ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Indiana could not move the ball against the Michigan football defense. The longest drive that the Hoosiers had all Saturday was just 32 yards -- a drive that resulted in a punt. The only points that IU managed in regulation came on short fields due to turnovers, and both were field goals. Of course, Indiana won in overtime, but even that was a 25-yard drive.
So the Michigan defense did its job, holding IU to just 212 total yards, the second-worst offensive output by the Hoosiers in Curt Cignetti's tenure, behind only their 2024 game against eventual national champion Ohio State.
While the defense held up its end of the bargain, the offense didn't on the other side.
Though the offense had a couple of longer drives, only one resulted
in points (the final drive in regulation to tie the game at six). But twice Michigan got into the red zone, and it scored only once. Another time, it managed to get to the IU 23, and it failed to score then, as well.
So the opportunities were there, but the execution wasn't.
Cornerback Smith Snowden didn't voice frustration in the aftermath. His case is that if the offense can't finish the job, then the onus is on the defense to go back out and do more. Thus, he says there was no mental fatigue on his side of the ball.
"No, I wouldn't say mental fatigue is the word, because at the end of the day, we've got to do our job," Snowden said. "When we're on the field, we've got to get the job done, and that wasn't the case."
The defense made play after play, including Zeke Berry intercepting IU quarterback Josh Hoover for the first time this season. Snowden said that the defense was gaining more momentum as the game went on, but again, as the offense stalled, the onus went back onto the defensive side of the ball.
"I feel like getting stop after stop, we build more confidence," Snowden said. "And we set goals for turnovers, and we were stopping them. But in the first half, we didn't have any turnovers, so I feel like it helps us. It builds more confidence getting those three-and-outs, because they lead to turnovers, obviously, as you can see, as he (Zeke Berry) got his. So I feel like I wouldn't look at it as fatigue, but it kind of inspires us a little more, like we've got to do more, like they're still in the game. We're getting stops, but they're still in the game, so we've got to do more as a defense."
"Piggybacking off what he said, coach always tells us more opportunities for us to capitalize on them on the field," Berry said. "Do our job, no matter what the score is, don't care about the score, just win."
Of course, it was difficult for the defense to see the offense struggle. Which has been the case through all seven games this season.
Saturday marked the first time that Michigan didn't score a touchdown this year, and it was the first time it didn't since the Ohio State game last year.
Snowden still has their backs, but again notes that the defense has to do more.
"I mean, it sucks, honestly," Snowden said. "But at the end of the day, we got to do our job, right? We got to rely on our offense every single day of the week. I don't care what happens; I'm around my guys regardless."
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan defenders react to offense's struggles in Indiana loss
