Game Wrap and Reaction: No. 13 Indiana 38 No. 23 Michigan 21

Stevie Scott rumbles in for the touchdown Image: Indiana University Athletics

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Opponent: Michigan Wolverines

Location: Saturday, November 7, 2020

Why They Played: The Hoosiers hosted the Michigan Wolverines as Big Ten divisional foes.

What The Game Meant: The Hoosiers had not beat the Michigan Wolverines since 1987. The Hoosiers moved 3-0 in the Big Ten and stayed atop the Big Ten East.

Top Offensive Performers:

Michael Penix, QB, Indiana- Penix started fast and stayed hot the entire game. He threw a career-high 50 passes for a career-high 342 yards and three touchdowns. He was in command of the offense all day and was the best player on the field.

Ty Fryfogle, WR, Indiana- Fryfogle caught seven passes for a career-high 142 yards and a touchdown. He did all of his damage in the first half, but he freed up the other Hoosier receivers in the second half.

Stevie Scott, RB, Indiana- Scott ran hard all day. He finished with 24 carries and 97 yards and two touchdowns. He put the game to bed by pounding the ball on the last few drives.

Ronnie Bell, WR, Michigan-Bell led Michigan with six catches and 149 yards. When Michigan needed a big play, they looked for and found Bell.

Joe Milton, QB, Michigan-There is no doubt Miltion is a talented quarterback. He threw for 344 yards and three touchdowns. However, his two interceptions and a few over throws proved costly.

Top Defensive Performers

Reese Taylor, DB, Indiana- Taylor continued his hot play to start the 2020 season. He led the team in tackles with seven, including two tackles for loss and a sack.

Devon Matthews, DB, Indiana- Matthews was a monster on Saturday as he helped the Hoosiers overcome the loss of Jamar Johnson, who was ejected early for throwing a punch. Matthews made five tackles and sealed the game with an interception while breaking up another pass.

Defensive Line, Indiana- The Indiana defensive line was outstanding. They held Michigan to just 13 rushing yards on 18 carries. While the production may not show up in the box score, the pressure put on Milton late forced a few poor throws.

Brad Hawkins, Safety, Michigan- Hawkins led the Wolverines with 12 tackles (nine solo).

Special Team Performance

Indiana’s special teams played a very good game. Outside of letting a few punt returns get away from Reese Taylor, it was nearly a flawless performance.

Charles Campbell connected on a career-long 53-yard field goal. Haydon Whitehead boomed all his punts and the coverage units were great.

The Hoosiers did not have a chance to return a kickoff.

​Key Stat(s)

38:50-21:10

The Hoosiers controlled the game from the get go and pulled away after a big second quarter. While the Wolverines pulled within 10 a couple times, IU bled the clock on methodical drives to put the game away.

Turning Point

Once again, it was not a singular moment. The Hoosiers dominated the second quarter and opened up a 24-7 halftime lead. The game really turned when the Hoosiers scored with 56 seconds left in the first half to go up 24-7.

I Knew it Was Over When…

Devon Matthews picked off a Joe Milton pass with 5:05 left in the game. Indiana would get another first down and ice the game.

Players of the Game

Michael Penix, Indiana- Penix had a career day and the Hoosiers don’t win without him.

Ronnie Bell, Michigan- Bell’s big plays kept Michigan in it for as long as possible, but they were too far and few between.

What I took away from the game

It has been a long time coming, but the Hoosiers ended their 24-game losing streak against Michigan in dominating fashion. No matter where this Michigan team finishes the season, the Hoosiers exorcised demons today.

To me, this was the cleanest IU win in the Big Ten in my lifetime (33 years). They didn’t turn the ball over, they limited penalties, special teams was really good, the defense forced two takeaways and limited damage and the Hoosier finished the last 5:05 of the game on offense.

The Indiana offense did whatever they wanted and Penix shredded a Michigan secondary that was a soft spot. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the IU offensive line had worn down the Michigan defense and was gashing them with the run game. Was it a perfect game? No, far from it. The Hoosiers had a couple tough penalties that killed drives and a few more drops, but there was no rust to start the game. The offense was methodical and cashed in their opportunities into points. The combination of possessing the ball and scoring points is very difficult to overcome.

Another aspect of the game that stood out to me was Michigan’s over aggressiveness and jumping offsides. The Hoosiers took advantage of that all first half and scored twice on “free” plays.

Defensively the Hoosiers let up a ton of big plays, 12 to be exact. Michigan had the ability to blow the top off of the Hoosiers at will, but chose not to. Instead they tried to run the ball, which was unsuccessful. The offense kept Michigan close, but every time Michigan hit Indiana with a big play downfield the Hoosier offense had a response.

The Hoosiers are no fluke and the nation will likely start to notice that this week. Everyone discounted the Hoosiers coming into this one. However, the Hoosiers will need to handle that as well as they have so far. It’s easy to tune out the negative noise, but can they stay away from getting too much positive praise?

For the Hoosiers, the next one becomes the biggest game. The Hoosiers hit the road again in search of some hardware as they face the Michigan State Spartans for the Old Brass Spittoon.