No. 6 Indiana’s response to its first regular-season loss since Nov. 23, 2024 comes fast, and the challenge could hardly be cleaner: go to Michigan and try to avoid a second straight setback.
That’s the reality for the Hoosiers after Saturday’s 19-15 loss to Ohio State, a game that came down to a razor-thin finish. Indiana had a chance to flip it late, but wide receiver Nate Marsh’s first step was out of bounds while trying to secure a potential go-ahead touchdown pass from Josh Hoover with 1:02 left.
Curt Cignetti didn’t sugarcoat what happened after the game.
"We fell short, plain and simple," Cignetti said. "Gave great effort and had our opportunities, for sure.
In some ways, we beat ourselves - which is uncharacteristic of this football team. But I certainly think we proved we're capable.
We just have to clean up a couple areas and use this setback to learn and grow, come back stronger and better."
Indiana now gets Michigan in Ann Arbor, and Cignetti made clear this is a quick turnaround into another heavyweight test. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire as we get ready for Michigan," said Indiana coach Curt Cignetti.
The Hoosiers’ biggest issue has been obvious in back-to-back weeks: the run game has been bottled up. Against Ohio State, Indiana managed just 73 yards on 29 carries, good for 2.5 yards per attempt, with a long run of eight yards. The week before against Nebraska, the Hoosiers put up 65 yards on 22 rushes, with Hoover’s 16-yard scramble standing as the longest run.
That kind of production is going to be a problem again Saturday. Michigan brings the nation’s No. 13 run defense into the matchup, sitting ahead of Ohio State and Nebraska in the rankings. The Wolverines are allowing 89.7 yards per game and 2.7 yards per carry.
"It all starts up front," Cignetti said. "We all want more consistent production and explosive plays. We haven't gotten any explosive plays the last two weeks in the run game."
Michigan, meanwhile, is coming off a comeback win that changed the tone around its offense. Trailing Penn State 3-0 at halftime last week, the Wolverines turned to freshman Tommy Carr for the second half and got three touchdowns to pull out a 21-18 victory.
Carr, the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, didn’t need a big passing day to make the difference. He completed 5 of 7 passes for 47 yards, avoided turnovers, and ran for a critical touchdown with 2:58 remaining.
"Tommy is a very good runner," said Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham. "He's deceptively fast. ...All his testing numbers really tell you how quick and fast and explosive he is, but he doesn't look like it because he's so smooth."
Whittingham said Monday he would not say whether Bryce Underwood or Carr will start against Indiana. Underwood has thrown five interceptions and two touchdowns over his last 10 quarters, a stretch that included losses to Iowa and Minnesota, and it would be a surprise if the sophomore remains the answer.
"Well, we saw good stuff out of Tommy in the second half and we know exactly what we're doing and the plan going forward," Whittingham said. "We're not going to tip our hand to the opponent, but we have a good plan in place. And that's about all I can say about that right now."
In Other News...
Indiana Fans Just Got A Bigger Reason To Watch Josh Hoover
Josh Hoovers rise to the top of the Big Ten quarterback rankings gives Indiana fans another reason to keep a close eye on him as Week 8 arrives. With Ohio States Julian Sayin sidelined by injury, the field at the top of the conference has shifted again, and Hoover now sits in the No. 1 spot in a group that has been trimmed from eight quarterbacks to five because of injuries and uneven play across the league.
The shakeup also says plenty about how volatile the Big Ten passing race has become. Purdues Ryan Browne moved into the top five after a strong showing in a loss, while Northwesterns Hunter Maiava and Nebraskas Jeff Colandrea are still hanging around based on season-long production. For Indiana, though, Hoovers ascent is the part that matters most, because every weekly ranking seems to add another layer to what he has already done and what he still has left to prove. [Read more 🡒]
Bob Knight Is Getting Another Lasting Indiana Honor Near Assembly Hall
Bob Knight is about to receive another permanent nod from Indiana, this time just steps from the place where he built one of college basketballs most famous legacies. A ceremony on Friday will rename a section of Indiana-45 near Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in his honor, adding his name to the landscape around the arena where he coached the Hoosiers from 1971 to 2000.
Knights tenure at Indiana remains one of the defining runs in the programs history, marked by three national championships and 11 Big Ten titles. The public ceremony is being sponsored by Peggy Mayfield of Martinsville, giving fans another chance to gather around a figure whose presence still looms large over the school and the stretch of campus that will now carry his name. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Heads To Michigan With An Edge Fans Will Notice
Michigans injury report is looking crowded ahead of Saturdays noon kickoff on FOX, and that is the sort of detail Indiana fans will notice right away. The Wolverines list 15 players as out, questionable or probable, including seven already ruled out and seven more in question, which gives the Hoosiers a cleaner path into a Big Ten road game that suddenly feels a little more favorable on paper.
Indiana, by contrast, has no players listed as unavailable and is expected to get running back Khobie Martin back after his injury. In a matchup where availability could matter as much as scheme, that kind of relative health gives the Hoosiers an edge worth watching when they line up in Ann Arbor. [Read more 🡒]