close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

    • Michigan football vs. No. 10 Indiana prediction, scouting report
    news

    Michigan football vs. No. 10 Indiana prediction, scouting report

    Vaseline Posted on

    play

    Free Press sportswriter Tony Garcia breaks down Michigan Football’s Week 11 matchup against the Indiana Hoosiers, who are undefeated through nine games for the first time in program history.

    Fast facts

    Match up: Michigan (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) vs. No. 10 Indiana (9-0, 6-0).

    Kick-off: 3:30 PM Saturday; Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana.

    TV/radio: CBS; WXYT-FM (97.1)

    Line: Hoosiers from 14½.

    TO ADJUST: Will Michigan football’s projected first-round picks withdraw? Not Kenneth Grant

    Availability Report vs. No. 10 Indiana

    Michigan: Out: QB Jack Tuttle (pre-season, retired), DB Ja’Den McBurrows (pre-season, undisclosed), OT Andrew Gentry (pre-season, lower body), DB Rod Moore (ACL), Doubtful: Will Johnson (foot), Missed week 10: WR Amorion Walker (undisclosed), DB Jaden Mangham (undisclosed), LB Micah Pollard (undisclosed), Probably: DB Jyaire Hill (undisclosed)

    Indiana: No one was listed as out or questionable in a 47-10 win over Michigan State last week.

    Scouting report

    When Michigan has the ball: The Wolverines have found some semblance of a passing game behind Davis Warren, who is having his best game of the year, completing 13 of 23 passes for 165 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions against Oregon. Perhaps the best part? Both scores came from receivers, one from Tyler Morris and one from Peyton O’Leary. However, it was once again tight end Colston Loveland as the focal point, with seven catches and a career-high 112 receiving yards. While some progress has been made, Michigan still ranks 128 out of 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams (134.3 yards per game). Unfortunately, the rushing game has now lost its footing: UM was locked down by Oregon last week, as leading rusher Kalel Mullings ran eight times for a season-low 16 yards, while Donovan Edwards had 10 carries for 52 yards. Indiana won’t make it easy either, as the Hoosiers are No. 1 (72.6 yards per game) in stopping the run.

    MONEY TALKING: Michigan DC Wink Martindale is not a fan of the new university landscape, but ‘glad to be here’

    When Indiana has the ball: Part of the reason IU has such a good defense is that the offense forces teams to pass and catch up on the fly. That’s thanks to a productive offense that ranks No. 19 in passing (284.3), No. 30 in rushing (191.1), No. 9 in total yards (476.2) and most impressively, No. 2 in scoring ( 46.6 points). The Hoosiers have scored at least 31 points in every game, with at least 41 points in five of six Big Ten games behind a passing offense that features five different players with more than 250 receiving yards and six with multiple touchdowns. It will clearly be a tough task for a Michigan defense that ranks No. 23 against the run (109.3) and No. 95 against the pass (235.8 yards) and will likely be without star cornerback Will Johnson once again .

    Killa Kurtis: The man running the show for the Hoosiers, who UM head coach Sherrone Moore respectfully called “their point guard,” is Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke. The former MAC quarterback has completed 154 of 210 passes (73.3% completions) for 2,204 yards, 19 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Rourke, who has also run for a score, had surgery on his throwing thumb a few weeks ago, but that didn’t stop him from returning last week and shredding Michigan State for 263 yards and four passing touchdowns.

    Powered by Rourke, the Hoosiers find themselves on the inside of the first College Football Playoff rankings, while IU looks to improve to 10-0 for the first time in program history.

    Curt “Google me” Cignetti: Cignetti, the runaway favorite for coach of the year, took over the job after extreme success at James Madison. When asked what his recruiting pitch would be for lowly Indiana, his response was, “I win. Google me.” A quick search engine check proves this is indeed true. He went 52-9 (.853 winning percentage) with the Dukes over the past five seasons, highlighted by an 11-1 campaign in 2023. Named Sun Belt Coach of the year Cignetti came to Bloomington with a lifetime record of 119-35 (.773).

    Reverse rotation: The Hoosiers are an incredibly balanced offense and that extends to their running backs. Justice Ellison, a transfer from Wake Forest, leads the way on the ground and has run 111 times for 669 yards (6 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns, but Ty Son Lawton is just as capable. He transferred from James Madison and the sixth-year, who started his career at Stony Brook, has 94 rushes for 453 yards and also nine touchdowns. The Hoosiers’ stable goes deeper than that. Kaelon Black has 217 rushing yards and Elijah Green has 26 carries for 186 yards (7.2 per touch) and five touchdowns.

    Tony Garcia’s two cents

    Semantics of the schema: There are still some skeptics who point to IU’s rather soft schedule. IU played a non-conference schedule of FIU, Western Illinois and Charlotte, and has opened its Big Ten schedule with six foes: UCLA (3-5), Maryland (4-4), Northwestern (4-5), Nebraska (5 -4 ), Washington (5-4) and Michigan State (4-5) – who are not yet bowl eligible. On the other hand, the Hoosiers have destroyed these teams, with the “closest” games being two-touchdown wins.

    Nothing to lose: The last time these teams faced off was in 2023, when the Hoosiers opened the scoring with a double-pass with Donaven McCulley (who is now in the transfer portal and a candidate to join UM next season). Michigan then imposed its will and suffocated the Hoosiers with 52 straight. While these teams are not That lopsided, Vegas expects Indiana to keep its two-touchdown win streak alive. That means the Wolverines have nothing to lose. Maybe a fake punt, maybe an aggressive call on fourth down, but there needs to be some trend breakers to have a chance.

    Prediction

    If the front of the jersey said “USC” instead, this team would be in the top five. Cignetti doesn’t mind stepping up, Rourke is a veteran quarterback making his 43rd start and the Hoosiers defense loves to ruin a quarterback’s afternoon (just ask MSU’s Aidan Chiles). Maybe UM will shut it down early, but more likely there will be an outcome that seems inevitable. The choice: Indiana 34, UM 17.

    Vaseline
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like