BLOOMINGTON, Ind. >> If you’re looking for moral victories, this was your game. Otherwise, there’s plenty not to like about where Michigan’s season has gone and is going.

The Wolverines were double-digit underdog against Indiana, put up a defensive fight in the second half but lost 20-15 at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Indiana, a program that had beaten Michigan twice since 1987, remains unbeaten under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti as the Hoosiers.

Now the Hoosiers, No. 8 in the first College Football Playoff rankings and built in large part by taking experienced players from the transfer portal, including quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who made his 43rd career start against the Wolverines, are 10-0, 7-0 Big Ten and have next weekend off before traveling to Ohio State for a pivotal Big Ten game. Michigan also is off next weekend before playing its final home game, against Northwestern, its best chance to reach bowl eligibility before playing at Ohio State.

This as the third-straight game without cornerback Will Johnson, hardly ideal against a team that ranked No. 2 nationally in scoring and eighth in offense (476.2), but Michigan’s defense played well in the second half. Rourke was 17-of-28 for 206 yards and two touchdowns, was intercepted by Zeke Berry and was sacked four times, including twice by T.J. Guy.

Michigan quarterback Davis Warren was 16-of-32 for 137 yards and no touchdowns. The Wolverines had 34 carries for 69 yards rushing, including two for minus-17 from Warren. Dominic Zvada had three field goals for Michigan and Kalel Mullings had the only touchdown.

Indiana was held to 246 yards, including 18 in the second half.

The Wolverines had a final opportunity, starting its final drive with 2:29 left, to win the game after Indiana, shut down most of the second half, made a field goal to stretch the lead to five points. Davis Warren threw incomplete three straight plays and on 4th and 10, Warren connected with Peyton O’Leary for nine yards, just short of the first down to turn the ball over on downs with 1:35 left.

Michigan, with 10 minutes left in the game, scored a touchdown for the first time in the game as Kalel Mullings scored from a yard. The drive we set up by Guy’s sack on the last play of IU’s drive followed by a 25-yard punt that gave Michigan the ball on the IU 34-yard line. Michigan tried to tie the game but did not convert the two-point conversion when Warren missed Peyton O’Leary in the end zone making it 17-15.

With 5:20 left, Michigan punter Tommy Doman, whose first four punts averaged 50 yards, didn’t have such a positive punt on his fifth of the game. It went 35 yards then IU’s Ke’Shawn Williams returned it 22 yards to the Michigan 39-yard line. The Hoosiers reached the 23 but settled for a field goal making it 20-15 with 2:34 left.

Michigan had an early opportunity in the second half to cut into Indiana’s 17-3 lead when Berry intercepted Rourke to give the Wolverines prime field position at the Hoosiers 7-yard line. But Michigan ran three times, with no gain on the first carry by Ben Hall and the third by backup quarterback Alex Orji. It was the Wolverines second red-zone trip and they came away with field goals from Dominic Zvada, this time from 23 yards to make it 17-6. Zvada entered the game 10-of-11 on field goals.

Zvada added a third on a 56-yarder, tying a career long, to make it 17-9. Michigan dominated the third quarter in terms of possession time and had the ball 13:09. The Wolverines, whose defense stepped up their play in the second half, outgained the Hoosiers 66-7 and outscored them 6-0.

The Hoosiers built a 17-3 lead heading into halftime and outgained Michigan 228-94. Indiana ran 32 plays and averaged 7.1 yards, while Michigan had 31 plays and averaged three yards a play.

The Wolverines were held to 11 yards rushing, including the 17 yards lost by Warren.

Michigan had five drives in the first half, and after scoring a field goal on the first, had three punts and a fumble by Orji.

Warren was 7-of-18 for 83 yards. Rourke, meanwhile, was 14-of-18 for 190 yards and had touchdown passes of seven and 36 yards. Indiana had four big-play passes of 15 yards or more in the first half, including the 36-yard touchdown and a 41 yarder.

Michigan settled for a 3-0 lead on its opening drive after reaching the IU 3-yard line and unraveling in the red zone. Edwards gained two yards then Orji entered the game and fielded a high snap and handed to running back Ben Hall who gained a yard. On 3rd and 3, Warren fumbled and left tackle Myles Hinton recovered at the 21-yard line. Zvada made a 39-yarder. It was Michigan’s 22nd trip this season to the end zone and fifth field goal. The Wolverines entered the game with 13 touchdowns in 17 red-zone scores.