Position Grades From Michigan’s Nail-biting Overtime Loss To Indiana

In a game that might have set football back 100 years, Indiana came out on top in overtime by a 13-6 final score. It was a banner day for the Michigan defense, but once again, it was pretty bad for the offense.

Here’s a look at how each position group graded out on Saturday.

Quarterback – D+

Tommy Carr made a couple of nice plays, especially with his legs in his first career start, but at the end of the day he made some big mistakes as well, which ended up being the difference in the game. He attempted to pitch the ball to Savion Hiter on what looked to be a dead option play, and it ended up being a lost fumble. He also threw an interception into quadruple coverage trying to force a pass to JJ Buchanan.

Both turnovers led to Indiana’s two field goals, which were the Hoosiers’ only points in regulation. He also took a costly sack near the end of the first half that forced Trey Butkowski into a tough 53-yard missed field goal.

Sure, it’s difficult to find open receivers against Indiana’s defense, but protecting the ball was the most important thing to do, and Carr didn’t do it well enough on Saturday.

Running Back – C

Michigan’s play-caller didn’t do the running backs many favors by continuing to try and force them outside against a tough Indiana defensive front rather than running between the tackles, which was proved to be pretty successful last week. Jordan Marshall was the best from this group today, despite only having 26 yards. He picked up a couple of key first downs by churning his legs to keep Michigan’s offense on the field. Savion Hiter had just 15 yards, while Bryson Kuzdzal had 11.

Wide Receiver – D+

Michigan’s wide receivers struggled badly on Saturday to find open space in the Indiana secondary, and that was even with the Hoosiers stacking the box for much of the afternoon. JJ Buchanan made a couple of nice plays and led the group with six receptions for 57 yards.

Channing Goodwin also made his first appearance in the box score this season with two receptions for 32 yards, including 24 yards on a nice improv play between him and Carr. Better days are ahead for this group, but it was a bad time to have a bad day.

Tight End – C

Like we just mentioned with the wide receivers, it was hard to find space in Indiana’s secondary, but Hogan Hansen still found a way to step up and make some plays as a safety valve. He logged four receptions for 34 yards and nearly came down with a game-tying touchdown in overtime, with his foot just landing out of bounds in the end zone. Jalen Hoffman also had two receptions for 14 yards.

This group still isn’t nearly as involved as it should be in the passing game.

Offensive Line – D+

Blake Frazier and Andrew Sprague were both out for this game, so Evan Link started at left tackle with Marky Walbridge at right tackle. The offensive line faced its toughest challenge of the season today and didn’t really find any success. The offensive line allowed Indiana to get home for 10 tackles for a loss and four sacks while allowing the run game to only generate 1.4 yards per carry in this game.

Indiana’s one of the toughest fronts in the country, and it was clear that Michigan was overmatched in this one.

Defensive Line – B-

The defensive line didn’t have its best day, but it was still a pretty solid one, and it’s definitely hard to put any blame on them for the loss. Indiana’s running game was able to find a good deal of success, especially on early downs where running backs Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe were regularly able to get five or six yards at a time. Other than the early-down struggles, the defensive line did a good job of staying disruptive against Indiana’s strong offensive line.

Linebacker – B

Michigan’s linebackers did a good job limiting the impact of Indiana’s run game after the backs were able to get past the line, while also doing a good job of providing extra pressure on Indiana’s Josh Hoover when the Hoosiers opted to pass. Nathaniel Staehling led the group with seven tackles, while it was an uncharacteristically quiet afternoon for Troy Bowles, who had just five tackles and one hurry.

Defensive Back – A+

The defensive backs responded incredibly well after a bad performance against Penn State last week. Being faced with two tough assignments in Charle Becker and Nick Marsh, the corners, especially Jyaire Hill and Zeke Berry, did an excellent job of holding them both in check, allowing them to combine for just five receptions and 57 yards.

Berry also hauled in an interception, which was Hoover’s first of the season.

On the back end, Chris Bracy also had his second straight outstanding performance with 13 tackles, including one for a loss. This group answered the bell in a big way on Saturday, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough for a win.

Special Teams – D

Michigan’s offense was really bad on Saturday, but the special teams, particularly kicker Trey Butkowski, didn’t do enough to take advantage of the chances they were afforded. Butkowski was forced into a difficult 53-yard attempt at the end of the first half, but missed the kick by a mile. He missed badly again from just 32 yards away in the third quarter, a kick that easily could’ve been the difference in Michigan winning in regulation. He would finish the day going 2/4 on his attempts, with the makes coming from 29 and 26 yards out.

Coaching – F

To be clear, defensive coordinator Jay Hill has nothing to do with this grade. He deserves an A+. However, Michigan continues to snowball offensively and it was shown again on Saturday with play calls that continue to not make sense. Jason Beck’s biggest gaffe of the day came when Michigan had the ball at third-and-goal from the one-yard line and opted for a bootleg that resulted in a sack.

Additionally, Kyle Whittingham had a clock management blunder near halftime, calling a timeout with 23 seconds left instead of allowing the clock to run down. Indiana was able to get a field goal attempt of its own after that, but it was missed.

With three losses on the resume now for Michigan, any shot at the college football playoff or Big Ten race is effectively out the window, and a talented roster is continuing to be let down and wasted by a staff that doesn’t put its players in positions for success.