Where to begin in Michigan’s 13-6 loss to Indiana?
On one hand, Michigan’s defense continues to play at an elite level. Through seven games, Michigan boasts a defense that ranks third in the nation in total defense (allowing just 250 yards per game) and first in the nation in fewest yards per play (4.1).
Given Saturday’s opponent, Michigan’s performance against Indiana might have been its best of the season, holding the defending national champions to season lows in points and yards. In fact, Indiana’s only foray into the end zone didn’t take place until overtime. During regulation, Michigan held a Hoosier team that had been averaging nearly 30 points a game to just a pair of field goals - both of which came after Michigan’s error-prone offense gifted the Hoosiers a short field.
“Extremely proud of the way the defense played,” Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham said after the game. “That’s an elite defense that we have.”
No one is arguing that. But as has been the story all season, another terrific defensive performance was undone by an offense that couldn’t hold up its end of the bargain.
How bad has Michigan’s offense been? Michigan’s scoreless first half Saturday was the third time in the last four halves of football that the floundering Wolverines were held scoreless. But even that doesn’t tell the whole story.
Freshman quarterback Tommy Carr had his moments in his first career start, making several clutch plays late with his arm and legs. But his afternoon was ultimately a disappointing one, as he completed 20 of 32 passes for 167 yards and committed two costly turnovers.
But if the passing game was disappointing, the running game was downright disastrous. Michigan gained an almost unfathomable 57 yards on 42 carries for a paltry 1.4 yards per carry.
Credit Indiana’s defense for making life difficult for the Wolverines. After all, the Hoosiers boast one of the better defensive lines in college football. But Michigan’s offensive struggles are far too common to attribute them solely to the quality of Saturday’s opponent.
Asked how it feels to have the weight of the team rest on the defense’s shoulders week in and week out and to get so little help from the offense, defensive back Zeke Barry responded, “The whole defense, we did everything we could. I’m proud of the guys we have on the field. I’m happy that we did everything that we could.”
Fellow defensive back Smith Snowden was more candid. “It sucks, honestly,” Snowden said, “But at the end of the day, we’ve got to do our job.”
Snowden was quick to add, however, that, “It’s not a talent problem. The talent is there.”
And that’s the rub. Because Snowden is right. Michigan has plenty of talent on offense, but that talent isn’t being maximized. Far from it, in fact. And the lion’s share of responsibility for Michigan’s offensive struggles rests with the coaching staff, beginning with first-year offensive coordinator Jason Beck.
It’s hard to imagine things going much worse for Michigan offensively this season. An offensive approach that’s ill-suited to Michigan’s personnel, questionable play-calling and repeated breakdowns in execution have plagued the Wolverines all season.
On one of Saturday’s more costly plays, a fumble on a quarterback option to Savion Hiter, Whittingham conceded that there had been confusion among the players. “We actually ran the option the wrong way,” Whittingham told reporters. “Not everyone was on the same page.”
It’s not the first time Whittingham has uttered such an admission.
Michigan’s offense has all too often been a comedy of errors, with questionable play-calling only compounding the problem. Against Indiana, two decisions in particular stood out.
Trailing 6-0 in the third quarter, Michigan put together one of its best drives of the afternoon, marching to the Indiana one-yard line. Facing third-and-one, Beck and the Wolverines had two chances to gain one yard. Two chances to take the lead and capture the game’s momentum.
Rather than turn to running backs Jordan Marshall or Hiter or dial up a quarterback sneak, Beck asked a freshman quarterback making his first career start to execute a play-action pass to a converted defensive tackle. The play was blown up by Indiana defensive lineman Tobi Osunsanmi, who sacked Carr for a 13-yard loss and the Wolverines were forced to attempt a field goal, which they missed.
When asked about the call after the game, Whittingham had no defense. “That was not a good football call at that point in time,” Whittingham said, adding, “It’s a call that Jason (Beck) wishes he had back.”
If only that were the only call Beck wished he had back.
Perhaps even more damaging was a call late in regulation. Trailing 6-3 with less than a minute remaining, Michigan faced third-and-three from the Indiana three-yard line. Again, Michigan had two chances to reach the end zone. Two chances to pull off the most unlikely of upsets.
Rather than putting the game in the hands of Marshall or Hiter, Beck once again called for a drop-back pass. Carr was sacked again, this time by Rolijah Hardy, leaving Michigan facing fourth-and-eight and little choice but to settle for a game-tying field goal.
Whittingham said after the game that the responsibility of each play call ultimately falls on him. “Everything falls on my shoulders,” Whittingham said. “So, whatever happens in the course of the game is on me.”
Whittingham is right. The responsibility ultimately rests with him. Yet under his watch, Michigan’s offense continues to flounder. And until Whittingham and Beck find a way to get more out of the unit, the Wolverines’ struggles seem destined to continue.
As frustrating as those play calls were - and each played directly into Saturday’s outcome - Michigan’s offensive problems run much deeper than a handful of questionable decisions. They extend to the very foundation of the Wolverines’ offensive philosophy.
Asked to assess Beck’s performance, Whittingham pointed to his offensive coordinator’s success at Utah last season. “Last year, Jason was exceptional, and we had exceptional results,” Whittingham said. And he’s not wrong. With Beck directing Whittingham’s offense, Utah ranked among the nation’s top five offenses in both scoring and total offense in 2025.
But this Michigan team isn’t that Utah team. And therein lies the problem.
Whittingham and Beck inherited a Michigan team that was among the nation’s best at running the football. Last season, the Wolverines boasted a top-15 rushing attack, averaging more than 210 yards per game on the ground. With virtually the entire offensive line returning, along with two talented running backs, the foundation was in place for another strong rushing attack.
Add a pair of NFL-caliber receivers in JJ Buchanan and Andrew Marsh, and Beck’s task seemed relatively straightforward: Build on Michigan’s successful running game while bringing more explosiveness to its passing attack.
Instead, Beck moved away from much of what Michigan did well, implementing an offensive system that has proven ill-suited to Michigan’s personnel.
Last season, Michigan thrived with an outside-zone rushing attack, a scheme designed to stretch defenses horizontally while creating opportunities for running backs to cut upfield through gaps in the defense. It was an approach that played to the strengths of Michigan’s offensive line and resulted in a productive, downhill running game.
Beck, however, has largely abandoned the outside-zone approach that proved so successful last season in favor of a greater emphasis on gap-based blocking schemes with which he’s more familiar. The results have been disappointing, to say the least. Under Beck, Michigan is averaging fewer than 135 rushing yards per game and ranks outside the nation’s top 100 rushing offenses.
It’s the proverbial square peg in a round hole. And seven games into the season, Beck is still trying to make it fit.
The results speak for themselves. An offense historically built around a dominant running game has become one of the nation’s least effective, with the Wolverines ranking 130th among 138 FBS teams in total offense.
Perhaps even more troubling is the lack of meaningful improvement. Michigan continues to struggle with many of the same issues that plagued it in September, with little to suggest that Whittingham and Beck are any closer to finding a solution.
And that’s what makes this season so frustrating. Michigan has the talent to be better than this. The Wolverines have an elite defense and capable playmakers on offense, players who continue to give their best effort every Saturday.
But those efforts are being undermined by an offensive coaching staff that has yet to demonstrate that it can put its players in position to succeed.
Michigan’s players deserve better.
