Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Opponent: No. 4 Michigan Wolverines

Location: Bloomington, Indiana

Why They Played: The Hoosiers and Wolverines meet annually as Big Ten East foes.

What The Game Meant: The Hoosiers were 22.5-point underdogs for their homecoming matchup. It was a chance to steal one and Indiana hung with Michigan for 3.5 quarters before the Wolverines pulled away.

Top Offensive Performers

Jaylin Lucas, RB, Indiana- Even though Lucas only touched the ball eight times, he led the Hoosiers in all-purpose yards. He ran for 45 and had 20 yards each in receiving and on kick return. He needs the ball in his hands more.

J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan- McCarthy threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns on 28-of-36 passing. He also added 26 yards on the ground. His ability to move the pocket allowed receivers to get open.

Top Defensive Performers

Bradley Jennings Jr., LB, Indiana- Jennings led the Hoosiers with 13 total tackles in his first start in place of an injured Cam Jones. He also added a tackle for loss and broke up a pass that ended up being intercepted by Devon Matthews in the end zone.

Devon Matthews, DB, Indiana- Matthews made nine tackles including a huge tackle for loss on a fourth down play. He also came up with an interception in the end zone to keep Michigan off the board.

Michigan Front Seven- It was a party in the Hoosier backfield on Saturday and apparently the entire Michigan defense was invited. The Wolverines made seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Michigan’s front seven had themselves a field day against a porous Indiana offensive line.

Special Team Performance

Indiana punter James Evans has become a real weapon for the Hoosiers. He averaged 48.2 yards per punt with two pinning Michigan inside their own 20-yard line and two more boots over 50 yards.

There was a long return by A.J. Henning that was aided by a 15-yard penalty tacked on at the end for a late hit on Caleb Murphy.

Charles Campbell hit one field goal, but had another blocked. It looked as if Campbell kicked the ground before the ball causing a low trajectory. The Hoosiers also blocked a field goal on defense.

Jaylin Lucas returned one kick for 20 yards and Connor Delp had one punt return for eight yeards.

Key Stat(s)

6.2 vs. 3

Michigan’s offense averaged 6.2 yards per play while Indiana’s produced 3.0. IU went cold in the second half and had -12 total yards in the fourth quarter.

Turning Point

The turning point of the game was when Indiana allowed a 98-yard touchdown drive on Michigan’s first drive of the second half. It wore down the defense and gave Michigan a 17-10 lead that they would not relinquish.

I Knew it Was Over When…

Michigan went up 14 points in the fourth quarter

Players of the Game

J.J. McCarthy, Michigan – 330 total yards, three touchdowns and more than a handful big-time throws. McCarthy is a difference maker.

Devon Matthews, Indiana-Matthews came up big for IU. He made a stop on a big fourth down play and came up with an interception in the end zone to end Michigan drives.

What I took away from the game

The issue with Indiana is so glaring you need those solar eclipse glasses. The Hoosiers were a 22.5-point underdog and had a chance to pull the shocking upset, but a porous offensive line and an inaccurate quarterback ended the hope of a Hoosier win on homecoming.

The half time score was 10-10 and IU was putting Michigan in stressful situations with their tempo, but that all changed in the second half when Michigan started taking away Indiana’s short passing game. In the second half IU managed just 29 yards of offense, including -12 in the fourth quarter.

The Hoosiers need to try something different. That could be a coaching change among assistants, a different quarterback who is more mobile and may have a better chance behind this offensive line…anything.

Indiana quarterback Connor Bazelak started the game off hot, hitting 7-of-10 passes in the first quarter for 71 yards and a score. After that he was just 18-of-39 for 132 yards. He was under constant pressure and was hurried at least 27 times in the game.

Indiana head coach Tom Allen was pointed in his comments after the game when asked about the response he saw from the offensive line.

“Not the last three weeks. Not last week. Not this week. Very disappointed. Very disappointing.” Allen said.

Later in the postgame press conference Allen said, “obviously, the last two weeks our offensive staff hasn't done a good job of making those adjustments. Proof is in the pudding. We haven't scored points in the second half.

It is what it is. You can call it what you want. The adjustments have to be made in a way that allows us to be successful in the second half. That hasn't happened the last two weeks.

That's something that we have to address, and that's on our offensive staff. That's their responsibility. At the end of the day I'm the head coach, so I have to make sure it happens.”

Defensively the Hoosiers hung tough without their starting linebacker Cam Jones and one of their starting corners Jaylin Williams. They kept the Hoosiers in the game with a couple timely plays and gave the offense a chance to put points on the board.

The Hoosiers are now 3-3 (1-2) with a two-game set against Maryland and Rutgers before heading into the bye week. Those games are ones the Hoosiers will have a chance at winning, but not if things stay the same.

The Huddle

Game Wrap and Reaction: Michigan 31 Indiana 10