Indiana gets another chance to steady itself Saturday, and the setting could hardly be bigger. The No. 6 Hoosiers head to Michigan trying to shake off their first loss since 2024, while the Wolverines return home at 4-2 and still looking to make a real statement in Big Ten play.
Michigan’s last time out brought its first conference win of the season, a 21-18 comeback over Penn State, and now the Big House will be expecting more. Indiana is still favored, with ESPN Analytics giving the Hoosiers an 82.2% chance to win, but this is still the kind of road test that can matter for Curt Cignetti and company.
One of the biggest questions is who Michigan actually rolls out at quarterback. Earlier this week, Kyle Whittingham said Tommy Carr would start over Bryce Underwood after Underwood’s uneven start.
Whittingham had stuck with the original plan early in the year, but the Penn State win appears to have pushed him toward the hot hand. That decision brings its own risk: Carr has attempted just nine passes in his career, and he’ll be doing it against an Indiana defense that just shut down one of the sport’s more polished quarterbacks in Julian Sayin.
Whittingham may be hoping the home crowd helps Carr settle in, but the leash could be short. Underwood was the more talented recruit on paper and has far more game experience at this point.
The ground game is another piece worth watching on both sides. Indiana’s rushing struggles over the last two games have tracked closely with the team’s broader slide, with Nebraska pushing the Hoosiers to the edge before Ohio State ended Cignetti’s winning streak.
Mike Shanahan and company got a boost this week with Khobie Martin returning, though it’s unclear how much of a factor he can be in a game like this. Even so, Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. need to help Josh Hoover from the backfield as he works to sharpen his accuracy this season.
Michigan, meanwhile, has drifted away from the run-first identity it used to wear so proudly. The Wolverines sit in the middle of the Big Ten in rushing yards per game, but they’ll also be missing Underwood, who is second on the roster in carries and rushing yards.
The expectation is that Michigan will still try to run the ball, unless Carr’s arm has been one of the season’s best-hidden secrets. That uncertainty is exactly why Underwood could still surface in some form, because he’s been too important to the offense to disappear completely.
There’s also the stage itself. This will be the third straight week Indiana has been part of Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff game, a sign of just how far the program has climbed and how much these matchups mean to schools like Nebraska, Ohio State and Michigan.
Indiana’s offense has not always answered well in those spots. Nebraska managed a strong half against the Hoosiers’ defense, but Haines made the right adjustments to shut down Anthony Colandrea in the second half and that momentum carried into a dominant showing against a loaded Ohio State offense.
Saturday gives Hoover and Shanahan another chance to show which version of Indiana is real: the one that fought through Lincoln, or the one that let a win slip away against Ohio State when the chances were there.
In Other News...
Ryan Day Is Still Complaining About How Indiana Defended Jeremiah Smith
Curt Cignetti had plenty to point to after Indianas narrow loss to Ohio State, especially the way the Hoosiers handled Jeremiah Smith. On his weekly radio show, Cignetti credited the defensive plan for keeping the standout receiver in check, noting the mix of double teams and pressure on the quarterback that helped limit Smith to a season-low 68 yards.
Ryan Day, for his part, acknowledged the challenge Indiana presented but still came away sounding irritated by the way the game was officiated. On his own weekly radio show after Ohio States 19-15 win over Indiana, Day said he felt Smith was impacted by uncalled penalties, adding another layer to a game that already drew plenty of attention for how the Hoosiers defended one of college footballs most dangerous targets. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Offense Faces A Huge Opening In Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor is shaping up as one of those early-season tests where both offenses arrive with more questions than answers, and Indiana has a real chance to make the matchup uncomfortable. The Hoosiers have leaned on quarterback Josh Hoover and receiver Charlie Becker to keep their attack moving, while Michigan is turning to true freshman Tommy Carr after making a change at quarterback, a reminder that neither side is settled heading into this one.
For Indiana, the opening may be there if it can exploit the Wolverines uncertainty while also finding a little more balance of its own. Both teams have had issues getting their rushing and passing games where they want them, so the margin could come down to which defense holds up better, with Isaiah Jones anchoring Indiana and Troy Bowles leading Michigan. The setup leaves plenty of room for one side to seize control early, and plenty of reason to think this one could turn on a small handful of plays. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Has Two Growing Concerns Before Michigan
Indianas unbeaten run is gone, but the bigger issue coming out of the Ohio State loss was how uneven the Hoosiers looked in the areas that usually travel well in November. There were bright spots to point to, especially Amare Ferrells interceptions on defense and Charlie Beckers production in the passing game, yet the overall picture still left the kind of questions that tend to linger when a top team takes a hit.
The running game never quite found enough traction, and that matters even more with Michigan next on the schedule. So does the kicking situation, after Nico Radicic missed field goals in the loss. Indiana has enough good tape to keep confidence intact, but the Hoosiers also have a couple of clear fixes to sort out before the next test arrives. [Read more 🡒]