Michigan Football: 3 Studs and 3 Duds Against Indiana
Michigan football suffered another loss Saturday to Indiana and here are three studs, as well as three dudes from the Wolverines loss.
Michigan Football is coming off its second loss on the young season, this time at the hands of the Indiana Hoosiers who knocked off the Wolverines for the first time in decades.
As the program appears to be headed for a downward spiral, we examine some players that shined on Saturday and some that had games to forget.
This week was a tough one to begin our “3 Studs & 3 Duds” series but here we are. Below, we attempt to give Michigan football fans some positivity with a few performances that they should be excited about, and a few that they should be weary of as the schedule stiffens even more.
Studs
Ronnie Bell
The Wolverines’ number one wide receiver paced the team in receptions (6), yardage (149), and he caught a touchdown in the fourth quarter as well. The junior was Joe Milton’s favorite target on the day and caught several first downs when the Wolverines needed them most. Although it was not enough to propel the team to victory, Ronnie Bell should be proud of his near career day against the Hoosiers.
Kwity Paye
While the senior defensive end did not record a sack on the day, he was Michigan’s only consistent source of pressure as he recorded five total pressures Saturday, according to Pro Football Focus.
Paye also had an amazing run stop where he was lined up over the right tackle and easily tossed him aside to body slam the Hoosier ball carrier for a loss. More aggressive plays like that from the Wolverine defense could have shaped this game much differently.
Daxton Hill
As each game passes and the Michigan secondary continues to get torched, it is time to move the 5-star sophomore to cornerback for good.
He is easily the best coverage player on the team and was in position to have possibly his easiest interception of his career had Brad Hawkins not tried to make an Odell Beckham Jr type of catch directly in front of him.
Had Hill caught that errant pass, he may have used his speed to take it back for a touchdown and given the Wolverines a spark they desperately needed late.
Hill graded out — unsurprisingly — as Michigan’s best defender in coverage on Saturday and continues to be an adept tackler as well. He brought down Indiana star wide receiver Whop Philyor on a key third down in the second half to limit keep the Hoosiers from padding their lead with another seven points.