Staff Predictions: Michigan Wolverines Football At Indiana
So …we were a little off last week. So was the rest of the country, including local media, East Lansing media, national media, Mrs. Mel Tucker … everybody.
Keep that in mind before you bring out the “these guys should be election pollsters or weathermen” jokes. Prognosticating isn’t as easy as it appears, especially when you don’t know in advance that one of the teams didn’t plan to show up.
That was clearly the case last week. Now, though, the Wolverines are prepared to take on a ranked team in its stadium, one that will be supremely confident and ready to end a 24-game losing streak to U-M, including 39 out of 40. That one win, too, came when the Hoosiers got an early lead and held on in the second half when a monsoon hit.
RELATED: Keys To The Game: Michigan Wolverines Football at Indiana
Indiana managed only 190 yards of offense or so that day. It was similar to its upset win of Penn State in this year’s opener in which the Hoosiers had 111 yards or so before their last drive, less than 200 in regulation.
This is a dangerous team, however … especially when you’re not looking.
Michigan fans still don’t like Tom Allen much, and it dates back to a couple years ago and U-M’s 31-20 victory over the Hoosiers in Ann Arbor. Lineman Simon Stepaniak delivered a cheap shot at Chase Winovich, sending U-M’s standout end out of the game.
Michigan fans let Allen know about it in nasty emails and texts, Allen said at a speaking engagement after the season. He saw it as fans being angry because his team was “too physical,” insisting he wasn’t going to reel his group in.
“We’re gonna play physical, mean and tough … and that ain’t gonna change,” Allen said, according to Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star.
Only it did. U-M bullied the Hoosiers up and down the field in a 39-14 win last year.
But with a near-empty Memorial Stadium this year (the second straight time Michigan travels to Bloomington), he won’t have to worry about the 65 percent Michigan crowd this time around. So … he’s got that going for him, which is nice (for him).
Congratulations to last week’s losers, all of you. Prizes have been suspended until you get it together … and judging by this week’s picks and the likely overreaction (even with all of Michigan’s injury issues), it might be a while.
The picks:
CHRIS BALAS: I got more Michigan hate mail and texts than Tom Allen for picking this game as an Indiana win in the preseason, about how dumb I was to think this one would be close, etc.
To all of you, and with all my heart …
Feel free to hit me up when I’m wrong again this week. But for now, it feels like … Indiana 27, Michigan 20
P.S. This guy actually took several weather and climate classes in college. We prefer “meteorologist.”
JOHN BORTON: Michigan State tore open a wound, and Indiana’s Hoosiers will pick at the scab. The question is, can they do what hasn’t been done by any IU basketball warm-up act since 1987? Does Bob Knight hurl furniture? Indiana 35, Michigan 34
AUSTIN FOX: Will Michigan display the appropriate mental toughness this weekend to pick up a road win over a quality Indiana team? It has plenty of times in the past under Harbaugh, posting an 8-1 record in the regular season following a regular season loss since the start of 2015. Something about this team feels different though, and not in a good way. Winning this weekend is crucial to ensure the season doesn’t spiral out of control, but there just seems to be too many problems with this team — both on the field and internally — to actually expect them to do that. Indiana 28, Michigan 17
CLAYTON SAYFIE: Michigan should be able to run the ball on a Hoosier defense that is allowing 185.5 rushing yards per game through two weeks. But the Indiana secondary is legit (5 picks already this season), and head coach Tom Allen is a very good defensive mind. He will throw some confusing looks at Joe Milton and may force turnovers.
Indiana's offense has big-play capability but has underperformed thus far (just 4.4 yards per play), but we're not sure they've played a defensive backfield that's reeling as much as Michigan's, and that may make the difference. This one will very likely come down to the wire, as it often does in this series. Indiana 28, Michigan 25
DOUG SKENE: Michigan’s offense will see the same game plan the MAC threw at them with great success. Michigan’s defense will show more zone coverage than ever under Don Brown.
This game comes down to the offensive line keeping Joe Milton comfortable. Indiana 24, Michigan 17
DOUG KARSCH: Run the Ball. Stop the run. Michigan 28, Indiana 17
DREW HALLETT: On baby watch. Good luck, Drew!
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