Tate Forcier leads another late touchdown drive as Michigan survives upset-minded Indiana, 36-33

Tate Forcier lay crumbled on the ground late in the fourth quarter of Michigan’s Big Ten opener Saturday against Indiana.

His team was down by four points, his right shoulder was throbbing from the hit he just took diving for a first down, and Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez saw calm on his face.

“When I looked at him he was smiling and he said, ‘Coach, I’m all right, I’m just doing what you tell us to do, laying on the field a little bit,’” Rodriguez said.

Forcier showed another dose of the remarkable poise he’s become acquainted with Saturday, leading the second last-minute, game-winning touchdown drive of his young career to lift 23rd-ranked Michigan past Indiana in the Big Ten opener for both teams, 36-33. Five plays after his injury, on third-and-eight, Forcier found a streaking Martavious Odoms in the back of the end zone for the go-ahead score. “The kid’s got something about him,” quarterbacks coach Rod Smith said. “He knows how to win ballgames.” Forcier, who led Michigan to a thrilling last-minute upset of Notre Dame earlier this month, finished 11-of-21 passing for 184 yards Saturday. He threw a careless first-half interception and was rather pedestrian before his late-game heroics. In the fourth quarter, Forcier capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive with a leaping 7-yard touchdown run and diving two-point conversion to give the Wolverines a short-lived 29-26 lead. Indiana (3-1) answered a play later with an 85-yard touchdown run by Darius Willis, and after two three-and-outs Michigan took over again. Forcier converted a third down early in the drive with that diving 5-yard run, sat two plays with a bruised shoulder, then fired a 26-yard strike to Odoms, who beat safety Nick Polk across the middle of the field. Donovan Warren intercepted Indiana’s Ben Chappell on the next play from scrimmage, jumping a slant route and wrestling the ball away from receiver Demarlo Belcher, to seal the win. “I didn’t sense any panic at all,” Rodriguez said. “There was some concern, certainly, but no panic and again all we have to do is make a play at the end. I would like to say there won’t be any more games that go down to the wire, but I have a feeling a whole bunch of them will.” Carlos Brown provided most of the scoring early for Michigan, which struggled to stop Indiana’s imaginative pistol offense throughout the game. Brown took a screen pass 61 yards down the Michigan sideline on the Wolverines second offensive snap, and scored two series later on a 41-yard run up the middle. He finished the first quarter with 109 total yards - 48 rushing, 69 receiving - and two touchdowns, then sat most of the second and third periods as Michigan rotated Michael Shaw and Brandon Minor into the backfield. Minor scored on a 12-yard run with 2:49 left in the first half put the Wolverines ahead, 21-20. Denard Robinson fumbled inside the Indiana 25 on Michigan’s next offensive series, and Nick Freeland kicked his third of four field goals to give Indiana a 23-21 halftime lead. Willis finished with 16 carries for 152 yards. The redshirt freshman had 69 yards rushing for his career entering the game. Chappell was 21-of-38 passing for 270 yards for Indiana, which outgained Michigan, 467-372. Brown finished with 83 yards on 11 carries for the Wolverines, who enter next week’s showdown with rival Michigan State a perfect 4-0. “When I first came in older guys like (Shawn) Crable, Jamar (Adams), those guys, they instilled in me that we hate those guys over there,” Warren said. “We’re going to do everything we can this week in practice to be ready and be prepared so that come Saturday we can battle and we can outfight them.” Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.