Observations on the unimpressive win over Indiana, 31-17!

1-Overall, Navarre was 15 of 24 for 161 yards and two touchdowns to go along with his 2 picks. Gutierrez was one of two for 9 yards (to Ecker). Michigan was 5 of 12 on 3rd down and one of two on 4th down. Offense had 16 first downs, and 17 points in four red zone opportunities. Jason Avant led our receivers with 3 catches for 45 yards. Braylon Edwards had 3 catches for 42 yards. Our offense had 338 yards in 62 plays; we had 168 yards in 36 attempts. To say the least, our offense is unimpressive. We were forced into four second half punts to go along with 4 offensive turnovers in the second half, and one of those punts was blocked for a Hoosier touchdown. Indiana held nearly a 4 minute possession advantage for the game due to our poor offense.

2-The defense was not as good in the second half allowing Indiana to get twelve first downs and 17 overall for the game. This included two red zone opportunities for 10 points. Overall, they gained 209 yards in 77 plays. Lovecchio was 16 of 33 for 107 yards plus two picks. Pannozzo had 6 catches for 41 yards. We have forced 8 Hoosier punts. Indiana had 44 rushes for 102 yards. Lewis had 70 yards on 21 carries. Pierre Woods and Marlin Jackson led the defense with 8 tackles each. Carl Diggs had seven, and Lawrence Reid had 6. Pat Massey had his best game with 5 tackles, three for loss including one sack. Gonzalez led the Hoosiers with 9 tackles, one for loss, one pass break up, a fumble recovery and a mean hit on Massaquoi.

3-Breaston was awesome as usual with a 69 yard punt return. He had two carries for a net of one yard (+12 and -11) and one touchdown grab for 20 yards. He accounted for 14 of our 24 points, and was probably the difference in the game.

4-Perry had 112 yards in 22 carries with 2 fumbles. Perry also had two catches for 8 yards. Overall, our heralded offensive line was unimpressive. If we take away the 41 yard run by Perry, we had only 127 yards in the other 35 attempts (3.6 yards per carry). Dudley did a nice job blocking, and had his first catch for 5 yards. Mingery also had his first catch this year for 9 yards. Thompson had two catches for 10 yards.

5-Finley had 3 punts for a 37.7 yard average; Spencer dropped the perfect snap and then made a poor decision to try to punt, and it was blocked for a TD. Our net punting was 28.2 yards. Special teams continues to have a Jekyl & Hyde legacy. Nienberg and Rivas did a fine job as Rivas hit a 44 yard field goal. Our two kickoff returns were poor, but our punt return team was excellent.

6-We won't have an easy time in Iowa as they'll look to rebound at home. They do have solid special teams play. They'll be confident they'll be able to stop our offense after viewing the Oregon and Indiana game films. The question will be can they score points (enough to win) against our defense. Of course, they may not need to if our special teams gives them a blocked punt or two; that may be enough for them to win in Iowa City. The Michigan State game now looks like a mammoth game on our schedule. Minnesota will definitely be tough as they beat Penn State in their home turf.

7-Stevens didn't play with an injured foot; he is supposed to return next week. Van Alstyne went out with a knee injury; hopefully, it won't be serious. Jackson went out, but came back in. Woodley went out, but it didn't look serious. Stewart was back and started. He played most of the game at strong safety. It was nice to see Gonzalez back after the broken hand; he did get a catch. Breaston and Avant started at wide outs as Edwards sat most of the first half. Barringer played on special teams, and was in during the last series where Indiana ran it into our end zone; Shaw was the backup at safety though ahead of Barringer. Shazor didn't play at all; apparently it is a wrist injury and he was in a cast. Jerome Jackson and Mundy played on special teams, but didn't see action at running back or safety.

Observations on the first half with the Hoosiers, 24-0!

1-Where are all the Navarre apologists? It is a bit windy, and the receivers could have caught all those passes that he has put in their vicinity. Overall, Navarre is 10 of 18 for 112 yards and one touchdown to go along with his 2 pick (that weren't his fault, of course). He is 3 or 6 on 3rd down and one of two on 4th down, and none of those conversion opportunities were his fault. Offense has 10 first downs, and 10 points in three red zone opportunities. Jason Avant leads our receivers with 3 catches for 45 yards. Braylon Edwards has no catches and has spent most of the first half standing on the sidelines. He did have one drop for no yards.

2-The defense looks solid holding Indiana to 5 first downs (one by penalty), no red zone opportunities, no points, 2 of 9 on 3rd down conversions and zero for two on 4th down, 57 yards in 37 plays and one pick for a touchdown by LeSueur. Lovecchio is 4 of 15 for 8 yards and two picks. We have forced 5 Hoosier punts. Indiana has 22 rushes for 49 yards. Lawrence Reid has 5 tackles to lead the defense; Pat Massey has 4 tackles, three for loss including one sack. Marlin Jackson also has five tackles, one pick and one pass break up. Gonzalez leads the Hoosiers with 5 tackles, a fumble recovery and a mean hit on Massaquoi.

3-Breaston has been awesome as usual with a 69 yard punt return. He has one carry for 12 yards and one touchdown grab for 20 yards. He has accounted for 14 of our 24 points.

4-Perry has 72 yards in 13 carries with 2 fumbles for turnovers so he is now on the bench; Underwood and Rembert are getting needed action, but haven't been very impressive. Overall, our heralded offensive line has 104 yards in 19 carries. If we take away the 41 yard run by Perry, we have been pretty bad so far. Dudley has been doing a nice job blocking, and had his first catch for 5 yards. Mingery also had his first catch this year for 9 yards.

5-We haven't had to punt with 4 turnovers. Those two fumbles by Perry and interceptions by Navarre has given Indiana a 16 to 14 minute edge on time of possession. Rivas has made a 44 yard field goal and two extra points so we have nothing to quibble about in special teams play. We did go after some punts, but just missed on blocks. Nienberg has been excellent on kickoffs.