The Michigan football team has successfully pushed me off the blissfully optimistic ledge and into the pessimistic crevasse. The team that is talented enough to win the Legends Division is also able to under-utilize their talent so badly they struggle to become bowl eligible. While a return to the dominant team we saw against Notre Dame could be right around the corner, the bulk of the evidence suggests this team will continue down this terrible underachieving path and stumble to a 5 loss season. So without further delay, here is my preview for tomorrow’s game against the one dimensional Indiana Hoosiers.
Indiana Rush Offense vs Michigan Rush Defense
Michigan has one of the best run defenses in the conference, especially when they are able to play their base 4-3 defense. The Wolverines are surrendering less than 90 yards per game on an even more impressive 2.86 yards per carry. While the defensive line struggles at getting penetration, they are able to hold their blocks to allow the inside linebackers to diagnose the play and react. Indiana counters with a rushing attack with decent numbers, but one that has been unable to pick up consistent yards against average, or better, defenses. Their main weapon is sophomore Tevin Coleman. While he has averaged under 100 yards per game, he is used a lot in the passing game. I would expect this area to be similar to the Notre Dame game. The Hoosiers will likely gash the Michigan defense a few times, but the stats at the end of the day will be less than impressive. Indiana’s offense runs at one of the fastest tempos in college football, and the Wolverines have struggled at times when they are not able to substitute players. I think this will play itself out more in the short passing game, but the Hoosiers could call a few hurry up runs. Advantage Michigan.
Indiana Pass Offense vs Michigan Pass Defense
This is where Indiana exposes their opponents. They currently use a 2 pronged quarterback attack, but recently have trimmed down Tre Roberson’s snaps. Nate Sudfield is not the most imposing quarterback, but Coach Wilson’s system makes him tough to shut down. The Hoosiers receiving depth is filled with playmakers with different skill sets, and they use a lot of players to make life miserable for the defense. The top 3 receivers are 6’3” Cody Latimer, 6’2” Kofi Hughes, and 5’7” slot ninja Shane Wynn. On top of that, they use the aforementioned Coleman out of the backfield, and have an NFL-type tight end with 6’6” Ted Bolser. A standard West Coast style would be difficult to defend all of these weapons on each play, but when they try to get 80 snaps off each game it becomes nearly impossible. Luckily Michigan has seen a lot of passing spread teams so far this season, and have done reasonably well. Mattison’s bend-but-don’t-break Nickel scheme can be frustrating at times, but it does a good job inside the red zone. In this game, holding the Hoosiers to field goals would be considered a win. The major weakness for the Hoosiers is an under-sized and injured offensive line. Look for Frank Clark, Jake Ryan, and Jibreel Black to be in the backfield most of the day, but since Indiana will throw mainly short passes Michigan’s sacks will be limited. The key matchups will be Blake Countess against Wynn and James Ross III against Bolser. The Hoosiers will likely accumulate 250+ yards through the air, but Michigan will be in good shape if they can limit the big plays and allow 2 offensive touchdowns. Advantage Indiana.
Michigan Rush Offense vs Indiana Rush Defense
While the rushing attach CANNOT get any worse than last week, this category will be the opponents advantage the remainder of the year. The good news here is that Indiana is one of the worst rushing defenses in the country (110th to be exact). The Hoosier defensive line is undersized and the linebackers are just not very talented. However, with Michigan’s offensive line problems, the Wolverine running backs wouldn’t be able to pick up 5 yards per carry against a co-ed IM team. If Al Borges is still insistent on lining up in the I formation and running into a 9 man front, this game will be equally as frustrating as last week. As the second half of the season starts tomorrow, it is clear that Michigan is better suited to be a spread team using zone blocking schemes. The problem is that the all-knowing offensive coordinator is stubborn and doesn’t like running offenses that differ from his west coast attack. Devin Gardner running zone options has been the most effective rushing attack Michigan has, and likely will have all season, but the coaches seem very set on limiting rush attempts from the quarterback since Gardner looked exhausted and beat up last week. If Michigan cannot run against Indiana, they have to be forced to change their strategy. The problem, though, is that the running backs will likely have some space tomorrow and the Wolverines will be able to accumulate 100+ yards between Green and Toussaint. This will give the coaches a false sense of accomplishment heading into the bye week and Michigan State game. If the Wolverines try any of that ‘tackle over’ business against the Spartans, Michigan shouldn’t even show up in East Lansing. Advantage Indiana.
Michigan Pass Offense vs Indiana Pass Defense
This category is still Devin Gardner against his evil interception throwing twin. The Hoosier secondary is not very good, but that doesn’t stop evil twin from turning the ball over. As previously stated, the Indiana defensive line is undersized which will give Gardner all day in the pocket to set his feet and use the correct mechanics. If he does this for a full game, the offense that peaked out against Notre Dame will make an appearance, but this time against a bad defense. It is not out of the question for Michigan to put up 50 points tomorrow. The sad point is that Michigan can find a way to turn the ball over 5 times. Indiana will not be able to cover Funchess, Gallon, Dileo, and Chesson (I don’t think anyone in the conference can), so open passing lanes should be there often. It seems inevitable that the Wolverines will give the ball to the Hoosier defense at least twice, but Gardner should be able to rack up a lot of yards when he isn’t throwing interceptions. Look for Funchess and Gallon to have a big game. Rumors have been swirling that tackle prospect Erik Magnuson will be the LG tomorrow. While this will be a train wreck in run blocking, pass blocking should be a major improvement. Advantage Michigan.
Indiana beat Penn State by 20 for their first win over the Nittany Lions, and followed it by getting dominated by Michigan State. The Hoosiers seem very similar to Michigan under RichRod: able to rack up a lot of yards but not points against good defenses, and not able to stop anybody. I think the Michigan secondary will come away with at least 2 more interceptions, but Indiana will still move the ball down the field with their short passing game. The Wolverine offense is a great mystery. Wouldn’t it be great if tomorrow is the unveiling of an effective offense where the tight ends are shelved for Drew Dileo, and Michigan runs more 4 receiver sets than the under center garbage? It is so easy to picture that offense being successful, but the offensive coordinator knows better than anyone else and will likely continue to test the definition of insanity. Hurray for manball.
Indiana: 30 Michigan: 6i (that's right, Borges is now dealing with imaginary numbers in his made up world where Michigan is able to run from under center)
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