Keys To The Game: Michigan Football vs. Indiana
Michigan is closing in on its clash with Ohio State unscathed in Big Ten play, and only Indiana stands in the way.
The Hoosiers aren’t very good. They’re also not bad at times, and that’s what makes them somewhat dangerous at 5-5. This is a team that’s gotten crushed at home by Iowa (42-16) and beat lowly Rutgers by only a touchdown (24-17) on the road, but also played Penn State tough in losing only 33-28.
IU also took down a solid Virginia team, albeit early in the year, and has played Michigan toe-to-toe the last three games, taking two to overtime and losing 20-10 in Ann Arbor two years ago. U-M is in better hands at quarterback than in 2016, however, when John O’Korn took the reins for an injured Wilton Speight. Junior Shea Patterson is playing at an elite level, and the Wolverines are better at just about every position.
Former Wolverines Nick Sheridan and Mike Hart are on the Indiana staff, and it’s a homecoming for them and former U-M offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, now in the same position with the Hoosiers. They’d love nothing more than to spoil Senior Day in Ann Arbor.
Here are some keys for Michigan to avoid that:
Don’t look ahead: Yeah, it’s cliché. And yeah, it can be real.
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh knows this as well as anyone, having suffered a home loss to Minnesota in 1986 on Senior Day to quarterback Rickey Foggie & Co. the week before traveling to Columbus. Harbaugh guaranteed a win at Ohio State and backed it up, but any national title hopes the Wolverines had were dashed in a turnover-filled, lackluster effort.
We tried to ask Harbaugh if the lessons he learned in that game were some he tried to share in coaching over the years when it comes to looking ahead. His response: “It probably wouldn’t be wise" to look ahead.
There aren’t many instances over the years in which they have been caught looking ahead to the Ohio State game, but it’s happened. In the 30 years prior to the Rich Rodriguez era, U-M lost the game before 'The Game' six times and tied once. In addition to the ’86 Gophers debacle, the Wolverines lost at Purdue, 24-21, in 1979, but that was a pretty solid (No. 15) Boilermakers squad. They tied with Illinois (22-22) after turning the ball over six times in 1992, lost at Penn State (27-17) in 1995 (no shame there) and 1996 (29-17), and fell at Wisconsin (37-21) in 2007 when quarterback Chad Henne got hurt.
Harbaugh’s three games before 'The Game': a 28-16 win at Penn State in 2015, the 20-10 win over the Hoosiers and a 24-10 loss at Wisconsin last season.
Protect the ball against a team that prides itself on takeaways: It’s going to be cold Saturday in Ann Arbor, and it might be wet. IU head coach Tom Allen wants his team to get three takeaways per game, and the Hoosiers have done that three times in 10 games so far this year.
The Hoosiers are one of 18 teams in the FBS to have gotten 20 or more turnovers this season, and their 24 takeaways rank fifth nationally heading into the game. That can be an equalizer for an otherwise overmatched opponent.
“I think we have a more athletic defense as a group,” Allen told the Indianapolis Star in comparing this year’s team to last year’s that finished 111th in the FBS for forcing turnovers. “And I said that going in. When you have a more athletic group, you create more takeaways. You get to the ball quicker to force them, and you’re around the ball more to recover them.”
Exploit the Hoosiers’ pass defense: This is where Indiana is most vulnerable. They’re second to last in the conference in pass efficiency defense, having allowed quarterbacks to complete 59.5 percent of their passes for 2,327 yards and 23 touchdowns (second worst only to Illinois in the conference). Their pass rush isn’t great, either, managing only 1.7 sacks per game (10th in the Big Ten) through 10 games.
Patterson is playing his best football of the year and has 17 touchdown passes against only three picks. He’ll have an opportunity to improve upon those numbers Saturday, especially with a group of receivers that seems to also be peaking at the right time.
The Breakdown: The Hoosiers don’t have the playmakers they’ve had in years past when they played the Wolverines toe to toe, but they’re still solid and capable in a number of areas. Quarterback Peyton Ramsey is tied for third in the conference with 2,335 passing yards, and he’s completed 67.3 percent of his throws. Running back Stevie Scott is closing in on 1,000 yards, having racked up 894 (and 5.0 per rush).
The bottom line — this is a team capable of keeping it close if not taken seriously. U-M, though, appears to be focused, and it’s tough to see the Wolverines losing this one at home.
TheWolverine.com Staff Picks
TheWolverine.com Senior Editor Chris Balas: Michigan 34, Indiana 13
U-M wins relatively comfortably, but the Hoosiers put up a fight before falling.
TheWolverine.com Senior Editor John Borton: Michigan 38, Indiana 13
It might be cold and snowy at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, but certainly not Foggie.
TheWolverine.com Recruiting Editor Brandon Brown: Michigan 34, Indiana 10
Nothing is going to keep this focused Michigan team from heading into Columbus with everything on the table.
TheWolverine.com Staff Writer Austin Fox: Michigan 28, Indiana 7
The Wolverines take care of Indiana in a very business-like win, and then move on to the one everyone’s been waiting for.
TheWolverine.com Staff Writer Andrew Hussey: Michigan 42, Indiana 7
Why not go three in a row with this score? Michigan’s offense rolls over the Hoosiers and the Wolverines keep focused ahead of the looming Ohio State game.
TheWolverine.com Columnist Drew Hallett: Michigan 45, Indiana 10
There'll be no traps. There'll be no surprises. Indiana has allowed its opponents to score at least 32 points in five straight games, and that won't stop on Saturday. Michigan wins its 10th straight game and beats the Hoosiers for the 23rd straight time in the series.
TheWolverine.com Analyst Doug Skene: Michigan 38, Indiana 10
Indiana will present a bigger challenge than Rutgers, for sure. However, I don't see any letdown in this team with the Buckeyes in sight.
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