Sherrone Moore responds to whether expectations should’ve been lower for Michigan

The same night Indiana achieved its first 10-win season in program history, Michigan dropped to .500. A year removed from winning their third straight Big Ten title and first national championship since 1997, the Wolverines find themselves needing a November win to clinch bowl eligibility.

First-year Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore was asked after a 20-15 loss to now-No. 5 Indiana Saturday if the expectations were too high for his program going into the 2024 campaign.

“I think every year we’re going to expect the same standard,” Moore said. “Our job is to go try to meet it. We’re Michigan, and we’re going to continue to fight. We’re going to continue to grind and get better.

“So yeah, the loss column is what it is right now. And nobody likes it. Nobody likes it more than we hate it. The kids don’t like it, the coaches don’t like it, and we work as much as anything. Those guys are hurting more than anybody in the world. Our job as coaches is to continue to lift them up and continue their spirits and make sure they’re in the right place — and same thing with the coaches.”

As was the case the week prior in Ann Arbor against top-ranked Oregon, Michigan played inspired in the second half Saturday in Bloomington against the undefeated Hoosiers. The Wolverines held Indiana, which still ranks second nationally in scoring with 43.9 points per game, to only a field goal in the final two quarters. In fact, quarterback Kurtis Rourke and the Hoosiers’ offense totaled a mere 18 yards in the second half.

Michigan cornerback Zeke Berry picked off Rourke early in the third quarter, setting the stage for the first of three Wolverines scoring drives: The first two ended in field goals, but running back Kalel Mullings capped the third with a touchdown plunge. Unfortunately for Moore, quarterback Davis Warren couldn’t connect with wideout Peyton O’Leary for a game-tying two-point conversion.

Indiana got its only points of the half with a Nicolas Radicic 41-yard field goal that extended its lead to 20-15 with 2:38 remaining.

Warren and the Wolverines’ offense, however, moved the chains only once before stalling at their own 33-yard line.

Indiana ran out the clock after the turnover on downs and improved to 10-0. Michigan, on the other hand, slid to 5-5 on the season.

Moore’s group still has matchups against Northwestern and No. 2 Ohio State remaining on the schedule. Winning at least one of those games guarantees the Wolverines another game in the postseason.

“I feel like we’re gonna strive to be great in whatever we do,” Moore said. “We’re not gonna lower our standard. We’re not where we want to be, but we’re not gonna lower our standard.

“We’re gonna continue to fight.”