ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Quarterback Josh Hoover scored on a 4-yard touchdown run in overtime to lift Indiana to a 13-6 victory over Michigan on Saturday afternoon at Michigan Stadium, ending a 22-game road losing streak against the Wolverines.
Indiana had not won at Michigan Stadium since 1967, according to The Herald Times. The defensive struggle also preserved head coach Curt Cignetti’s streak of avoiding back-to-back losses during his tenure with the Hoosiers, coming a week after a defeat against Ohio State, the Detroit News reported.
Defenses dominate regulation
Neither offense managed to reach the end zone during 60 minutes of regulation play. Indiana held a 6-0 lead at halftime, capitalizing on mistakes by Michigan’s offense. True freshman quarterback Tommy Carr made his first career start for the Wolverines in place of Bryce Underwood, but Carr turned the ball over twice in the first half.
Early in the contest, an errant pitch on an option play was ruled a fumble, recovered by Indiana’s Isaiah Jones to set up a 22-yard field goal, the Detroit News reported. Later in the half, an interception deflected by A.J. Harris into the arms of Hoosiers defensive back Amare Ferrell led to another Indiana field goal.
Both teams also struggled in the kicking game, trading missed long attempts before the intermission, including a 53-yard miss by Michigan and a 56-yard try that failed for Indiana.
Michigan finally generated momentum in the second half behind its defense. Defensive back Zeke Berry intercepted Hoover early in the half and returned it 37 yards to the Indiana 13-yard line, setting up a 29-yard field goal from Trey Butkowski to cut the deficit to 6-3. Sports Illustrated noted that Hoover had not thrown an interception all season prior to Berry’s pick.
After Butkowski missed a 32-yard attempt following a third-quarter sack by Indiana’s Tobi Osunsanmi, Michigan mounted a late drive to force extra time. Carr engineered a 13-play, 53-yard march that stalled at the Indiana 3-yard line. Butkowski connected on a 26-yard field goal as regulation expired to tie the game at 6-6.
Overtime finish
Michigan won the coin toss for overtime and elected to play defense first. Indiana needed just two plays to score the afternoon’s lone touchdown, capped by Hoover’s 4-yard keeper, the Detroit News reported.
Needing a touchdown to keep the game alive, Michigan faced fourth-and-5. Carr scrambled for six yards to move the chains, but the Wolverines were unable to gain another first down, securing the victory for Indiana.
Hoover finished the game 8-for-18 passing for 81 yards, one interception and the decisive rushing touchdown. Carr completed 20 of 32 passes for 167 yards with one interception and one lost fumble, while leading Michigan on the ground as the Wolverines struggled to produce rushing yardage, the Detroit News reported.
With the victory, Indiana improves to 7-1 overall, while Michigan drops to 4-3 on the season.
