Michigan is nowhere near a perfect football team. On Saturday, offensively, it was barely an average team. But it was, in the end, a winning team.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — No one on Michigan’s sideline was fooling himself.
Right now, when it comes to this football team, nothing is easy. Struggle is real. Inches aren’t coming without a price.
Michigan — fresh off its first loss and first serious bout of humble pie last week against Michigan State — walked into Memorial Stadium expecting a test. From the Hoosiers, of course. But more important, from itself.
“We asked them to find a way,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said Saturday. “This was a big game for our team.”
This is nowhere near a perfect football team. On Saturday, offensively, it was barely an average team. But it was, in the end, a winning team.
And, for right now, Harbaugh’s absolutely going to take it.
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Michigan junior Karan Higdon rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns and the Wolverines found a way to overcome a program-record 16 penalties — along with various other self-inflicted wounds — during a 27-20 overtime win at Indiana .
With the win, Michigan moves to 5-1 overall, 2-1 in Big Ten play. Up next: A trip to third-ranked Penn State — at night — in Happy Valley.
But right now? A victory, one that no one’s apologizing for.
“Mistakes were made, but I think this is something we can really grow from,” said Harbaugh, who has yet to lose back-to-back games in the regular season during his tenure as coach at Michigan. “There’s a lot of young guys out there … they’re playing with great effort and that’s where it starts. The effort is really there. It was last week, too.
“There were mistakes made. But we have to grow from them and get them corrected. We knew what we were in for today, we really did. We knew we were in for a football fight.”
On Saturday in Bloomington, the Wolverines flirted with disaster almost from the start, racking up eight penalties in the first half, but still managed to enter the break with a 13-3 edge.
Indiana quickly cut into Michigan’s lead with an impressive six-play, 64-yard touchdown drive on its first series of the second half. From there, the teams traded possessions until Higdon — a 5-foot-10,190-pounder from Florida — took a counter play 59 yards for a touchdown with 10:25 left to go in the game.
But more Michigan errors were around the corner. And this time, the Hoosiers capitalized.
More: U-M reactions: Karan Higbon praised, John O’Korn decried
Indiana turned a poor punt from freshman Brad Robbins into a 53-yard return with 4:06 to play. Six plays later, Peyton Ramsey hit Whop Philyor from 8 yards out to make it a three-point game.
After nearly losing possession on the ensuing onside kick, Michigan’s offense — which mustered just 58 passing yards from John O’Korn — failed to get a first down, eventually punting the ball back to Indiana with 1:05 to go. The Hoosiers needed just five plays to enter field-goal range before Griffin Oakes booted a 46-yarder as time expired, sending the game into overtime.
With its passing game rendered ineffective, Michigan opened the overtime session with the one thing that worked all day: Higdon. The junior back turned what appeared to be a broken play into a bounce to the outside, resulting in a 25-yard touchdown scamper on the first play from scrimmage.
“I went the wrong way on that play, I messed up, but if you have a back like Karan he’s going to make you right sometimes,” senior center Patrick Kugler said. “He’s a hell of a back. We’ve got three or four good ones and we trust them all. Karan got his touches today and he balled out.”
Indiana drove inside the five and faced a fourth-and-goal to keep the game alive — similar to the situation it faced in a double-overtime loss to Michigan here in 2015.
And, as was the case two years ago, Michigan closed the game with its defense as Chase Winovich pressured Ramsey into a high throw into the back of the end zone that was intercepted by Tyree Kinnel, preserving the win.
“Chase got that pressure and I was like ‘go get him, Chase, go get him,'” said sophomore end Rashan Gary, who had seven tackles (2 1/2 for a loss) and a sack. “At the end I just (fell on) Chase and just thanked him.
“It was great to get this win.”
Higdon finished the game with 200 yards and three scores on 25 carries, as Michigan rushed for 271 yards on 44 attempts behind a new-look offensive line which featured fourth-year junior Juwann Bushell-Beatty at right tackle.
Haunted by negative plays all year, Michigan’s front five did not allow a sack in this game.
O’Korn, meanwhile, finished 10 of 20 for 58 yards with no interceptions and no touchdowns. He only attempted two throws in the fourth quarter and was 3-of-9 for 5 yards in the second half.
Asked what kept the passing game from taking off Saturday, O’Korn pointed to Higdon and his front five.
“The run game was working,” he said.
For Harbaugh, this was a win. And that’s all he cared about in the immediate aftermath.
“We can grow and we can learn,” Harbaugh said. “Back when I was a true freshman or a sophomore or even a redshirt sophomore (in school), I wasn’t a finished product by any means. Don’t think I could’ve even have gone out there as a true freshman like some of these guys. But they’ve got something special.
“If you can dig deep, stay in the moment and not look for a soft shoulder to cry on or an excuse to be made while you’re in the moment, then that’s something special.”
Bottom line?
“We can grow,” he said. “And our best people will be on it.
