Hoosier Huddle's Game Day Primer: No. 8 Indiana Hoosiers vs. Michigan
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Written by: TJ Inman
What: #8 Indiana Hoosiers (9-0) vs. Michigan Wolverines (5-4)
When: Saturday, November 9 at 3:30
Where: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN
How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on CBS and can be heard on the IU Radio Network.
Series History: Michigan and Indiana have played 72 times in a series that began in 1900. This will come as a surprise to no one but the Wolverines have regularly and thoroughly beaten the Hoosiers on the gridiron. Michigan leads Indiana 62-10 all-time with IU having only two wins over the Maize and Blue since 1967. The first of those came in 1987 under Bill Mallory and the second was a comfortable win in 2020 under Tom Allen with minimal fan attendance. That 2020 win broke a streak of 24 straight wins by Michigan. In the past three games, Michigan has outscored Indiana by a combined 88 points.
What’s at Stake: The Indiana Hoosiers are ranked eighth in the country in the Associated Press poll and they have placed themselves firmly in the picture for a College Football Playoff bid. Of course, as Curt Cignetti rightly said this week, the Hoosiers cannot lose focus on “the main thing” of beating the opponent in front of them. A victory would move IU to 10-0 and would give the Hoosiers double-digit wins in a season for the first time in program history. Michigan is 5-4 and hoping to lock up a bowl bid in a season that has been otherwise quite frustrating for first-year head coach Sherrone Moore.
A FEW THINGS TO LOOK FOR
1. Keeping UM’s Offense Dormant
The Michigan Wolverines are averaging only 21 points per game and they have scored only 189 points through nine games. For comparison, the Indiana Hoosiers are now averaging 46.6 points per game and have racked up 419 points this season. IU’s offense is averaging 7.13 yards per play while Michigan is stuck at 5.05. The Wolverines have struggled to find success in the passing game but have now settled on Davis Warren at quarterback and he was somewhat effective against a great Oregon defense last week (12-for-21 for 164 yards with two touchdowns). Michigan is somewhat figuring out what they can and cannot do on offense and the attack looked as good as it had all season against the Ducks. Warren is going to lean heavily on star tight end Colston Loveland (his production dwarfs that of every other UM pass catcher) and they will try to win the time of possession battle with the ground duo of Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards. Backup quarterback Alex Orji will be sprinkled in to run the ball and occasionally throw it on short patterns. If Indiana’s run defense, currently ranked third in the country and allowing only 2.8 yards per carry, can perform adequately and the Hoosiers force Michigan into obvious passing situations, IU will be in great shape.
2. Finding Rhythm on Offense
Kurtis Rourke returned from thumb surgery on Saturday at Michigan State and the Hoosiers went three and out on the first two drives of the afternoon. Included in the poor first quarter was a false start, a loss on a running play and a drop by Miles Cross on a pass near the sideline. The Hoosiers trailed 10-0 before the offense got the ball for their third drive and got into gear. Indiana ended up with 385 yards of offense including 263 through the air and 122 on the ground. IU only ran for 3.8 yards per carry and they’ll want to see the running game find a bit more efficiency, something that won’t be easy against a Michigan front that includes dominant defensive lineman Mason Graham. Dillon Gabriel had great success against this Michigan secondary and there should be opportunities for Kurtis Rourke and IU’s receivers to make plays against the Wolverines. IU’s offense needs to get off to a better start this Saturday than they did against Michigan State.
3. Eyes on the Prize
With each passing week and each successive win, the attention surrounding the Indiana University football program increases. Indiana is now in the top ten and they have already secured the program’s best start ever. Talk of the College Football Playoff is running rampant. In short, there is a lot of “rat poison” out there for Indiana to be very wary of. Curt Cignetti said, “to lose focus would be the kiss of death” and he is absolutely correct. IU has a bye week after this contest and it would give them two weeks to prepare for a trip to Columbus to play #3 Ohio State but the Hoosiers have to remain focused on the Michigan Wolverines and take care of business first. They have passed every test so far this season and if Indiana shows up and plays well, they should be able to move to 10-0.