Previewing Michigan Football vs Indiana

Michigan Football is set for their second away game in a row against Indiana on Saturday. After winning their first game in Kinnick Stadium since 2005, the Wolverines are headed to Bloomington to hopefully keep their record perfect.

Michigan Football had another impressive showing against Iowa last week, however they need to be well polished before they take on their first ranked opponent next week in Penn State.

Despite having six incompletions against Iowa, JJ McCarthy still has the highest completion percentage of any FBS quarterback. Tight end Luke Schoonmaker has been a much bigger target for McCarthy since Erick All has been out, with four receptions for 45 yards against Iowa.

Blake Corum continues to impress Wolverine and college football fans alike. He remains the highest scoring player in the FBS, scoring 10 touchdowns so far this season. After another impressive game against the Hawkeyes, Corum is continuing to be talked about as a Heisman candidate.

Jesse Minter’s defense has continued to excel into Big Ten play, having four total sacks against the Hawkeyes. The Wolverines’ defense has also only allowed seven touchdowns on the season.

Linebackers Junior Colson and Michael Barrett have been extremely important factors for Michigan’s defense. Colson had seven tackles against the Hawkeyes, whereas Barrett had five total tackles. Additionally, edge rusher Mike Morris had two sacks against Iowa.

Getting to Know Indiana

Indiana is coming off of a two game losing streak after two away games against Cincinnati and Nebraska. Now that they are back in Bloomington, they will likely be ready for a win.

Last week against Nebraska, Hoosiers quarterback Connor Bazelak had one interception and was sacked three times. Bazelak has the lowest completion percentage in the conference at 52.8 percent. His highest completion percentage so far this season was 60 percent. He also does not do a good job when it comes to rushing himself, the most rushing yards he has had in a game is negative three yards.

Running back Shaun Shivers has been the most important aspect of the Hoosiers’ run game so far this season. So far, he has 345 total rush yards and has scored four touchdowns. Wide receiver Cam Camper has been a vital piece to Indiana’s offense, however he was out last week with an illness. He is expected to be back against the Wolverines and will likely be one of Bazelak’s main targets.

Indiana has gone for it on fourth down ten times, however has only converted two times. If Michigan’s defense can make the stops, then it is likely that they can force the Hoosiers to punt or kick field goals on fourth down.

The Hoosiers defense has allowed 13 passing touchdowns this season, which is the most allowed by a team in the conference. However, they have only allowed four rushing touchdowns. The Wolverines are much more likely to run the ball in the red zone, scoring on 15 of their rushing attempts in the red zone whereas they have only passed the ball on six. If Michigan can find a way to complete passes in the red zone, they should have no problem scoring against Indiana.

Linebackers Cam Jones and Aaron Casey have been central parts of the Hoosiers’ defense this season. Jones has 54 total tackles which is the most in the conference, and Casey has 38 tackles on the season, seven of which were tackles for a loss.

Penalties will be an interesting aspect of Saturday’s game. The Wolverines have committed the lowest number of penalties in the Big Ten with 14, however Indiana has the highest number of penalties committed against them with 44. The Hoosiers average 81.6 yards per game from penalties alone. If Michigan Football is able to keep the flags from being thrown, they will be in good shape to beat Indiana.

The Hoosiers are undefeated at Memorial Stadium this season. The Wolverines will have to ruin Indiana’s homecoming weekend in order to keep their perfect record.