Favorite Games, No. 4: Indiana Flexes Its Muscle in Rare Football Win Over Michigan

Indiana had beaten Michigan only once in 40 tries, but that all changed in November when the Hoosiers pushed them all over the Memorial Stadium field and won 38-21 for their third straight victory to start the season.

Editor's Note: This is the seventh installment in our 10-part series on HoosiersNow.com publisher Tom Brew's 10 favorite Indiana games during the 2020-21 school year.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – When it comes to football, Michigan has had its boot on Indiana's throat for years now. The Hoosiers hadn't beaten the Wolverines since 1987, and there's been both heartache and massive beatdowns.

But on Nov. 7, 2020. That changed. In a big way.

In the third game of the COVID-shortened Big Ten season, unbeaten Indiana smacked around big brother, and took down the Wolverines 38-21 at Memorial Stadium despite being a touchdown underdog. Michigan  had won 24 straight games in the series dating back to 1987 and had won 39 of the last 40 meetings.

But this time, it was different. Indiana had the better quarterback, the better receivers, the better defense – and, most importantly, the better coach.

"Nobody thought we could win this game except for us," Indiana coach Tom Allen said. "That's OK. Maybe people will change the way they view us. It's what we told our players, how hard are you willing to work? I knew beating Michigan would elevate this program nationally."

Allen wasn't completely right, because I had picked the Hoosiers to win this game. Off to a 2-0 start after wins over Penn State and Rutgers, the Hoosiers had simply become the better team in this ''matchup'' – you can't call it a ''rivalry'' when you're 1-39.

The Hoosiers dominated every meaningful statistic, from total yards (460-357) to rushing yards (118-13) to time of possession (39 minutes to 21).  

"This is something we expected," said quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who completely outplayed his counterpart, Michigan's Joe Milton. "It's all the hard work we put in. We practice for moments like this. We executed at a high level. It's just the beginning. We make to make sure we continue with this. 

"It's us playing as a team, loving the next man, trusting the person beside you," Penix said. "Protect our bothers, make game-changing plays when they need to be made. All units playing together." 

Indiana's players are all so young that this decades-long history against Michigan doesn't really resonate. They live in the moment, but it was still nice to be the more physical team and pushing the bully off the block. 

How the game ended showed a lot of that, with the Hoosiers running out the clock in the final five minutes, physically pushing them out of town. Running back Stevie Scott had 97 yards on 24 carries, and two rushing touchdowns. 

"It's funny how the roles switched," Scott said. "We ran and pounded those guys. We went hard to finish it out. Coach Allen stressed being aggressive and physical. We had to be the more physical team. That's what we did."

The win meant a lot to Allen, a Hoosier native who's seen many Michigan-Indiana beatdowns over the years. 

"I was a senior in high school last time we beat Michigan, and I'm 50 years old. It was a long time coming," Allen said.

Penix had another huge day, with a career-high 342 yards and career-high-tying three touchdowns. (He would break both marks a few weeks later at Ohio State) He was 30-for-50, completing passes to seven different receivers, led by Whop Philyor (11 catches for 79 yards) and Ty Fryfogle (7 catches for 142 yards and a touchdown. 

"This kid has some things that most guys don't have -- the quick release, the accuracy, the arm strength," Allen said. "He's a great player. I believed in his kid. He has something special about him.''

Penix passed for 254 yards in the first half alone, with three touchdown drives of 75 yards or longer. He picked apart Michigan's overrated secondary, and moved the ball at will.

"Coach Sheridan was making great calls," Penix said. "He was ripping those plays out without any hesitation. It was reading the defense. It was working, so we continued to do it.
"The offensive line blocked their tails off," Penix said. "They were huge. They were very physical. They made sure they got the job done."

The confident Allen expected this victory, and he reveled in the fact that all his players bought in. That's what made it all the more satisfying, watching the tables get turned. 

The only bad thing, of course, that no fans were there to witness it in person because of all the COVID-19 restrictions. 

"I can't be any prouder of this team. Their toughness and grit and fight has been unbelievable,'' Allen said. "The way they play start to finish, their buy-in, the mental toughness.  It's all there right now.

"It's in the weight room, and it's the way we practice. They believed they were the better team, and they proved it."

And it was as sweet as it could be.

Previous 'Favorite Games' stories

• NUMBER 10: Indiana's football team has struggled at Wisconsin for decades, so it was very sweet to go up there and steal a 14-6 win on Dec. 5, 2020 in quarterback Jack Tuttle's first-ever college start. CLICK HERE
• NUMBER 9: Armaan Franklin was having a brutal shooting night against Iowa in Assembly Hall on Feb. 7, 2021, right up until he hit the game-winning shot with 1.8 seconds left to go. CLICK HERE
• NUMBER 8: Collin Hopkins hits a walk-off home run after a long rain delay to help Indiana beat Illinois 6-4 and end the Hoosiers' five-game winning streak. CLICK HERE
• NUMBER 7: Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has a game for the ages, throwing for 491 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-35 loss to No. 3 Ohio State inside an empty stadium in Columbus. CLICK HERE
• NUMBER 6: Indiana's women's basketball team has been soaring to new heights under coach Teri Moren, and this year, the Hoosiers reached the Elite Eight for the first time in program history. CLICK HERE
• NUMBER 5: Indiana's men's soccer team does just enough to knock off Pittsburgh 1-0 and advance to yet another NCAA College Cup championship game. CLICK HERE