First Thoughts: Michigan 63, Indiana 47
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Assistant Editor
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Quick thoughts on the Hoosiers’ 63-47 loss to Michigan at Michigan Stadium:
What we learned: Indiana was right there for 57 minutes. One score after another, one Michigan response after another, Tre Roberson going back and forth with Devin Gardner. It was truly a remarkable game. Indiana had the ball trailing 49-47 in the fourth quarter against a team to which they’d lost 17 in a row. Make it 18. After Roberson dinged his hand, Nate Sudfeld came in and threw an interception. Michigan turned that short field into a 56-47 lead and held on from there. Michigan compiled a school-record 751 yards of total offense. Wideout Jeremy Gallon set a Big Ten record with 369 yards receiving. He had 14 catches and two touchdowns.
Defense gets embarrassed: Indiana’s linebackers died on blocks and whiffed on tackles. The secondary constantly blew coverages. Defensive coordinator Doug Mallory failed to come up with any adjustment to stop the marauding Gallon. Quite frankly, as bad as the Week 2 effort against Navy was, this was even worse. The offense put 47 points on the board midway through the fourth quarter … and Indiana still trailed by nine.
Rise of Roberson: Roberson came on early in the second quarter to start Indiana’s fifth drive. Under Nate Sudfeld, Indiana punted three times in four possessions and gained just 119 yards. With Roberson under center, Indiana nearly did the unthinkable. He finished 16 of 23 for 288 yards and three touchdown passes. Roberson rushed 11 times for 50 yards and a score. Although Roberson threw an interception in Michigan territory with 3:04 to play, a mistake that virtually settled things, he was the primary reason Indiana got people around the nation to flip over to Big Ten Network and see what was going on. Frankly, Roberson might have pulled ahead of Sudfeld in the eyes of the coaches. If Indiana wants to install a more Roberson-centric offense, a week off presents the perfect opportunity.
Toussaint explodes at Indiana’s expense: Running back Fitzgerald Toussaint ran 32 times for 151 yards and four touchdowns and caught a 27-yard pass to boot. He entered averaging 3.4 yards per carry and was coming off a stinker at Penn State in which he carried 27 times for a grand total of 27 yards. The Hoosiers’ defense was the perfect tonic.
Opportunity missed: At 3-4, Indiana’s season is far from over, but this victory would’ve been an attention-getter. When David Cooper recovered a fumble with Michigan 2 yards from another touchdown, Indiana’s sideline went absolutely biserk, with players and coaches hopping around in celebration, throwing their arms in the air and feeling that it was meant to be. But Roberson twisted his thumb on the next play, and two snaps later Sudfeld’s throw over the middle was undercut by safety Thomas Gordon.
What’s next. The Hoosiers enter their second and final bye week of the season. Their next game is at home Nov. 2 against Minnesota.
Follow Chris Goff on Twitter: chrisgoff_ISL.
