Michigan Football: Red-zone issues nearly cost Wolverines vs Indiana

Michigan football beat Indiana Saturday but the game was much closer than it should have been thanks to woes in the red zone.

Obviously, beating the Indiana Hoosiers was the main objective for the Michigan football team Saturday. Yet, if there was another goal, it was to stay healthy for Ohio State and thanks to some dirty plays by Indiana, that didn’t necessarily happen. Hopefully, Chase Winovich is alright.

Beyond the injuries to Winovich and safety Berkley Edwards, Michigan struggled on the field too, especially when the ball was deep in Indiana territory.

For some reason, Indiana has given Michigan football troubles the past few years and that was true Saturday too, even at the Big House. The Wolverines trailed 17-15 at halftime and despite playing better in the second half, UM didn’t put IU away until the final minutes of the 31-20 win.

The defense gave up 17 points or more in the first half for just the third time this season and the first time since Northwestern. Peyton Ramsey was able to generate some big plays on the ground and in the air and for a while, it looked like Indiana might be capable of an upset.

However, in the second half, Michigan looked more like itself. Karan Higdon found the end zone and the Wolverines kicked a few more field goals — they kicked and made six total — giving them enough points to win.

It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win. It was the 10th straight for the Wolverines, giving them their third 10-win season in four years. It also sets up an epic showdown in Columbus next Saturday between 10-1 Michigan and 10-1 Ohio State.

Certainly, there were some concerning things about the 11-point win. Maybe the biggest concern was the red-zone offense which kicked six field goals. Touchdowns on even half of those drives and the game is a blowout.

Not only did the Wolverines settle for six field goals, but they also came up with nothing on a goal-to-go situation late in the first half because of poor clock management. Shea Patterson threw to Sean McKeon with the clock winding. McKeon caught it short of the end zone and was tackled. Michigan then couldn’t get it spiked and got zero points instead of seven or three.

Six field goals is pretty bad. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great night for new kicker Jake Moody, but if he is kicking a bunch of field goals next week, Michigan football might lose. His longest kick was 33 yards, so UM moved the ball, it just didn’t finish.

The final numbers will look great. The offense rolled up more than 500 yards. Karan Higdon ran for 101 yards and a touchdown. The Wolverines ran for 260 yards total. Patterson completed 16-of-28 passes for 250 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

The only problem was in the red zone. It has been an issue all season long if we are being honest. It kept Michigan from beating Notre Dame and almost led to a loss against Northwestern. Versus the Hoosiers, it nearly cost the Wolverines again and if the red-zone problems continue against the Buckeyes, Michigan won’t like the result of “The Game” either.