Potentially Costly Snooze-Fest

Michigan beat Indiana 29-7 on Saturday, it was a 22 point victory that lacked any real substance or excitement. The big take away from the game were the injuries. Going into the game Michigan was already down star tight end Erick All and freshman third string running back Donovan Edwards. During the game the Wolverine's medical tent seemed more like a revolving door. The lightning in our thunder and lightning combo Blake Corum went into the locker room and returned in street clothes and a walking boot. Freshman wide receiver Andrel Anthony, who had a breakout game last week, and speedster A.J. Henning both were knocked out of the game during special teams, adding them to the list that includes Ronnie Bell (who was knocked out for the year in the first game of the year) of wide receivers who've gotten injured during punt returns. Gemon Green who's had a solid year in the defensive backfield also left in the second half. And quarterback Cade McNamara was in and out of the tent after tweaking an injury he sustained last week against Michigan State. 

During Coach Harbaugh's press conference on Monday he undersold the impact those injuries would have going forward saying, "Yeah, there were a couple of guys out this week that I think we'll get back, get healthier this week." As per usual for Harbaugh, he did not get into the specifics of the injuries nor actual timetables for return. At this point we'll have to wait and see how players respond to treatment going into the Penn State game. If Corum and Edwards are unable to go this week that will leave Michigan with Hassan Haskins and fourth string freshman running back Tavierre Dunlap, who has seven carriers for 51 yards on the season, as the lead backs for one of the biggest games of the season. 

In the game against Indiana, Hassan Haskins did prove that if he's called upon to be the featured back he can deliver. Haskins dragged, hurdled and ran over defenders on his way to 168 yards on 27 carries and one touchdown. Cade McNamara added 168 yards through the air and two touchdowns while wide receiver Cornelius Johnson was Cade's favorite target on Saturday hauling in five catches for 108 yards. Michigan finally remembered that it had tight ends in the red-zone as Luke Schoonmaker not only caught his first two touchdowns on the season, but also the first touchdown for any tight end this year for the Wolverines. Admittedly that is an odd sentence for me to type, especially during the Harbaugh era that has heavily featured tight ends. It only took eight and a half games for Josh Gattis to realize that backs and tight ends are weapons in the scoring area. 

Michigan's defense was stellar, as was expected. Indiana's freshman quarterback Donaven McCulley was under duress all game as the Wolverine defensive line pressured him nine times, four by Aidan Hutchinson alone. Huntchinson's counter part David Ojabo had another strip sack giving him eight sacks and four forced fumbles on the year. Indiana was held to only 88 yards through the air and 107 yards rushing on 35 carries. The Hoosiers finished with 195 total yards and went 4-14 on third downs. Apart from one drive the Wolverine defense was  a dominant force.

On paper this game looked like an overall commanding performance, the offense put up 411 yards, defense held the Hoosiers to under 200 total yards and they won by 22. However, the red zone woes for the Wolverines continued. Jake Money Moody hit three more field goals to put his total to 21 on the year, he is now four away from Remy Hamilton's record of 25 made field goals in a season that he set in 1994. Michigan went three for six on converting their red zone attempts into touchdowns. It's still an issue that needs to be worked out, hopefully they found some solutions by utilizing their backs and tight ends more when they get inside the 20. However it's been nine games, so if they haven't figured out a winning formula yet then it's hard to imagine that they will at all this season. Michigan also went 3-13 on third downs, on the season they are only completing 44% of their third down attempts, ranked 36th in the country. 

Michigan's red zone and third down issues were a big reason why they lost to Michigan State two weeks ago. we're well into the meat of the schedule with a road game against 6-3 Penn State this weekend, of course their final game at home against the Buckeyes and Maryland sandwiched in between. If Michigan wants to hold out any hope of reaching the Big Ten Championship and avoid another let down, those two areas have to improve and improve quickly. The difference between an 11-1 or a 9-3 season depends on it. This is the third time since Harbaugh took over that Michigan holds its fate in it's own hands, in 2016 and 2018 they lost to Ohio State and the chance to play for a Big Ten title. The 2021 team keeps telling us they are different though, we'll see starting this weekend how they perform when the pressure is on.