We Don’t Apologize for Wins: Indiana Remains Unbeaten After a Clash with Michigan

Written by Alec Keezer

For the first time in program history the Indiana Hoosiers are 10-0.

“I’m glad we won, I didn’t like the way we played.”

That’s what came out of Curt Cignetti’s mouth after leading the #8 Indiana Hoosiers past the Michigan Wolverines for just the second time since 1987.

The funniest part… he’s right, they didn’t play well.

Well, that’s a bit aggressive. In reality, I thought they did a lot of things really well.

The defense was relentless and did an unbelievable job setting the tone for the game, the offense showed flashes of the machine we’ve seen all season against by far the toughest test they’ve had to face, and Grant Cain’s special teams unit that was the star of the show. 

Football is a three phase game, you don’t always need special teams (Indiana is bottom 10 in the country in field goal attempts per game and punts per game), but non-complete football teams get exposed in games like Indiana just played.

I’m not sitting here surprised that Indiana was able to execute at a high level in all three phases, it’s just not something we’ve had to see yet.

Before yesterday’s 20-15 victory, the closest an opponent got was two touchdowns.

I joked in my last article that IU’s worst performance may have come against Michigan State. 

I don’t think there’s any question this was their “worst” performance, at least statistically (and certainly on offense), but there were several things playing into that.

Most noteworthy was the loss of starting Left Guard Drew Evans for the season to an achilles injury.

Evans, like the rest of the offensive line, had been playing phenomenal football. Seeing the report of the injury Saturday morning was a huge blow for the Hoosiers, even if no one could admit it with Michigan coming down the pipe. Continuity in football is huge, especially on the offensive line where the unit has to operate as one entity. It becomes exacerbated when you face a team like Michigan, who’s strength comes in the form of Mason Graham and a vaunted pass rush. For what felt like the first time all season, Kurtis Rourke felt the heat (it’s only the second time Indiana has lost the sack battle, the other was against Charlotte in a game they won by 40).

The Indiana offense looked familiar in the first half, but largely disappeared in the second half. There were some key injuries, Myles Price was knocked out for the game and Justice Ellison missed time as well. Both as a result of huge hits from Michigan defensive back Brandyn Hillman. There were some key drops as well. Elijah Sarratt had a couple uncharacteristic drops that halted drives. It’s not like Rourke was incredibly crisp either, but he was under duress all day, especially in the second half.

The most shocking part was there was a period of time there where it looked like Michigan was the more physical team. That is something that hadn’t happened to Indiana all season.

That changed quickly, capped off by Jamier Johnson’s “targeting” penalty (I thought this was tackle football).

The entire team showed heart, but Bryant Haines’ defense played inspired football.

They held on goal-to-go not once, but twice. They didn’t record a sack, but they were in the face of Davis Warren all day. Michigan Head Coach Sherrone Moore went as far as to shoutout Mikail Kamara for his effort this year and in the game.

I’m just going to say it.

This is a game Indiana should’ve lost.

They lost the sack battle, they dropped passes, they lost time of possession, they lost the penalty battle, and they scored three points in the second half.

They walked away with victory against the defending National Champions.

Winning is hard. 

You’re not going to find me apologizing for any of them. 

Coach Cig echoed that same sentiment in his post game presser:

“...it's a good win. Not many style points there. Not going to be many people banging the drum saying Indiana ought to be rated higher in the BCS and all that good stuff, but the Indiana Hoosiers are 10-0…” (yes there’s a little more to this quote, I’m gonna get there in a second).

And damn it, he’s right.

There’s going to be A LOT made of the final score, and honestly, rightfully so.

We, and by we I mean the entire Indiana Football apparatus, did A LOT of talking in the lead up to this one, and it started back at that basketball game with Coach Cig leading the charge. Hand up, I did my fair share of talking. It’s been a while since Indiana has beaten Michigan, let alone open up as 14 point favorites. The fanbase took the time to unleash some of that built up frustration throughout the week. After years and years of getting our doors blown off, I feel like I can speak for a majority of the fanbase when I say it felt good to punch down on the defending National Champions. I do also think it’s more than safe to assume a lot of our woofing made it into the Michigan locker room. 

Their defense played inspired (their offense tried its best).

The ability of this Indiana team to overcome the pressure of this moment cannot be understated. 

This is a team that is making a strong push for the College Football Playoff. A win against Michigan was a must, a loss would’ve been near devastating.

Simply put, this was the biggest football game in the history of the university.

They played as poorly as they have on offense all year and beat Michigan.

We have watched this team steam roll opponents who didn’t belong on the field with them all season. Last week, we watched them overcome the adversity of trailing for the first time. This week, they got to show the world they have the resilience and the resolve of a championship level football team. Lesser teams lose this game. Great teams find a way to win regardless.

Indiana is a great team.

Now, the Hoosiers are in prime position to move up in the CFP poll and closer to securing a playoff berth.

The bad news is if the Hoosiers play the same way they just did against Michigan when they play Ohio State we’re not going to like the results on the scoreboard.

The good news, and the rest of that Cignetti quote:

“... the Indiana Hoosiers are 10-0 and have a week off, so Coach Cignetti has got a day off tomorrow.”

The Schedule Gods gave Curt Cignetti and this staff TWO WEEKS to prepare for what should be a Top Five matchup in the Horseshoe against Ohio State.

Two Weeks.

Do you know how much film one can watch in two weeks?

The last time Indiana had two weeks to prepare for an opponent, they hung 56 on Nebraska.

Prep won’t start until tomorrow, Coach Cig has today off (a great day to sign an extension).

That’s well earned, Coach!