The no. 23-ranked University of Michigan football team fell to no. 13 Indiana, 38-21, on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Despite matching the Hoosiers (3-0) score-for-score in the second half, the Wolverines (1-2) were unable to overcome a slow first-half performance that put them in a 24-7 hole entering the locker room at halftime. Untimely turnovers on a pair of possessions in the fourth quarter stalled out a would-be Wolverine comeback in the closing stages of the game.
Quarterback Joe Milton had career highs with 344 passing yards and three touchdowns — 149 of those yards and one of those touchdowns going to wide receiver Ronnie Bell — but the Michigan offense was unable to find the same rhythm and time of possession as its Indiana counterpart.
The Wolverines possessed the ball for only 21:10, compared to the Hoosiers’ 38:50. Michigan did not convert on third downs at nearly the same rate as Indiana, notching first-down yardage on only three of its 11 third-down opportunities overall after going 0-for-6 in the first half. Indiana went 4-for-9 in the second half, but the damage was done in the first when it converted on five of its eight opportunities on third down.
Safety Brad Hawkins and linebacker Michael Barrett led the way for the defense with 12 and 11 total tackles, respectively.
Michigan will return to Michigan Stadium for its next contest, a showdown with Wisconsin next Saturday (Nov. 14) at 7:30pm on ABC.
This article is largely a repost of a University of Michigan press release. For more sports, news and entertainment, follow the Midwest Sports Network on Twitter @MWSNsports or like the MWSN page on Facebook.
