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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — They called it a trap game, and Michigan didn’t see it that way.
No, the Wolverines felt they could roll over and over the Hoosiers in their own stadium, and it showed en route to an emphatic 39-14 win over Indiana.
Shea Patterson became the first Michigan quarterback in history to throw four or more (he threw five in this game) touchdowns in back-to-back games, and he managed for more than 350 yards for his second-straight game as well.
The defense fully clamped down after allowing two first-half touchdowns. The Hoosiers — who average 448 yards-per-game on offense — got 158 yards in the first two quarters of play, but only put up 66 in the final two.
It was an all-around impressive performance on both sides of the ball for the maize and blue.
But, this team isn’t focused on the past — i.e. what just happened. No, with arch-rival Ohio State up next, the Buckeyes are already on the mind.
“Yeah, we were all in the locker room – no one was even talking about this game,” sophomore defensive end Aidan Hutchinson said. “We’re all ready for next week.”
Here’s the truth: it will be a daunting challenge for these Wolverines next week. Ohio State has blown every team not named Penn State — who the Buckeyes held on to beat 28-17 on Saturday, their lowest margin of victory all season. It’s a team that looks complete. Many say — this site included — that OSU might be the best team in the country.
But that was said about a Buckeyes team coached by Woody Hayes back in 1969. Ohio State’s so-called best-ever team came to Ann Arbor and lost 24-12.
While we’re not predicting that at this juncture, we will acknowledge this: no team is unbeatable. And that’s the same notion to which Michigan subscribes.
“We’re all just gonna do our job and play the game we play,” Hutchinson said. “Obviously this game is the biggest of our schedule. We’re just gonna come out there and do our thing. We don’t see them as unbeatable. Every team can be beaten. We’re going to go out there and do our job.”
For many of the Wolverines, they’ve already turned their attention to the Buckeyes, as noted. But game planning starts in earnest now.
Patterson, who’s been enigmatic the past two weeks, with 750 yards and 9 touchdowns, says that he and the team are ready for the challenge they’re about to face.
“We understand the level of intensity this game brings,” Patterson said. “Everything we do leading up to this game next week is already planned throughout the season. Just the word ‘Ohio State’ is enough for us.”
Unlike many of the previous Michigan teams that have faced vaunted Buckeyes squads, there have been some cracks in the armor.
In 2015, a record passing performance by Jake Rudock gave way to a dogfight in Happy Valley before The Game. The Wolverines lost two weeks prior in 2016 at Iowa, and had major injury concerns heading into the contest in Columbus. In 2017, starting quarterback Brandon Peters was knocked out in the penultimate game at Wisconsin, yet the maize and blue were down just one score with two minutes remaining. Last year, the three-game gauntlet saw two low-key wins over Rutgers and Indiana before the Wolverines got throttled in the Horseshoe.
This year, however, Michigan seems to be peaking at the right time, playing with incredible confidence. Indiana came into this game flying high, nearly knocking off Penn State in Happy Valley. But the Wolverines held them to half its normal output, and put up the third-most yards that the Hoosiers have surrendered all season, while shattering the amount of passing yards that the nation’s No. 11 passing defense has allowed until Saturday.
So now, while Michigan whimpered out of the gates to start the season, it’ll not only face a high-flying Ohio State team, it will field a team itself that must be reckoned with.
“It was huge – having this momentum going into our biggest game of the year, it’s great to have,” Hutchinson said. “Obviously we started out a little slow, but we’re the defense where if we get punched in the face, we will keep striking, keep coming at them. I wouldn’t be too worried when people get a touchdown on us, because we’re always gonna keep coming and coming and coming and coming.”
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