‘Shooting ourselves in the foot’: Indiana’s lack of discipline evident in blowout loss to Michigan

ANN ARBOR — It wasn’t just the vast disparity in talent. It wasn’t just the confounding quarterback rotation between redshirt freshmen Tayven Jackson and Brendan Sorsby. It wasn’t just the play calling or unremitting rain and wind. 

Saturday afternoon against No. 2 Michigan, Indiana football’s lack of discipline and penchant for unforced errors were pronounced. Jackson and Sorsby combined for four turnovers and the Hoosiers committed five penalties in the 52-7 rout. 

Jackson’s first interception — which came with roughly six and a half minutes to go in the first quarter — spoiled a drive that saw the Hoosiers methodically travel into the red zone. Indiana took 12 plays to go 60 yards, eating up nearly six minutes of clock and converting a couple third downs. 

The ill-advised throw was tipped and fell into the waiting hands of Michigan junior defensive back Rod Moore. While the Hoosiers actually led at the conclusion of the first quarter from a brilliant trick play touchdown, the self-inflicted wounds persisted. 

Trailing 14-7 with a little over three minutes to go in the half, Sorsby uncorked a deep ball to junior receiver Donaven McCulley, who slid to haul in a 37-yard grab. The momentum instantly vanished as a face mask penalty on redshirt senior center Zach Carpenter negated the completion. 

“That was a tough turn of events,” head coach Tom Allen said after the game. “You can’t play a team like this of this caliber and have those kinds of mistakes.” 

Indiana was forced to punt shortly thereafter, and Michigan sophomore receiver Tyler Morris evaded multiple tacklers en route to a 27-yard return into the Hoosiers’ territory, another blunder Allen lamented. 

On the first play of the Wolverines’ drive, with less than two minutes remaining in the half, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Marcus Burris Jr. was charged with a late hit penalty on Michigan junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The flag propelled Michigan into striking distance, and they quickly capitalized. 

Senior running back Blake Corum punched in a one-yard score to put Michigan up 21-7 heading into the half, all but sealing Indiana’s chances at a monumental upset. Notably on the defensive end, lapses that gave way to explosive plays in the 44-17 loss to Maryland manifested in Saturday’s contest. 

“I just think we let up too many explosive plays because eyes sometimes weren’t in the right spot,” redshirt senior linebacker Aaron Casey said. “It’s obviously a discipline thing. We flash it every now and then, we just got to stay consistent.” 

Committing four turnovers and multiple costly penalties is a recipe that won’t breed success against most teams in the Big Ten, let alone the second ranked team in the country. Though Casey felt the team was largely to blame for their own misfortunes, Allen said Michigan gradually wore them down throughout the game. 

After starting the game forcing two quick three-and-outs and sacking McCarthy twice, Indiana’s swift decline offered a stark contrast. Beginning in the second quarter, as Corum began to find running lanes and McCarthy wreaked havoc through the air and on the ground, the Hoosiers appeared noticeably less energetic. 

“They physically wear you down, they mentally wear you down without question,” Allen said. “It takes its toll a little bit as the game wears on. They have the physical talent to be able to put a lot of pressure on you for 60 minutes.” 

Offensively, Indiana remains with questions not only about its identity and how they want to operate, but also about its starting quarterback. After Allen named Jackson the starting quarterback Monday Oct. 9, he opted to rotate with Sorsby against Michigan. 

Neither quarterback could create or maintain much of a rhythm, and it affected the Hoosiers’ receivers. Sophomore running back Jaylin Lucas led the team in receiving with 56 yards, 54 of which coming on his touchdown reception. 

Players like senior receiver Cam Camper and McCulley, arguably the team’s top wideouts, were left with just five combined catches for 45 yards. 

“I was just waiting. Just waiting for an opportunity,” McCulley said. “We didn’t really get too many opportunities.” 

Against a Michigan team that surrenders 2.33 penalties per game — the top mark in the nation — Indiana’s operational miscues were jarring. They served as a reminder of the steep drop-off between the Hoosiers and some of the conference’s best. 

As Indiana continues to search for any solutions to its offensive dilemmas and ever-growing issues on defense, it can’t afford to add discipline and effort to the laundry list of struggles. Those mental mistakes only compound problems in dire need of fixes. 

“We can’t come out and make a big play and not continue to roll,” McCulley said. “We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot. We can’t do that.” 

Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and columnist Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.