Tangled up in blue
Michigan bounces back from loss to Michigan State to rout Hoosiers
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Hassan Haskins had to carry a heavier burden in the backfield because Blake Corum was injured. He delivered.
Haskins ran for a career-high 168 yards and a touchdown, helping No. 9 Michigan bounce back from its first defeat with a 29-7 win over Indiana on Saturday night.
“It was a different feeling, but I had to get the job done,” Haskins said.
The Wolverines (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) were coming off a deflating defeat, blowing a 16-point, third-quarter lead in a 37-33 loss to rival Michigan State last week.
“That’s out of our control, but going forward, we said, somebody has to pay and it just happened to be Indiana,” Michigan defensive end David Ojabo said.
The fifth-ranked Spartans lost for the first time this season earlier in the day, 40-29 to Purdue, and fell into a second-place tie with Michigan behind No. 6 Ohio State in the Big Ten East Division.
The Hoosiers (2-7, 0-6) have lost five straight games, collapsing in a season that started with them hoping to contend for at least a division title.
“Our expectations were high in the beginning, and this isn’t what we expected,” linebacker Micah McFadden said. “So, it hurts.”
Haskins had 27 carries, matching a career high, without Corum on the field for much of the game. Corum, who has been among the nation’s leading rushers all season, ran once for 4 yards and dropped a perfect pass in the flat for the second straight week before leaving the game.
“I don’t think it’s serious,” coach Jim Harbaugh said. “I don’t know if it’s mild. Somewhere less than serious.”
Haskins’ 2-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter gave Michigan a 10-f0 lead. Chris Childers 1-yard touchdown run pulled the Hoosiers within three, but they couldn’t get closer.
Cade McNamara was 10 of 18 for 168 yards with two touchdown passes to Luke Schoonmaker that helped the Wolverines pull away. The tight end took advantage of opportunities with Erick All out of the lineup with an injury. Michigan’s Cornelius Johnson had five receptions for 108 yards.
Indiana’s latest loss makes them ineligible for a bowl, ending its chances of playing in three straight postseasons for the first time since the late 1980s.
“There’s a lot of tears in there,” coach Tom Allen said. “But there’s also a whole lot of resolve in there, guys who gave a whole lot to this program and have a lot of character themselves.”
Donoven McCulley was 10 of 24 for 88 yards and ran 14 times for 37 yards for the Hoosiers.
“There were times where he looked like a true freshman, but there were also times he’s playing well in a tough situation,” Allen said. “So there’s no question, he wasn’t expecting to be our starting quarterback this week, but that’s a tough environment.”
Losing quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr., who threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns in last year’s 17-point win over Michigan, and Jack Tuttle to injuries has been too tough to overcome for Allen’s team.
“I just have to learn from the process and keep getting better,” McCulley said.
Indiana freshman running back Trent Howland, who had five carries for 17 yards in one game this season, sat out the first of two games after being suspended for violating team rules.