STAFF PREDICTIONS
Wolverines Wire staff writers Isaiah Hole and Trent Knoop share their thoughts on the game, two soft predictions, one bold prediction and the final score.
Isaiah Hole:
Indiana started 3-0, but that was fool’s gold. Though the win over Illinois looks excellent in hindsight and the Hoosiers have found ways to win early on, the schedule gets tougher, and IU is just not that good.
Tom Allen’s squad has attempted more passes than any team in the country, with 246 throws, but with 52.8% completion, it’s not going as planned. The Hoosiers are 116th in rushing, an against a team like Michigan that can get ahead in a hurry, that’s not a recipe for winning — unless they can get ahead and stay that way.
Indiana has allowed 12 sacks overall on the season (2.4/game) and is going to see perhaps the best defense it’s seen all year, except for Illinois.
On defense, it’s been bad, and Michigan will have one of the better offenses that the Hoosiers have seen thus far, though it has seen decent offenses. Illinois, Western Kentucky, and Nebraska all have solid offensive attacks, and Indiana has managed to beat two of those.
Still, Indiana is overmatched, and this isn’t one that’s likely to go the Hoosiers’ way.
-Soft predictions
- Blake Corum gets over 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns
- Michigan nets four sacks
-Bold prediction
- Michigan unleashes the passing attack a bit more, with J.J. McCarthy amassing 250 yards
-Final score prediction
- Michigan 31, Indiana 17
Trent Knoop:
Indiana had a great start to the season winning three straight. The biggest win is against Illinois early in the year, but the Hoosiers appear to be quickly falling downhill after getting beat handily by Cincinnati and Nebraska.
The schedule doesn’t get easier for the Hoosiers this weekend when they host Michigan. The Wolverines have some swagger after beating Iowa in Iowa City for the first time in four tries. J.J. McCarthy continues to play at a high level, Blake Corum is in the Heisman talk, and the Michigan defense is playing smoothly.
If the Wolverines can get to Connor Bazelak early in the game, I don’t see the Hoosiers doing much of anything. But the bottom line is, as long as Michigan doesn’t turn the ball over multiple times and its not looking ahead to the Nittany Lions, the Wolverines are just too talented to lose this game to the Hoosiers.
-Soft predictions
- Blake Corum runs for 2 scores
- The Wolverines intercept Connor Bazelak at least once
-Bold prediction
- .J.J. McCarthy connects with at least two passes thrown 25 or more yards.
Final score prediction
- Michigan 48, Indiana 21
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