Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham didn’t hide his frustration after Saturday’s 13-6 overtime loss to Indiana, but he made clear he still thinks his team is built on something solid.
“That was disappointing, to say the least,” Whittingham told reporters.
The bigger issue, in his view, came down to three familiar problems. “The three main issues in that football game: our inability to run the ball - couldn't get anything going in the run game - our inability to score touchdowns in the red zone - you can't win unless you score touchdowns in the red zone - and we're minus-1 in the turnover margin.”
Even with the loss, Whittingham pointed to the way Michigan’s defense handled Indiana and said the result says something about where his team stands. “If that's the No. 6 team in the country, then we're pretty good. We're a pretty good football team even though we're sitting here 4-3.”
Michigan’s defense did its job for most of the afternoon, limiting Indiana to 212 yards of offense. Hoosiers quarterback Josh Hoover, who came in with 1,707 total yards and 19 touchdowns, was held to 88 passing yards on eight completions. He threw only once in the second half, and that pass was intercepted.
The Wolverines simply could not match that effort on the other side of the ball. Michigan finished with 224 total yards and never found the end zone. The offense reached the red zone four times and came away with only two field goals, including one at the end of regulation after the Wolverines failed to finish off a potential game-winning drive.
The numbers around the offense are getting uglier by the week. According to TruMedia, Michigan now sits 106th in success rate and 115th in EPA/play among all FBS teams. Its 300.6 yards per game is also the second-worst figure among Power 4 programs.
“Offense is definitely not performing as well as the defense right now. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out,” Whittingham added.
In Other News...
Indiana Escaped Michigan But A Bigger Hoosiers Concern Just Grew
Indiana got what it came for in Ann Arbor, leaving with a 13-6 overtime win over Michigan and another victory to keep the season rolling at 7-1. The defense did the heavy lifting, tightening at key moments and delivering the stop the Hoosiers needed in overtime after a game that never really let the offense settle in.
Josh Hoover and the passing game were the bigger concern even in a win, with the offense sputtering for much of the afternoon. Hoover finished 8 of 18 for 81 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and while Indiana will happily take the result, the way it got there leaves plenty for the Hoosiers to sort out if they want to keep climbing. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana-Michigan Sparked Another Officiating Debate Fans Will Recognize
The second quarter at Michigan offered Indiana something every road team will happily take and every fan base will immediately scrutinize: a roughing-the-passer flag that extended a drive and helped the Hoosiers turn it into three points. Fox analyst Joel Klatt did not hide his frustration with the call on Michigan freshman Tariq Boney, saying it was the kind of penalty that can swing a game and echo the broader officiating complaints viewers have heard in other matchups this season.
For Indiana, the result was a 6-0 edge at that stage, but the larger conversation quickly moved beyond the scoreboard. Klatt pointed to the growing pattern of similar penalties and the way they can hand out free yards at the exact moment a defense believes it has made the stop it needs. Indiana will gladly accept the field position and points, but the debate over where the line is drawn on those hits is likely to linger long after this trip to Ann Arbor. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Is Honoring Bob Knight In A Way Fans Will Feel
Indiana basketball fans will soon have another lasting reminder of Bob Knight around Assembly Hall. A section of State Road 45/46 near Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall is being renamed Bob Knight Memorial Way, with a public ceremony set for Friday at 11 a.m. near Fee Lane and the 45/46 Bypass.
The tribute adds a familiar name to the route many Hoosiers have taken for years to get to campus and game days. Knight, who died in 2023, led Indiana to three national championships and retired with the most wins in Division I mens basketball, a rsum that still defines an era in Bloomington and beyond. [Read more 🡒]