Michigan football vs Indiana: Game Preview

This afternoon, Michigan football is set to take on the Indiana Hoosiers in Ann Arbor. After a big win last weekend against Minnesota, the Wolverines need to keep their foot on the gas heading into the second half of the regular season.

Michigan football vs. Indiana game preview

Michigan offense

Michigan football continues to thrive on the offensive side of the ball as a result of  JJ McCarthy’s extremely successful and impressive gameplay. While he still has a notable completion percentage of 77.6 percent, his passing is not the only area in which he has been excelling.  Last weekend against Minnesota, McCarthy led the team with two rushing touchdowns in addition to his 219 passing yards.

Blake Corum has also continued to be a centerpiece of the Wolverines’ offense, rushing for 69 yards last weekend and 494 yards on the season. Corum also continues to lead the FBS in rushing touchdowns with ten. Eight of the 14 total touchdowns allowed by Indiana’s defense this season have been rushing touchdowns, meaning Michigan football should be able to continue their successful run game on Saturday.

While the Wolverines’ run game was extremely impactful against Minnesota, multiple of the receivers had impressive games themselves. Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson each had three receptions for 56 yards and 86 yards respectively. Despite not scoring any touchdowns last week, Wilson still leads the Big Ten in receiving touchdowns with eight.

Donovan Edwards still has yet to emerge as a primary member of Michigan’s offense this season, rushing for only 20 yards and catching four passes for 25 yards last weekend. Edwards still has not scored a touchdown this season, although now would be as good of a time as ever for him to flip the switch and have a breakout game.

Michigan defense

While the veterans on Michigan’s defense have continued to be tremendous all season, some of the younger players are beginning to show their talent. After returning from his injury, defensive tackle Mason Graham had six tackles against the Golden Gophers, two of which were tackles for loss. Transfer linebacker Ernest Hausmann also had a big game and recorded five tackles.

Defensive backs Will Johnson and Keon Sabb each had a pick-six against Minnesota, marking each of their first interceptions this season. With the younger defensive players shaping up to be extremely skillful themselves, the Hoosiers’ offense will have to look out and prepare for a wide range of defenders in order to have any luck scoring on Saturday.

Indiana offense

Indiana has not won any of their Big Ten matchups yet following a 44-17 loss in their last game against Maryland. As they return from their bye week, the Hoosiers have a big challenge ahead of them at Michigan Stadium.

Indiana has scored the fewest touchdowns of any team in the conference this season with 12, whereas Michigan leads the conference with 30 touchdowns. The Hoosiers will have to come out with a completely different offensive plan if they want to increase this number on Saturday, as the Wolverines have also allowed the smallest number of touchdowns of any team in the conference with four.

Indiana quarterback Tayven Jackson has struggled immensely this season with only two passing touchdowns and three interceptions. In addition, Jackson has only thrown for 862 yards and has been sacked seven times this season. Despite some questions that second-string quarterback Brendan Sorsby would take over the starting spot after having two touchdown passes against Minnesota, Jackson is expected to start against Michigan.

Running backs Jaylin Lucas and Christian Turner are the Hoosiers’ leading rushers, each with two touchdowns this season. Additionally, Lucas has 212 yards on 49 carries whereas Turner has 177 yards on 40 carries. Since their quarterback has rushed for -10 yards this season, it is necessary that these two running backs keep Indiana’s run game afloat.

The Hoosiers have focused on receivers Cam Camper and Donaven McCulley this season as their offense has struggled. Camper leads the team with 249 receiving yards and one touchdown despite having no receptions in his few snaps against Maryland. McCulley has also been impressive this season with 208 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Indiana defense

Although Indiana has struggled on the offensive side of the ball, a few defensive players have been extremely impressive this season for the Hoosiers. Linebacker Aaron Casey leads the team with 43 tackles so far this season while also having two sacks for 13 yards. Lineman Andre Carter has 20 tackles of his own, with two sacks for 16 yards.

In terms of turnovers, defensive back Phillip Dunnam has three interceptions in addition to his 35 tackles whereas defensive back Louis Moore has 26 tackles and two interceptions. Indiana’s defense still has yet to force a fumble this season and has only scored a touchdown as a result of one of their six interceptions.

This will be the Wolverines’ final home game before their bye-week later this month. While this Hoosiers’ team looks like it will be an easy matchup for Michigan football, the Wolverines still need to play with the same drive and focus they have throughout the season in order to avoid an upset.

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