What They're Saying Nationally Ahead Of Michigan's Game At Indiana
No. 23 Michigan Wolverines football is set to take on the No. 13 ranked Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington at noon ET on Fox Sports 1.
Here's a look around the country at what they're saying heading into the top-25 matchup.
RELATED: Staff Predictions: Michigan Wolverines Football At Indiana
These are key contests in the Big Ten’s single-minded quest to make sure Ohio State has enough opponents to clobber so it can get to the playoff. Michigan visits Indiana, where the Hoosiers are 2-0 and ranked higher, although they haven’t won this game since 1987, a staggering 24 meetings ago.
If you assume it’ll automatically be 25 in a row, you haven’t digested a single word I’ve written, which is normal. But Indiana can throw, and by the time anyone realized Michigan State could throw, Michigan already was in trouble. Defensive coordinator Don Brown went from “Dr. Blitz” to “Dr. Get You Blitzed” as Michigan fans downed a shot every time the Spartans threw at the single-covering cornerbacks.
If Indiana finally ends its 33-year drought, it’d be the swing outcome that fits this season, wouldn’t it? I mean, if the Hoosiers go 3-0, with victories over Penn State, Michigan and mighty Rutgers, they could crawl into the playoff picture. If not them, why not 2-0 Northwestern or Purdue? On the national scene, why not BYU, or Cincinnati, or Coastal Carolina, or Marshall, or 6-0 Liberty, all ranked in the Top 25, the only vote count not currently facing legal challenges.
The wackiness is about to crank up even more with the debuts of the Pac-12 and the MAC. Oh, bless the MAC. On the conference’s first play Wednesday night, Akron opened with an onside kick and recovered. Of course there was a flag and Akron proceeded to fall to Western Michigan 58-13, but when it comes to MACtion, the final score is only a footnote. Heck, in a few weeks, everything might be only a footnote.
I wish I could tell you more, but again, I know nuttin'. Which has never stopped me before.
Chris Balas, The Wolverine: Keys To The Game: Michigan Wolverines Football at Indiana
Don't Overcorrect
There will be changes on defense, from what we’ve gathered. That’s almost certain. Harbaugh doesn’t like to be embarrassed, and despite what’s going on publicly, there’s a lot of pressure behind the scenes to change it up, play more zone, etc., to not put the corners in position to fail.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean change everything up and install a completely new defense. Rich Rodriguez and Co. tried something similar a week before U-M played at Purdue in 2008 and were embarrassed by a kid (Justin Siller) who hadn’t even played the position.
Throwing everything they’ve been practicing out the window would be as silly as sticking with what didn’t work against the Spartans. There needs to be a balance, perhaps a position switch or two (more of sophomore Daxton Hill in coverage?), but not a complete overhaul at this juncture. Save anything like that for the offseason.
Michigan vs. Indiana spread: Wolverines -3
Why Michigan can cover
Michigan is 4-1 against the spread in its last five games after putting up more than 450 yards in the previous game, and Milton threw for 300 and ran for another 59 against the Spartans. The 6-foot-5 sophomore is strong and accurate, completing 64.4 percent of his passes for 525 yards and rushing for 111. Five receivers have at least five catches through two games, led by junior Ronnie Bell and freshman Roman Wilson, who both average 15 yards per catch.
The Wolverines, who are 5-2 ATS in their last seven Big Ten games, also average 204 yards rushing on the ground. Hassan Haskins averages 9.9 per carry and has scored three times on his 14 carries, and Zach Charbonnet averages 8.1 on nine attempts. The defense has scored a touchdown and has three takeaways, while UM has not turned the ball over. All-conference end Kwity Paye (two sacks) and linebacker Josh Ross (17 tackles, interception) are the catalysts.
Why Indiana can cover
Indiana is 5-0 against the spread in its last five following a straight-up win, and Penix has been a difference-maker since taking over last season. The left-hander completed almost 70 percent of his passes last season and has thrown for 204 yards and four touchdowns in 2020. Running back Stevie Scott can move the chains, rushing for 136 yards and two scores so far after going for 845 and 10 TDs in 2019, and Sampson James (4.6 yards per carry) is a strong No. 2.
