Another Michigan football game ended with questions surrounding the decision-making of the man in charge.
Head coach Sherrone Moore and the Michigan coaching staff had some noticeable mistakes in the second half of the Wolverines’ 20-15 loss to undefeated Indiana. Late in the game after turning it over on downs while trying to get the go-ahead touchdown, Michigan had all three timeouts with 90 seconds left to try to get it back. Moore waited 30 seconds to call a timeout, much to the chagrin of the CBS broadcasters, and Indiana picked up a first down next play to ice the game.
GAME RECAP:Michigan football’s comeback falls just short as Indiana stays undefeated with 20-15 win
“Boy, what was that?” CBS color commentator Gary Danielson said. “That cost them almost 30 seconds to decide on that play.”
“Just not good game management,” added play-by-play announcer Brad Nessler.
Even if the timeout was called immediately, Indiana would’ve likely killed the clock, but that was not the only coaching mistake that popped up during the attempted comeback. The Wolverines were stagnant in the first half and trailed the Hoosiers 17-3 at halftime, but dominated Indiana through the third quarter and the start of the fourth quarter to pull within two points.
But Michigan had a few self-imposed roadblocks. After Zeke Berry set up the offense with an interception inside Indiana’s 10-yard line, Michigan called three straight runs and only picked up 4 yards. Instead of going for it from Indiana’s 3-yard line, Moore called for a chip-shot field goal which kept Indiana’s advantage at two scores. Again, Danielson was not pleased with the decision-making.
“Make it an 11-point game, is that what you are thinking?” Danielson said after the field goal to cut it to 17-6 rather than trying to make it 17-10.
Michigan also lost its coach’s challenge for the second straight game. Last week against Oregon, Moore challenged a clear incompletion on the sideline, arguing it was a catch, and this week, he challenged a clear fumble from Alex Orji in the second quarter that led to an Indiana field goal.
Michigan was outgained 246 to 206, but held Indiana to less than 20 yards of offense in the second half, while capitalizing on short fields on offense. Trailing by eight, Kalel Mullings scored Michigan’s only touchdown, but Warren couldn’t find anyone open on the two-point conversion attempt and nearly threw an interception.
The Wolverines dropped to 5-5 with their second straight loss. The defending national champions have two games left against Northwestern and Ohio State to pick up a win and clinch a bowl bid.
Here is how some Michigan fans and the college football world reacted to some of those decisions.
Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22, and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.
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