapon today. He led IU with six catches for 70 yards and had the critical punt return that set up Indiana’s final field goal.

-The IU defense deserves credit for limiting Michigan to just two yards per carry and holding Colston Loveland to only four catches for 37 yards. In addition, IU’s defense preventing Michigan from getting into the end-zone after they took possession on the 7-yard line was impressive.

-Every great team wins a game or two in which they do not play their best. IU survived this contest despite a really subpar offensive showing in the second half and they survived to move to 10-0.