Indiana came out of Saturday’s 13-6 win at Michigan with the result it needed, but the performance carried a familiar edge of frustration. The offense again had trouble getting going, and one of the quieter problems dragging it down was a steady stream of penalties that made life even harder.
The numbers tell part of the story. Indiana has not been the most penalized team under Curt Cignetti, and it is not on pace to become one.
In 2024, the Hoosiers were flagged 62 times for 571 yards. In 2025, they were penalized 60 times for 441 yards.
Through this point of the current season, Indiana has been called for 30 penalties for 265 yards.
But the raw count matters less than the timing. With Indiana’s offense not operating at the same level as it has in past seasons, every lost yard feels bigger.
Against Michigan, that showed up immediately. Before the Hoosiers even got a play off, they were hit with a five-yard false start that pushed the offense back to its own 20.
That kind of self-inflicted setback is especially damaging for a team already dealing with a passing game that has become unreliable.
Josh Hoover’s struggles are now a little clearer, after Cignetti explained they are tied to an injury that led to some sideline discussion about possibly going to backup Grant Wilson. No matter the reason, the passing game remains limited, and Indiana has to keep finding ways to win with that part of the offense playing a reduced role.
That makes the penalty issue even tougher to absorb. Long-yardage situations only magnify the problems Indiana is already having. Saturday’s false start helped drag the offense into exactly the sort of obvious passing downs it wanted to avoid, and the result was the lowest third-down conversion rate of Cignetti’s tenure so far.
The first penalty was especially notable because it was on Adedamola Ajani, a player who has been on the roster since Cignetti arrived and who has played in big games down the stretch on Indiana’s National Championship run.
The defense deserves a different kind of conversation. That unit has saved Indiana at least twice this season, so there’s reason to be careful before piling on.
Even so, it wasn’t spotless at Michigan. On fourth-and-two with under a minute left, Stephen Daley committed an offsides penalty that handed Michigan a first down.
The very next snap brought a pass-interference call, and suddenly the Wolverines were in field-goal range. If Michigan had made that kick to end the half, Indiana could have been staring at two straight losses.
Cignetti’s standard is clear, and this is the kind of issue his staff is almost certainly hammering in practice. For now, though, the penalties remain one more thing holding back an Indiana team that is already having trouble finishing opponents off.
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