ANN ARBOR, Mi. - On Saturday at 'The Big House,' Indiana saw first-hand the importance of getting the ball into the hands of the team's playmakers in enough space for them to make something happen. Michigan did it all game long as the Wolverines picked apart the Hoosiers' defense for the final three quarters of play. Indiana however, was once again unable to consistently get its playmakers touches in space.
In college football you win games by getting the ball into the hands of your best skill position players and allowing them to make something happen. Because of Indiana's lack of consistency and efficiency at the quarterback position and general lack of creative play-calling, the Hoosiers weren't able to get the ball into the hands of their best skill position players on Saturday against Michigan.
It was always going to be tough for the Hoosiers offensively against the Wolverines' elite defense. The Michigan defense had allowed just four touchdowns through the first six games of the season entering Saturday's contest.
In the first quarter on Saturday, Indiana was able to get the ball to its playmakers and became just the second team to hold a lead over Michigan this season -- even if it was for just a short time.
It was a great call from Indiana's new offensive coordinator Rod Carey. A backwards screen pass to Donaven McCulley that turned into the ex-quarterback turning back the clock and finding a wide-open Jaylin Lucas for a 44-yard touchdown. The Hoosiers found a creative way to get the ball to their best offensive player and it resulted in a score.
Outside of that play in the first quarter, Indiana's offense struggled and was held scoreless for the final 47 minutes.
On the other side of the ball, the Michigan offense put on a clinic for the final three quarters after a slow start to the game. The Wolverine offense was able to consistently get the ball into the hands of its best players in positions for them to succeed. The Wolverines had 115 yards after the catch on Saturday, the Hoosiers had 65.
This isn't new for Indiana. Against Maryland, the Terrapins had 142 yards after the catch to 65 for the Hoosiers. In week four against Akron, Indiana had just 24 yards after the catch.
The one outlier among the FBS opponents Indiana has played this season is Louisville. Against the Cardinals, the Hoosiers 138 yards after the catch. In that game, Jaylin Lucas accounted for over half (70) of the team's yards after the catch. The sophomore had a career-high 10 receptions in that game. It's no coincidence that Indiana had the most yards after the catch in the same game that Lucas got the most touches he has all season.
Indiana has struggled all season long at finding creative ways -- outside of simply checking it down -- to get Lucas and the other talented playmakers involved. On Saturday against Michigan, Lucas got just seven touches. He caught five passes and ran the ball twice. There is never a reason a healthy Lucas should get less than 10 touches in a game.
The Hoosiers have a long way to go offensively. It starts by at least putting the ball in the hands of Lucas and the other skill position players more frequently. The next step after that is getting the ball to them on the move and in space.
On Saturday, Michigan's quarterback J.J. McCarthy was consistently able to hit his receivers in space and/or on the move where they could create a big play after the catch. McCarthy doesn't put up eye-popping numbers in the yardage department, he ranked fifth in the Big Ten in passing yards coming into Saturday's game.
Where the junior does put up big numbers is in the efficiency department. Coming into Michigan's game against Indiana, McCarthy had the third highest completion percentage in the country at around 78%. Against the Hoosiers he threw just three incompletions, McCarthy completed 82% of his passes. He got the ball to his intended target and let them do the rest.
On the flip side, both Tayven Jackson and Brandon Sorsby -- who alternated drives in the second half of Saturday's game against Michigan -- combined to go 13/28 for a completion percentage of 46%.
A bulk of Indiana's completions came on short curl routes over the middle of the field and other plays where Indiana's quarterbacks where tasked with hitting stationary targets. Those are fine plays, but at some point you have to mix in some plays to get the ball to guys on the move. On the few occasions the Hoosiers tried that on Saturday, those passes were intercepted or simply off target.
One of the biggest issues is Indiana's continuous quarterback marry-go-round. With Jackson and Sorsby's flip-flopping that was seen on Saturday against Michigan, it's hard for connections and trust to be established between the quarterbacks and the skill position players.
"I'm not sure why they would switch off," Donaven McCulley said postgame. "I think it's really hard to get yourself in a routine and get other guys in a routine, when you do that."
"It wasn't difficult for me to adjust," McCulley added. "I was just waiting for an opportunity, but we didn't get too many opportunities."
The lack of opportunities is what's holding this Indiana offense back. There's not enough chances for the skill position guys to make big plays happen.
This is an Indiana team whose best players aren't the quarterbacks, they're the players who receive the ball from the quarterbacks. Until the Hoosiers can find some consistency in getting their best players the ball in space, the offensive struggles are going to continue.
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