Recent News | Popular News | Subscribe

GAME NOTES: In a battle of unbeatens, the 23rd-ranked Michigan Wolverines lock horns with the Indiana Hoosiers this weekend in both teams' Big Ten opener in Ann Arbor.

The Wolverines appear to have turned the corner following last year's dismal showing and they have already matched their win total from 2008 courtesy of three straight home wins to open the 2009 campaign. Last weekend, Michigan took care of business as expected and used a strong second half to pull away for a 45-17 victory over Eastern Michigan. It was a nice follow up for the Wolverines, who knocked off Notre Dame (38-34) the prior weekend to climb into the Top 25 for the first time under second-year head coach Rich Rodriguez.

Michigan, which is in search of its first 4-0 start since 2006, now turns its focus to Big Ten play where it is hoping to rebound following a 2-6 finish a year ago.

"Our first goal each and every year is to compete for a Big Ten championship," said Rodriguez." Our first game is out in front of us now. We've got a very talented team (in Indiana) coming in. We've got to play a lot better."

Getting off to a fast start has never been a big problem for the Wolverines, as they have won 39 of their last 41 Big Ten openers. As a matter of fact, the maize and blue has won 23 consecutive conference openers at Michigan Stadium dating back to a 34-0 loss to Michigan State in 1967.

As for the Hoosiers, they too are undefeated at 3-0 and in search of their first 4-0 start since 1990. Last weekend, Indiana hit the road for the first time and emerged with a 38-21 victory over Akron. It was the most convincing win of the season for the Hoosiers, who defeated their first two opponents by a combined 10 points.

"I like coaching this football team," stated head coach Bill Lynch. "The players work at it and want to get better. There is emotion on this football team. When you are a coach, there are several more things you are looking for than a bottom line business."

Indiana and Michigan are meeting for the 60th time this weekend and the Wolverines hold a commanding 50-9 lead in the rivalry. The Wolverines have won the last 15 meetings in the series and 30 of the past 31, with the Hoosiers' lone victory during that stretch coming in 1987. If that wasn't enough, Michigan has also won the last 15 encounters in Ann Arbor, last losing at home to Indiana in 1958.

Ray Fisher returned the opening kickoff 91 yards for a score and Ben Chappell threw a pair of touchdowns to lift Indiana past Akron over the weekend. Chappell finished the game 18-of-28 for 163 yards and an interception and for the season he has converted on 68.5 percent of his tosses. He however, has thrown three touchdowns against the same amount of picks and will need to improve on that ratio as the season wears on.

Tandon Doss and Damarlo Belcher have been Chappell's favorite targets early on and they have combined for 37 receptions. Last weekend, Doss paced the team with seven receptions for 60 yards, while Belcher had five catches for 49 yards.

In the backfield, Darius Willis had a career day, rushing for 66 yards and his first touchdown on 15 carries. It was just the second collegiate game for Willis, who helped Indiana roll up 180 yards on the ground in the win. Demetrius McCray added 45 yards to that total and he currently tops the roster with 228 rushing yards on the season. As a team, Indiana is averaging 146.7 ypg via the run, a nice complement to the passing attack which is generating 228.7 ypg.

Indiana has had good success on defense thus far, holding foes to 312.3 total ypg, including just 76.0 ypg on the ground. Last weekend, the Hoosiers limited Akron to 271 total yards, while picking off four passes. The defense even managed three sacks, while allowing Akron to make good on just 1-of-7 third down conversions. Indiana has now forced eight turnovers and recorded nine sacks in three games.

Austin Thomas picked off a pair of passes last weekend, while Tyler Replogle turned in a complete effort of seven stops, one interception and a sack. Jammie Kirlew added a sack and forced fumble and he leads the club with 2.5 sacks and 6.5 TFLs on the season.

The Wolverines have really started to click in Rodriguez' offensive system and following three games, they are generating 439.0 total ypg and 38.0 ppg. The offense has been sparked by a ground attack, which is averaging 270.7 ypg with nine touchdowns.

In last weekend's win over EMU, Michigan ran wild, accumulating 380 yards and six touchdowns on just 39 carries. It was the most rushing yards since 2003 for the Wolverines, who averaged 9.7 yards per carry.

"I thought our backs ran extremely hard, we blocked well up front, and I thought our blocking on the perimeter was very good as well," stated Rodriguez.

Carlos Brown led the charge with a career-high 187 yards and two touchdowns and his day was highlighted by a 90-yard dash. It was quite a performance, especially considering Brown had just 51 rushing yards through the first two games. Michigan currently has four players that have rushed for a 100 yards on the season, but center David Molk was injured last game and could miss up to six weeks following foot surgery. The loss is significant and the absence of Molk, a team leader, could cause problems all around for this offense.

Freshman quarterbacks Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson will now have to get used to a new center and that could throw off their timing a bit. Forcier, the starter, was limited to just 68 passing yards last weekend after leaving with a minor injury and that allowed Robinson to showcase his talent. Robinson didn't complete a pass except for two interceptions, but he did rush for 60 yards and a pair of scores on just three carries. Forcier, who led Michigan in an upset of Notre Dame, is believed to be fine for this weekend and should once again start under center.

The Wolverines did a solid job slowing down EMU last weekend, allowing just 285 total yards, but the unit spent over 40 minutes of the game on the field and Rodriguez was obviously upset about the time of possession.

"Very frustrating because our offense, when we had the ball, we were in a rhythm to score, but we just couldn't have the ball very much. They controlled it and did a nice job."

Still, Michigan did force EMU into two turnovers, while limiting it to only 106 yards through the air. The defense though, recorded only one sack to bring its total to three on the year and that won't get the job done against better teams. Obi Ezeh had nine tackles in last weekend's victory and he paces the club with 24 stops on the year.

The Wolverines have simply owned Indiana over the years and they should be able to continue that trend this weekend behind their balanced offense that continues to get better each game.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Michigan 34, Indiana 14