No. 6 Indiana beats Michigan 13-6 in overtime for its first win at the Big House since 1967

No. 6 Indiana won at Michigan Stadium for the first time since 1967 on Saturday, Oct. 24, beating Michigan 13-6 in overtime in Ann Arbor. Quarterback Josh Hoover, playing through injuries, ran for a 4-yard touchdown on the second play of overtime, and the Hoosiers’ defense kept Michigan out of the end zone all day, according to the Associated Press.

Indiana improved to 7-1 (4-1 Big Ten). Michigan fell to 4-3 (1-3), and much of the postgame talk in Ann Arbor centered on one goal-line play call by offensive coordinator Jason Beck.

Indiana vs. Michigan final score

All of regulation’s points came on field goals. Nico Radicic kicked from 22 and 34 yards for Indiana in the first half, and Trey Butkowski answered for Michigan from 29 yards in the third quarter and from 26 yards as time expired in the fourth to force overtime, per ESPN’s scoring summary.

How Indiana won in overtime

Hoover had struggled for most of the afternoon, but on the first snap of overtime he hit Brock Schott for 21 yards, setting up his own 4-yard touchdown run, the AP reported. Michigan then drove to the Indiana 13 with a chance to force a second overtime, but Tommy Carr’s last pass hit the turf in front of Salesi Moa just outside the end zone.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said the staff discussed going to backup Grant Wilson in the second half. “At the end of the day, it’s been Josh’s season and even though he’s not 100%, we’ve got to finish it out with him and he responded,” Cignetti said, according to the AP. Hoover finished 8 of 18 for 81 yards with an interception.

“I had to battle through some things this week to get out here,” Hoover said.

The Jason Beck play call

The play Michigan fans kept talking about came on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line after a 14-play drive that took more than eight minutes. Beck called a play-action bootleg, Indiana didn’t bite, and Tobi Osunsanmi was waiting for Carr for a 13-yard loss, USA Today reported. Butkowski then missed the field goal, one of two misses that followed Carr sacks, and Michigan came away empty.

Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham didn’t defend it. “That was not a good call,” he told reporters, per USA Today. “It’s a call that [Beck] wishes he had back, because it was really damaging. Everything falls on my shoulders.”

Asked more broadly about Beck, who has faced criticism in his first season in Ann Arbor, Whittingham said the offense had to improve. “The season as a whole, he’d be the first to tell you: not good enough,” he said.

Tommy Carr’s first start

Michigan started Carr at quarterback over Bryce Underwood, but the freshman didn’t match his showing off the bench in last week’s win over Penn State, the AP reported. Carr lost a fumble on a pitch in the first quarter, threw a deflected interception in the second half and was sacked four times, including once at the Indiana 3 in the final minute of regulation that forced Michigan to settle for the tying field goal.

“Both turnovers, completely on me,” Carr said. He is the grandson of College Football Hall of Famers Lloyd Carr and Tom Curtis and the brother of Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, who attended the game, according to the AP. “It would be absurd to judge him off this one performance,” Whittingham said.

What it means

For Indiana, a week after coming within inches of beating then-No. 4 Ohio State, the win kept the Hoosiers from losing two straight for the first time in Cignetti’s three years, the AP said. For Michigan, USA Today wrote that the loss effectively dashes the Wolverines’ playoff hopes. Whittingham noted his team has had just one game this season, against UTEP, that wasn’t decided in the final minutes.

Indiana hosts Minnesota next Saturday, and Michigan plays at Rutgers.

FAQ

Earlier coverage: No. 6 Indiana beats Michigan 13-6 in overtime on Josh Hoover's TD run, first win at the Big House since 1967 (Oct 24)