By The Numbers: U-M Has Had Scares Vs. IU Lately, But Always Emerges On Top
The Michigan Wolverines' football series with the Indiana Hoosiers has been one of domination, with the Maize and Blue holding an all-time edge of 59-9. U-M's recent stretch against IU has been especially impressive, with the club having won the last 24 meetings and 39 of the last 40 in the series.
The lone setback during that stretch occurred in 1987, when Bill Mallory's Indiana squad took down Bo Schembechler's Wolverines, 14-10, in Bloomington on their way to an 8-4 season.
Though the Hoosiers have oftentimes been the doormat of the Big Ten throughout their history, head coach Tom Allen has helped turn their culture around. He led the club to an 8-5 record last year, marking the school's most wins in a single campaign since Mallory's crew went 8-4 in 1993.
Indiana's 2019 success has carried over into 2020. The Hoosiers own a 2-0 record and possess wins over Penn State and Rutgers, the former of which occurred against a Nittany Lions club ranked No. 8 at the time of the game.
The early season success has allowed IU to climb to No. 13 in the Associated Press Poll, its highest ranking since it sat at No. 11 in late-October 1987. Despite the Hoosiers' lofty ranking and the Wolverines' No. 23 placement, U-M is still being tabbed as the favorite to win on Saturday in betting circles.
Though several of the matchups in the series have been very close over the last 30 years or so, Michigan has always found a way to win (literally). Two of head coach Jim Harbaugh's three trips to Bloomington have gone to overtime, with the Maize and Blue squeaking out a 48-41 double-overtime victory at IU in 2015 and a 27-20 triumph in 2017.
It was a similar storyline for Brady Hoke (2011-14) in 2013, when his Wolverines held a slim 49-47 lead with 6:02 to play at The Big House before coming away with a 63-47 victory.
Rich Rodriguez (2008-10) experienced two nail-biters with the Hoosiers as well. His 2009 club needed a touchdown with just 2:29 remaining to grab a 36-33 win, while his 2010 group saw quarterback Denard Robinson find the end zone with just 17 seconds remaining to give U-M a thrilling 42-35 triumph.
Lloyd Carr's teams, on the other hand, seldom struggled with the Hoosiers, though there were two close calls during his 13 years on the job (1995-2007). The 1996 Wolverines scraped by IU with a narrow 27-20 win at The Big House, and U-M escaped with a 34-31 triumph in Bloomington in 1999.
The Hoosiers also gave Gary Moeller's (1990-94) 1991 team a scare, battling with the No. 4-ranked Maize and Blue in Ann Arbor before falling 24-16.
| Year | Matchup | Result |
|---|---|---|
|
2019 |
@ Indiana |
W, 39-14 |
|
2018 |
Indiana |
W, 31-20 |
|
2017 |
@ Indiana |
W, 27-20 (OT) |
|
2016 |
Indiana |
W, 20-10 |
|
2015 |
@ Indiana |
W, 48-41 (2OT) |
|
2014 |
Indiana |
W, 34-10 |
|
2013 |
Indiana |
W, 63-47 |
|
2010 |
@ Indiana |
W, 42-35 |
|
2009 |
Indiana |
W, 36-33 |
|
2006 |
@ Indiana |
W, 34-3 |
|
2005 |
Indiana |
W, 41-14 |
|
2004 |
@ Indiana |
W, 35-14 |
|
2003 |
Indiana |
W, 31-17 |
|
2000 |
Indiana |
W, 58-0 |
|
1999 |
@ Indiana |
W, 34-31 |
|
1998 |
Indiana |
W, 21-10 |
|
1997 |
@ Indiana |
W, 37-0 |
|
1996 |
Indiana |
W, 27-20 |
|
1995 |
@ Indiana |
W, 34-17 |
|
1992 |
@ Indiana |
W, 31-3 |
|
1991 |
Indiana |
W, 24-16 |
|
1990 |
@ Indiana |
W, 45-19 |
|
1989 |
Indiana |
W, 38-10 |
|
1988 |
Indiana |
W, 31-6 |
It's worth noting that most of Michigan's close calls above occurred against sub.-500 Indiana squads, with the Hoosiers fielding only two teams that finished with a winning record since 1995 (7-6 in 2007 and 8-5 in 2019).
Oddly enough, Michigan crushed the Hoosiers' 8-5 crew last year in Bloomington, 39-14, in what was expected to be another tough trip to Memorial Stadium for Harbaugh's bunch.
The 25-point win was U-M's largest at IU since 2006, when Carr's team picked up a 34-3 win there to improve the Wolverines' record to 11-0 at the time. The 2006 and 2019 games in Bloomington have been the exception to the rule over the past 15 years, though, with Michigan's three other treks there during that span (2010, 2015 and 2017) all resulting in seven-point wins.
If history is any indication — not to mention national rankings and/or betting lines — Saturday afternoon's showdown will be another close one.
By The Numbers: Michigan At Indiana
0 Turnovers for Michigan's offense through two games this year. Of the 103 FBS programs who have played at least one contest this season, U-M and Boise State are the only two teams who have not committed a turnover.
4th All-time meeting between Michigan and Indiana when both clubs are ranked inside the Associated Press top 25, with IU currently residing at No. 13 and U-M at No. 23. Michigan holds a 2-1 record in the previous three meetings, claiming victories in 1968 and 1988, but losing in 1987.
6 Touchdown passes for quarterback Jake Rudock in Michigan's 48-41, double-overtime victory at Indiana in 2015. The six scoring tosses in one game marked a school record, while his 440 yards that day were the third most in a contest in program history.
8-1 Is Michigan's record in the regular season following a regular-season loss under Harbaugh. The one time U-M has dropped back-to-back non-postseason games was at the end of 2017, when it fell at No. 5 Wisconsin and at home to No. 8 Ohio State.
36-35 Was the final score of Indiana's thrilling victory over then-No. 8 Penn State on Oct. 24, marking the Hoosiers' first triumph over a ranked squad since they took down No. 17 Michigan State on Oct. 1, 2016.
71 Receiving yards for freshman wideout Roman Wilson last week against Michigan State, which were the second most for any freshman receiver in a game during the Harbaugh era. The most were the 83 yards freshman wideout Tarik Black posted in a 2017 win over Florida.
72 Degrees for a projected high on Saturday in Bloomington, which should make for an unseasonably warm November day. There is just a 10 percent chance of precipitation, while wind gusts are expected to reach only five miles-per-hour.
86.7 Winning percentage for Michigan all-time against Indiana, which is the highest for the Wolverines against any Big Ten program.
503 Passing yards for quarterback Devin Gardner in Michigan's 63-47 triumph over Indiana in 2013, the most in a game in school history.
1,002 Receiving yards for Indiana senior wideout Whop Philyor last season, which were the fourth most in the conference. He has hauled in 173 yards through two games so far this year and leads the team in the category.
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