Michigan football in a groove heading into Ohio State game: 'Every team can be beat'

Orion Sang | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Michigan football's Jim Harbaugh: We're riding Shea Patterson Jim Harbaugh discusses Michigan's blowout win over Indiana, says team is riding Shea Patterson's play, Nov. 23, 2019.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It didn't take long after the conclusion of Michigan football's 39-14 win at Indiana for defensive end Aidan Hutchinson to start looking forward.

Because everyone — including Hutchinson and his teammates — know what's coming: No. 2 ranked and undefeated Ohio State.

“Yeah, we were all in the locker room, no one’s even talking about this game," Hutchinson said Saturday night. "We were all ready for next week.”

Saturday's contest against the Hoosiers could've been a trap game for the Wolverines. Their past two games at Memorial Stadium went to double and single overtime, respectively. Last season, Indiana held a halftime lead over then No. 4 Michigan at Michigan Stadium.

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Had U-M been caught looking ahead to next week, maybe the game would've played out differently.

Instead, the Wolverines pulverized Indiana, scoring 32 consecutive points over the final 49:59. And now, finally, the focus turns to the much-awaited showdown against the Buckeyes, undefeated and alone at the top of the Big Ten East, at Michigan Stadium next Saturday.

“We understand the level of intensity this game brings," said quarterback Shea Patterson said. "Just the word 'Ohio State' in itself is enough for us.”

Saturday's win was yet another step in Michigan's evolution. The Wolverines have won four consecutive games by a combined margin of 166-45. It has been written ad nauseam already, but something changed during their failed comeback attempt at Penn State. This has been a completely different team ever since it fell behind 21-0 against the Nittany Lions.

And it all starts on offense.

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It took some time, but Michigan is finally hitting on all cylinders. In recent weeks, the coaching staff has consistently put players in a position to succeed. The comparison between the current play-calling and what was occurring in September and early October is night and day.

And players are executing, too. The turnover problems that plagued the Wolverines through the first half of the season have been eliminated. And the passing game, which seemed so underwhelming considering the roster's talent, is playing to full potential.

Against Indiana, Patterson completed 20-of-32 passes for 366 yards, five touchdowns and one late, meaningless interception. He missed a couple wide-open would-be touchdowns on Michigan's third drive; then he threw a dime on third-and-long to Donovan Peoples-Jones, who made a highlight catch for a touchdown.

Patterson and Nico Collins, the team's big, talented outside receiver, were in sync combing for six catches, 165 yards and three touchdowns. Collins broke the game open — in exactly the way that many expected upon Michigan's adoption of a new spread scheme this offseason that emphasized getting the ball to playmakers.

"Shea believed in me," Collins said, "and I believed in him."

The defense, meanwhile, settled in after a slow start. The Wolverines allowed Indiana to score touchdowns on two of its first three drives. And then — nothing for the Hoosiers' final nine drives.

It took some time, and a couple losses, to figure this out. But Michigan is playing its best football on both sides of the ball. Both the offensive and defensive schemes are diverse and give opposing teams trouble. The team has had a remarkably clean bill of health.

And all of this has culminated in what comes next: A showdown against their biggest rival, a juggernaut that has looked invincible for much of the season, and holds an eight-game win streak in this series.

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The big question now: Does Michigan have enough to score a historic upset against Ohio State?

We'll get the definitive answer in seven days. For now, there's no denying the Wolverines have put themselves in a much better position with their second-half improvement.

“We’re all just gonna do our job and play the game we play," Hutchinson said. "Obviously, this game is the biggest of our schedule and we’re just gonna come out there and do our thing. We don’t see (Ohio State) as unbeatable — every team can be beat and we’re just gonna go out there and do our job.”

More: Updated 2019 Big Ten football standings

Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.