Michigan moves on to 'championship game' at OSU after imperfect win

It wasn't perfect. Far from pretty. At times, it was dirty. 

But Michigan football has now won 10 in a row. 

And next week, at Ohio Stadium, the Wolverines will play for everything. 

"On to the next game. On to the big game. On to the championship game," Michigan's Jim Harbaugh said Saturday night. "Onward." 

Michigan fought through offensive hiccups and a few defensive lapses Saturday, but still got 250 yards and a touchdown from Shea Patterson and a program-record six field goals from freshman kicker Jake Moody to notch a 31-20 win over visiting Indiana. 

The win pushes Michigan to 10-1 and  8-0 in Big Ten play. A win next week at rival Ohio State (10-1, 7-1) would give the Wolverines the outright Big Ten East championship for the first time and push the Wolverines into the league title game on Dec. 1 in Indianapolis. 

More:Chase Winovich injury: X-rays negative, status for Ohio State unclear

Harbaugh, meanwhile, became the first Michigan coach since Fielding H. Yost to win double-digit games in three of his first four seasons in charge of the program. 

Saturday's win might have come at a cost, though, as senior defensive end Chase Winovich left the game in the second half after appearing to suffer an upper-body injury. Harbaugh said afterward that all X-rays and CAT scans given to Winovich, at the stadium and the hospital, came back negative. Harbaugh did not know his status for next week immediately after the game. 

Also, reserve running back Berkley Edwards was carted off the field on a stretcher after taking a hit to the head late in the fourth quarter. Edwards suffered a concussion, though Harbaugh said everything else looked good — as he had feeling in his arms and legs and was responsive. 

"The situation with my brother Berkley Edwards didn't sit well with myself or anybody else, that was unfortunate and kind of shook the team up," said senior back Karan Higdon, who ran for 101 yards and a score. "(It was) most definitely (a cheap shot). It wasn't called for. It's football, so things happen that shouldn't but still do. Just have to continue to playing." 

As for the game, Michigan put up more than 500 yards of total offense Saturday but ultimately found itself stalling out in the red zone far too often. 

Related:Wolverines' inability to finish in red zone still an issue

Moody, who got the start over an ill Quinn Nordin, sparkled. But the offense had six drives of eight plays or more stall out into a field goal kick. 

Michigan also played from behind for the first time in more than a month Saturday when running back Stevie Scott made it 7-3 with a first-quarter touchdown run. Michigan ultimately took the lead back after two more Moody field goals and a 41-yard touchdown catch by Nick Eubanks, but the Hoosiers responded on a quick drive that ended with a 7-yard touchdown strike from Peyton Ramsey to Ty Fryfogle to make it 17-15. 

Michigan drove all the way down to the two-yard line in the final minute of the second quarter, but bungled a short-yardage situation to end the half. After rushing for a first down with no timeouts and less than 30 seconds left, the Wolverines attempted to run a play quickly rather than spike the ball. Sean McKeon was tackled near the sideline and the official could not spot the ball before the clock expired, leaving Michigan with zero points. 

Harbaugh contended afterward that an Indiana player appeared to kick the ball before the spot, perhaps inadvertently. 

"I asked 'Did he kick the ball?' and the response from the umpire was, 'He didn't mean to.' That doesn't seem like a judgement call. The ball was either kicked by one of their players or not, in my opinion," Harbaugh said. "But that was the response. Had he meant to, maybe (it would've been different)."  

Michigan's defense, which gave up a season-high 385 yards, responded with a quick three-and-out after the break before the Wolverines rattled off a 67-yard drive that was capped by a two-yard Higdon scoring plunge. The Wolverines wouldn't trail again. 

Michigan's habit of not finishing long drives with touchdowns popped up again Saturday, though the Wolverines were able to grind through it, thanks in large part to Moody. 

"In football, not everything's going to go your way. We overcame some adversity," Patterson said. 'We had a lot of long drives, didn't finish some. But (Moody) going in there and finishing for us, that was great to see. 

"I think there's a lot of positives to take out of this." 

The next game, of course, is the biggest one. 

Ohio State improved to 10-1 on Saturday with a 52-51 overtime win at Maryland. The Buckeyes have won 13 of the last 14 meetings between these two schools, including the past six straight. Michigan has not won a football game in Columbus since 2000. 

Still, the Wolverines are control their own fate with regard to the Big Ten championship and a possible playoff bid. 

And, right now, they say nothing else matters. 

"It's a different game and we're going to make sure we'll handle our business," Higdon said. "They still have to play us on Saturday. Nothing that happened in the past matters at this point." 

More:Finally, Michigan football can turn attention to Ohio State

Contact Nick Baumgardner: nbaumgardn@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickbaumgardner.