'Somebody had to pay': Michigan handles Indiana to get back on track

Ann Arbor — How Michigan would rebound from its first loss of the season was the theme of the week, one that was initiated by coach Jim Harbaugh, who challenged his players to be like a fighter getting up after being knocked down.

There was a players-only meeting two days after last weekend's loss to Michigan State spoiled the Wolverines’ unbeaten season to make certain that they collectively hit a reset button and focused on what Harbaugh called a four-game season.

That season began with a night game against Indiana at Michigan Stadium. It wasn’t a particularly enthusiastic crowd or performance, but the No. 9 Wolverines (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) got the job done with a 29-7 win behind a career rushing performance by Hassan Haskins, three field goals from Jake Moody, and two touchdowns from tight end Luke Schoonmaker, all despite several key players suffering injuries.

BOX SCORE: Michigan 29, Indiana 7

Defensive lineman Taylor Upshaw, during a postgame, on-field interview said the players this past week were “not happy” and took the approach that “somebody’s gotta pay.”

That somebody happened to be the Hoosiers (2-7, 0-6).

“We were preaching that all week because you all saw what happened last week, Michigan State,” edge rusher David Ojabo said. “Going forward, we said whatever happens, somebody had to pay. It just happened to be Indiana.

“That was our mentality coming into this week. Probably going to keep it going throughout the rest of the year. It’s working for us so far.”

More: Wojo: Wolverines hammer Hoosiers, and now the real judgment beckons

Michigan has back-to-back road games against Penn State and Maryland before returning home to face Ohio State in the regular-season-finale. With Michigan State’s loss at Purdue on Saturday, the door opened ever so slightly for the Wolverines in the run for a Big Ten East Division title with three weeks of football left and all the teams in contention playing each other.

But the players are not looking too far ahead.

“Our coaches are preaching, we’re not worried about next week,” Ojabo said. “It’s play by play. We’re not thinking about film tomorrow or who we’ve got two weeks from. It’s play by play and day by day.”

Tight end Erick All had a big game against MSU but was hobbled at the end by an ankle injury. He was in uniform on Saturday, but this time it was all about Schoonmaker. He scored twice on passes of 12 and 8 yards from Cade McNamara, becoming the first Michigan tight end to catch multiple touchdowns in a game since Jake Butt did against UCF (Sept. 10, 2016).

Michigan’s best friend in the red zone this season has been Moody, whose three field goals put him at 21-for-23 this season. They were from 34, 32 and 34 yards.

It was Haskins, though, who was the pacesetter for the Michigan offense as he set a career high in rushing yards and scored a touchdown. His 27 carries tied a career best set earlier this year, and his 168 yards was a personal record. Haskins had a 62-yard run and also had one catch for 20 yards that featured a hurdle. Haskins averaged 6.2 yards a carry.

More: Down two backs, Michigan rides 'power horse' Hassan Haskins to victory

Haskins became the primary rusher, because he was the only experienced option. Blake Corum, the Wolverines’ leading rusher — he and Haskins each entered the game with 10 touchdowns — left the field late in the first quarter and returned in the second half with a boot on his right foot. Corum was averaging 96.4 yards a game. Meanwhile, freshman Donovan Edwards missed his second straight game after Harbaugh earlier in the week said he was “working through something.”

“After the game, talked to him for a little bit,” Harbaugh said of Corum. “I don’t think it’s serious. I don’t know if it’s mild, but it’s somewhere less than serious.”

But Corum wasn’t the only injured player. Cornerback Gemon Green left the game early in the second quarter and did not return. In the second half, receivers A.J. Henning and Andrel Anthony also walked to the locker room with 8:16 left in the third quarter. At that point, McNamara had also been in the medical tent. He had been in the tent late in the game at MSU a week earlier and indicated he had been banged up but did not offer specifics. Harbaugh said whatever issues McNamara had during the Indiana game were “a little related” to last week.

Harbaugh said he is “hopeful” all of the players who left Saturday's game will be back.

While it wasn’t the most entertaining game, as evidenced by the fans departing with about six minutes left, it was a win, and the defense got sturdier as the game went on.

Upshaw and Ojabo each had a sack of freshman quarterback Donaven McCulley. Ojabo now leads the team with eight and he also had a fourth forced fumble. Aidan Hutchinson finished with five tackles and led the team with four quarterback hurries. Linebacker Junior Colson had a team-high eight tackles, while Dax Hill and Josh Ross each had seven.

Michigan’s defense held the Hoosiers to a second-quarter touchdown and opened the second half with four straight three-and-outs. Of the Hoosiers’ six second-half possessions, five went three-and-out. 

The Hoosiers were held to 195 yards, including 88 passing.

“The pressure on their quarterback was a huge factor,” Harbaugh said. “Aidan, Ojabo, Upshaw and others, they got to the quarterback multiple times.”

Michigan followed through with its plan to make Indiana pay because of the Wolverines’ displeasure losing at MSU. Now, they hope to carry that mentality the rest of the season.

achengelis@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @chengelis