Indiana travels to Ann Arbor to take on the Michigan Wolverines this Saturday. Coming off of their first loss of the season, the schedule does not get easier this week.

Michigan’s offensive struggles have been well documented this season, starting in week 1 with a win (loss?) against Western Michigan 13-12. This past week, Bryce Underwood was benched in favor of Tommy Carr. Carr is the brother of Notre Dame quarterback C.J Carr, as well as the grandson of Michigan legend Lloyd Carr. He went 5 for 7 for 43 yards in the Penn State game. While he certainly did not light the world on fire, he was a good enough game manager to lead Michigan to victory. Although he is not as much of a dual threat as Underwood, Carr did rush for 36 yards and a touchdown.

For the Indiana defense, the gameplan will remain the same regardless of quarterback. Head coach Curt Cignetti mentioned that “schematically they didn’t change a whole lot in the second half,” according to Cignetti. Carr has been officially announced as the starter for Saturday.

The Michigan defense is spectacular. They are ranked third in SP+, just behind Ohio State and Indiana. I expect another defensive grind, much like last week.

Run Game

Indiana must find a way to get the run game going. Running the ball up the middle on first and second down, only to pass on third down is far too predictable against good teams. Indiana was able to get away with this last year when they had a dominant run blocking offensive line, but they do not have that luxury this year. Whether it is sweeps, tosses, or bubble screens, stretching the defense horizontally will open up holes for the running backs.

Josh Hoover

This also goes back to playcalling, but I want to see Josh Hoover get into a rhythm early. Even if he misses some throws or throws an interception, he needs to make big throws on crucial third downs for Indiana to win this game. Indiana exposed Ohio State over the middle last week, but Hoover was unable to consistently place the ball where it needed to be. Hoover must take more advantage of the talent he has on the outside, and find Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh as frequently as  possible.

Offensive Line

The offensive line has been elite in pass protection, but not good in run blocking. After 7 games, this might be a bug in the offense, rather than a kink that will get ironed out later in the year. The line must hold up against a defensive line that has four players with at least 2 sacks.

Stat to Know

Indiana has not won in the Big House in 59 years, dating back to October 21, 1967. They broke a similar streak last year at Penn State, in a game that feels eerily similar.

Prediction

As said earlier, this game is reminiscent of the Penn State game from a year ago. An underperforming, but talented team, at home against a good Indiana team. The first one to 20 wins this one, and I do not think Michigan can get there against Indiana’s defense, especially with their quarterback situation. Indiana needs to start fast and force the Michigan offense to play from behind. I am taking the Hoosiers 20-10 to get their first win in Ann Arbor in a long time.