Report Card: Grading Michigan Wolverines Football In A Loss At Indiana
Grading Michigan football in every phase of a disappointing, 38-21 loss at Indiana:
Michigan Football Rushing Offense: F
Ten carries for the running backs for 25 yards. Eleven of them came on one carry by redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins, who carried six times for 19 yards.
The Hoosiers stacked the line and made redshirt sophomore Joe Milton try to beat them, and Michigan’s makeshift line wasn’t up to the task. Both starting tackles — redshirt sophomores Ryan Hayes and Jalen Mayfield — were out, but no excuses … the Wolverines lost at the line of scrimmage.
With sack yardage included, the Wolverines managed only 13 total ground yards in an embarrassing showing. As a team, they averaged 0.7 yards per tote.
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Michigan Football Passing Offense: B-
Milton threw for 344 yards in his third game, including a couple of dimes that were right on the money. He also missed a wide-open Ronnie Bell on a deep ball and threw a costly interception when the Wolverines had all the momentum.
But … he’s learning, and you can see the potential. He took his downfield shots and completed nine passes of 20 yards or more, including a 52-yarder. The Wolverines left some plays on the field, as well, or it could have been even better.
Bell stepped up with 149 yards, while sophomore Cornelius Johnson finished with 82 and a nice touchdown grab in traffic in a breakout performance. However, outside of those two, sophomore running back Zach Charbonnet was the only other pass catcher with multiple grabs (three for 28 yards).
Michigan Football Rushing Defense: B-
The Michigan front didn’t get gashed, but running back Stevie Scott III methodically worked his way to 97 yards and two touchdowns on 4.0 yards per carry. He managed three carries of 10 yards or more.
Indiana’s runners finished with 118 yards on 38 carries, only 3.1 yards per rush. But as well as they were throwing the ball, the Hoosiers didn’t need to run.
Michigan Football Passing Defense: F
Once again, an opposing signal-caller had a career day against a Michigan defense that couldn’t get to the quarterback and couldn’t cover. Redshirt sophomore cornerback Vince Gray had another tough day, giving up a few big plays and picking up a critical pass interference penalty, while redshirt sophomore counterpart Gemon Green also had a pass completed over him for a score.
The Hoosiers even picked up chunks of yardage when U-M tried to go zone.
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had his career high in the third quarter and would finish 30-of-50 passing for 342 yards with three scores. U-M’s defensive backs had two or three chances for picks but came up empty, and for the second straight week the Wolverines did not notch a sack. Indiana entered the contest allowing two per game.
Michigan Football Special Teams: B
Michigan still isn’t getting enough from its return game. Sophomore Giles Jackson averaged 20 yards per kick return and only seven yards on two punt returns. His longest runback was a 21-yarder on a kickoff.
Redshirt junior punter Brad Robbins was the special teams star. He averaged 53.6 yards per punt and dropped four inside the 20 with a long of 66. IU netted just five yards on one runback. Robbins will likely be the full-time punter from here on out.
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