The Hoosiers are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games overall, and Penix has a special connection with fellow Tampa native Whop Philyor. The two have connected on 10 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown after Philyor caught 70 for 1,002 yards and five scores in 2019. IU also is strong on the other side of the ball, forcing six turnovers and holding opponents under 368 yards per game. Jaylin Williams has two interceptions, and fellow corner Taiwan Mullen has 2.5 sacks.
Austin Meek, The Athletic: Five ideas to help Michigan snap out of its Michigan State funk
Get more aggressive on early downs
Before the season, offensive coordinator Josh Gattis talked about studying his second-down calls to look for tendencies and big-play opportunities. Looking at Saturday’s game, the Wolverines can trace a lot of their offensive struggles to unproductive plays on first and second down, leading to third-and-long situations that aren’t going to favor the offense.
Michigan ran the ball 16 times on first down and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. That average included some nice gains — 19 yards for Hassan Haskins, 17 yards for Joe Milton, 16 for Chris Evans — but it also included seven first-down runs that went for negative yardage, no gain or a gain of 1 yard.
Michigan had 28 second downs and ran the ball on 13 of them. Those second-down runs averaged 4.4 yards per carry, with seven resulting in gains of 2 yards or less. If we zoom out, Michigan had 14 unproductive runs on first or second down. That’s a big part of why the offense never found a consistent rhythm.
This is a roundabout way of underscoring something that probably seemed obvious to anyone watching the game. The Wolverines kept trying to pound their inside running game on early downs, even when it wasn’t working. The result was too many unproductive plays and too many long third downs.
“We got to the quarterback a handful of times, a dozen times, but just after he released the ball,” Jim Harbaugh said Monday night on the "Inside Michigan Football" radio show. “(The secondary and defensive line) are reliant on each other. Cover them long enough for the pass rush to get to the quarterback, and the corners and the safeties and the coverage unit are relying on the defensive line to get there and hurry the throw.
“Just didn’t, wasn’t effective enough in this last ballgame.”
While reflecting upon the performance Monday, Harbaugh commented on the officiating, labeling the penalty calls as "technical." He believed it affected how the cornerbacks played.
“I think it did make our corners in particular more tentative,” Harbaugh said. “You saw Gemon really respond and finish the game pretty darn good. Vince, he’s really arguably our best corner — is our best corner. I think he’ll bounce back as well.”
Either way, it didn't change the fact that Michigan's cornerbacks, especially Gray, were exposed by the Spartans' vertical passing attack. And now that it's on film, the Wolverines could expect to see more of the same looks. They began to adjust in the second half against Michigan State, playing two high safeties more often. Safety Daxton Hill said after the loss that the goal entering Saturday was to slow down the Spartans' run game. Michigan could continue to play two high safety looks against future opponents — but at the expense of losing an extra run defender in the box.
More importantly, though, Michigan will need its cornerbacks to improve upon Saturday's performance. There are only so many things Brown can do without compromising the overall integrity of the defense. At some point, the cornerbacks will have to prove they can play man coverage on the outside. And with Indiana's passing attack looming in just a few days, Gray and his teammates will have to recover any lost confidence.
“You’ve got to have a short memory as a corner,” Harbaugh said. “I believe that we’ll get that done this week.”
Jordan Gould, The Hoosier: Game Preview: No. 13 Indiana vs No. 23 Michigan
Key Matchup: Stop another running QB/RB duo
In the opening weekend of return to action for the Big Ten, Indiana ran into a run-heavy quarterback in Sean Clifford with the Penn State Nittany Lions. Against the Hoosiers, Clifford ran for 119 yards on 17 attempts. Indiana struggled to slow down Clifford on his quarterback-designed runs, and on the run-pass option plays Penn State displayed against the Hoosiers.
Indiana will face junior quarterback Joe Milton on Saturday, who has played well in both games Michigan has competed in this season. In their victory against Minnesota, Milton threw for 225 passing yards and a touchdown, and also ran for 52 yards on the ground with a rushing touchdown. In their loss against Michigan State last weekend, Milton threw for 300 passing yards, and completed 32 of his 51 passing attempts.
The Indiana defensive line unit as well as the linebacker and husky core will have to find ways to contain Milton and keep him inside the pocket to give the Hoosiers a great chance at winning this football game.
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