DEFENSE
Defensive Line: B+
Michigan’s defensive line was making it hard all night for Indiana to get things going on offense. They created enough pressure on quarterback Peyton Ramsey and forced his only interception as they hit him as he threw it. The group got two sacks and held the Hoosiers to under 100 rushing yards.
Defensive end Kwity Paye was quiet but got one of the sacks as his lone tackle. Opposite of him was defensive end Aidan Hutchinson who had a good game, getting seven total tackles, one sack, and a pass deflection.
Linebacker: A
Cornerback: B-
Starting cornerback Lavert Hill had a poor game, getting called for two penalties and struggling in coverage. He finished the game with only one total tackle. Ambry Thomas had a good game with Hill struggling, finishing with six total tackles. Ramsey was still able to pass well against the secondary, finishing with 217 yards threw the air, and when he missed a few plays the backup Jack Tuttle completed a seven-yard pass.
Safety: A
The part of the secondary that played well were the safeties. Josh Metellus finished with two total tackles and two pass deflections, but that wasn’t the biggest story. The biggest was freshman five-star safety Daxton Hill made his first career start due to Brad Hawkins being out due to precautionary measures.
Hill had a solid performance in his starting debut, finishing with a team-high eight tackles, and he had the lone interception for the defense. Hill has played in every game this season, but that start was the first of many for Hill as he has a bright future ahead of him.
Punting/Kicking: C
Punter Will Hart had his worst game of the season, punting four times for 125 yards, with his longest punt being 39 yards and only one landing inside the 20-yard line. His kicks were short for most of the night as he just didn’t seem to have enough power in his kicks.
Kicker Quinn Nordin made his only field goal of the game, nailing it from 27-yards out. He also was 4/4 on his extra-point attempts as Michigan did a fake extra-point attempt and scored off a run by quarterback Dylan McCaffrey.
Kick/Punt Return: B
Jackson had three returns for 81 yards, as he almost returned one 100-yards for a touchdown but he was down as the replay showed. Peoples-Jones only had one punt return for seven yards.