Written by: Nate Comp (@NathanComp1)

Maybe the game would have gone differently if Indiana had an offense that was at full strength and producing long, scoring drives. Maybe it’d have gone differently if it had been played in September, when Michigan was struggling to move the ball on offense.

Unfortunately for Indiana, neither of these things were true. Instead, the Indiana defense ran into a surging Michigan team that – even if it was overlooking Indiana for its game against Ohio State next week – you’d have never known.

Coming off of his most impressive performance of his career last week against Michigan State, Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson topped last week’s numbers going 20 of 32 for 366 yards and 5 touchdowns. The timid Patterson that we had seen earlier in the season has grown into the main focal point of this Michigan offense.

“We’re riding him. His play has just been outstanding and he’s really seeing the field well,” Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said about Patterson after the game. “He’s taking care of the ball at all times and really playing good, disciplined football.”

Patterson was also helped all day by an Indiana secondary that simply was not good enough. Whether it was a blown coverage, a gap in a zone, or losing man-to-man matchups, Michigan wideouts constantly found themselves wide open with room to run after the catch.

None were better than Nico Collins, who turned three of his six receptions into scores and compiled a career-high 165 receiving yards. Donovan Peoples-Jones tacked on another five catches for 73 yards and a score, while Michigan’s receptions leader Ronnie Bell found the end zone for the first time of the year.

At day’s end, Michigan had proved that their out-of-date offense was a thing of the past. Sleety conditions and all, Michigan slung the ball all over the field all night. At night’s end, they produced six passing plays of more than 20 yards.

“They’ve got a lot of size and speed, but we’ve got to win some of those one-on-one matchups,” said Coach Allen. “They were better than us today.”

Fortunately, most of the defense stayed healthy for the game; something that cannot be said for the other side of the ball. Indiana will have to flush this senior day rout as it will head to West Lafayette after Thanksgiving for a battle with Purdue and the Old Oaken Bucket on the line.

The Huddle

Indiana Defense Runs into Buzzsaw Michigan Offense

Hoosier Huddle