Observations on the win over Indiana, 42-35!
Michigan drives the field after the Hoosiers tied it up with 1:15 left at 35 all, we go 73 yards in 5 plays with Robinson barreling in from 5 yards out with 17 seconds to go for the win. Indiana converted four of five red zones for 28 points, and we converted two of three red zones for 14 points. Each team scored 7 points of one turnover. Indiana held a nearly 24 minute time of possession advantage, but we outscored them in the shoot out. Indiana was able to run 98 offensive plays compared to our 45, a 43 play advantage. The game was tied on 5 occasions, 7-7, 14-14, 21-21 at halftime, 28-28 and 35-35.
Denard Robinson injured his left knee again, and we stalled in the second half; however, we came back when he had to. He gained 217 yards on 19 carries for 2 TDs, and was 10 of 16 for 277 yards and another 5 TDs. We gained 574 net yards in total offense with Robinson accounting for 494 of those yards, 15 first downs and 2 of 7 on 3rd down conversions. Roy Roundtree had 5 catches for 126 yards and a 74 yard TD. J.R. Hemingway caught 3 for 126 yards including a 70 yard TD, and a 42 yarder with 21 seconds left that put us in a red zone opportunity at the 5. Kevin Koger caught the other TD on a 3 yarder. Vincent Smith gained 80 yards on 9 carries including a 56 yard TD run. We gained 12.8 yards per play.
Defense sure got a workout today. Indiana had 35 first downs, 568 yards of total offense and was 13 of 23 in 3rd and 4th down conversions. Chappell was 45 of 64 for 480 yards, 3 TDs, 2 sacks and 1 pick. Chappell set a record for most passing yards ever against the Wolverines. We had 8 quarterback hits on Chappell, and it did slow him down by the 4th quarter; however, he still got them in the end zone to tie it. Tanden Doss had a remarkable performance with 363 yards of total offense with 15 catches for 221 yards, 6 runs for 21 yards, a 10 yard punt return and 5 kickoff returns for 111 yards; however, no TDs. Belcher had 9 catches for 83 yards and a TD on the last play of the half. Darius Willis had 59 yards on 18 carries, and and a 7 catches for 53 yards and 2 TDs. Cameron Gordon had 15 tackles, one for loss, a pass break up and an interception to lead the defense. J.T. Floyd had 13 tackles, 1 for loss and a pass break up. Jonas Mouton had 12 tackles, on for loss. Jordan Kovacs had 11 tackles, 2 for loss. Mike Martin had 7 tackles, 2 for loss and a sack. James Rogers had 7 tackles. Obi Ezeh and Craig Roh had 5 tackles each. Both Martin and Jibreel Black drew penalties for late hits on Chappell, and Greg Banks contributed 4 tackles, 2 for loss including one sack.
No field goals attempted. Jeremy Gallon recovered his own punt fumble so this was his third fumble in five games with three Michigan recoveries. Why he isn't replaced is beyond belief. Will Hagerup outpunted his older brother, Chris; he had 4 punts for a 48 yards average with one inside the 20 and Chris had 4 punts for a 32 yard average with 3 inside the 20. Tate Forcier also had a 39 yard punt. Daryl Stonum had 3 kickoff returns for a 25 yard average. Our special teams continue to be nothing special, but at least we didn't self-destruct.
Vincent Smith played the whole game at running back, and the only back who came in was Stephen Hopkins. Carvin Johnson started at Spur, but Thomas Gordon played most of the game especially in the second half. Taylor Lewan may not start again MSU after taking the personal foul penalty after Denard scored the deciding TD. Our failure to ever get a two score lead really hurt us in this one, but we did what we needed to for the win.
The game next week will be one of the best in the history of the rivalry between the Spartans and Wolverines. Both teams will be undefeated and ranked in the Top 20, and the Spartans haven't defeated us three years in a row since the 1950s.
Observations on the first half with Indiana
Depth Chart for Indiana (Game Notes for Indiana; Indiana Game Notes for Michigan)
Coach Rod Press Conference for Indiana (Stonum, Lewan, Floyd, Grady and VanBergen)