Kyle Whittingham finds silver lining in Michigan’s loss to No. 6 Indiana

Michigan fell to 1-3 in Big Ten play, while Indiana improved to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in conference games. The Hoosiers earned their first victory at Michigan Stadium since 1967.

The Wolverines outgained Indiana 224-212 and finished with a 16-11 advantage in first downs. Those numbers supported Whittingham’s belief that Michigan could compete with a highly ranked opponent, but they did not produce enough points.

Michigan’s offense leaves defensive effort unrewarded

True freshman Tommy Carr made his first career start after replacing Bryce Underwood during the previous week’s victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions. Carr completed 20 of 32 passes for 167 yards against Indiana, throwing an interception and losing a fumble.

One of Michigan’s most damaging sequences came near the goal line. On third-and-goal from the 1, offensive coordinator Jason Beck called play-action, and Carr took a 13-yard sack. The Wolverines then missed a short field goal, wasting an opportunity to finish a drive with points.

Trey Butkowski supplied all six Michigan points. His 26-yard field goal as regulation expired tied the game and forced overtime, giving the Wolverines another chance to finish the upset.

Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover delivered the game’s only touchdown on a 4-yard overtime run. Michigan could not answer, and Carr’s fourth-down incompletion ended the game.

Whittingham’s silver lining came from how closely his team challenged Indiana. The defense gave the Wolverines opportunities to win rather than simply keeping the score respectable.

But Saturday also exposed the limitation of that takeaway. The Wolverines remained competitive against a top-six opponent and still left without a touchdown. Turning that competitiveness into victories now requires an offense that can finish drives.