The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, October 13, 2017 — 7
What to Watch For: Can O’Korn bounce back against Indiana?
Michigan (1-1 Big Ten, 4-1
overall) has its sights set on
running the table.
The 17th-ranked Wolverines
lost their first game of the
season last week, and now they
face the daunting challenge
of
bouncing
back
from
disappointment. With the bye
week already behind it, the
Michigan football team hasn’t
had much time to process its
shocking
loss
to
Michigan
State.
But the Wolverines can’t
afford to allow the setback to
linger in their minds, and they
have said as much throughout
the week. Their goal is to win
out, starting with Indiana on
Saturday.
Here’s what to watch for
when
Michigan
travels
to
Bloomington to take on the
Hoosiers:
1. Can John O’Korn bounce
back?
Though
the
Wolverines
themselves said the fault for the
unexpected defeat should be
spread around evenly amongst
the
team,
fifth-year
senior
quarterback John O’Korn did
throw three interceptions on
three consecutive possessions
amid a raging monsoon.
While he doesn’t necessarily
call the plays, he still has to
execute them when called upon,
which he readily admitted after
the game last Saturday. He also
has to be a beacon of leadership,
as Michigan will need to lean
on him against Indiana.
As
has
been
clearly
documented, O’Korn has faced
his fair share of adversity both
before and during his Wolverine
career. Perhaps more so than
many of his teammates, he
should have an understanding
of how to turn bumps in the
road into breakthroughs.
The
Wolverines
will
be
counting on O’Korn to correct
course, both for himself and
for the team, in order to avoid
another
stumbling
block
against the Hoosiers — one that
would surely become a sinkhole
for
their
championship
aspirations.
2. Will Ty Isaac be given
another chance to start?
Fifth-year
senior
running
back
Ty
Isaac
became
a
sacrificial lamb of sorts in the
wake of the Michigan State
loss.
On
Michigan’s
second
possession, the ball went to
freshman
receiver
Donovan
Peoples-Jones
and
then
to
sophomore
running
back
Chris Evans on the ground.
Following their strategy of
spreading the ball around,
the Wolverines put the ball in
Isaac’s hands next. At the very
end of his run, the ball was
poked out of Isaac’s grasp. He
didn’t see the field again for
the rest of the half.
After breaking out as one of
the best offensive performers
on the team over the first three
weeks, Isaac fell on hard times
as soon as the Big Ten season
began. Against both Purdue and
Michigan State, the starting job
went to junior running back
Karan Higdon.
Indiana
found
success
stopping
the
run
against
Penn State, but doesn’t boast
a particularly strong rushing
defense — the Hoosiers are
ranked 67th nationally with
an
average
of
152.4
yards
allowed per game. Saturday
could provide an opportunity
for Isaac to reclaim his carries.
That is, if Michigan puts the
ball back in his hands.
3. How long can the defense
hold onto its top spot?
In possibly one of the biggest
surprises of the 2017 season,
the Wolverines have the No. 1
defense in the nation despite
losing all but one starter from
last year.
Each opposing offense has
offered a different look for the
Wolverines to handle, and they
have been able to neutralize
them all. After installing the
3-3-5 scheme earlier this year,
defensive
coordinator
Don
Brown has his unit ready to
face arguably any team in the
country.
But even the defense’s best
efforts may not be enough for
Michigan if its offense can’t
stop giving up possessions.
The Wolverines’ offense has
frequently put the defense in
a hole with its sloppy play this
year, which is a disconcerting
trend, to say the least. When
Michigan gave up its most
points of the season — which
was just 17 against Florida —
the offense was to blame, as
redshirt
junior
quarterback
Wilton Speight threw back-to-
back pick-sixes.
And
then
against
the
Spartans,
the
Wolverines
turned the ball over a whopping
five times, and it cost them
dearly. The defense can only
save Michigan so many times.
4. Will Michigan overlook
Indiana with Penn State a
week away?
It isn’t that Indiana is a bad
team; it’s that the Nittany Lions
are serious contenders for the
College Football Playoff, which
is where the Wolverines hoped
they would still be at this point
in the season.
But after Michigan’s loss
to
an
unranked
Michigan
State, that dream seems all
but crushed. The Hoosiers’ 0-2
conference record, meanwhile,
is understandable given that
their two opponents were then-
No. 2 Ohio State and then-No. 4
Penn State.
The next feasible scenario
that would allow the Wolverines
to sneak back into playoff
contention would be to pull
off an upset victory over the
Nittany Lions in State College
— a highly daunting proposition
before even mentioning that
it is set to be a whiteout game
in primetime. As is often the
case, though, that attractive
possibility can cause a team
to look past a less formidable
opponent.
Michigan spent the week
claiming
that
all
of
its
preseason goals are still in
front of it. If that is truly the
case, the Wolverines now have
no margin of error.
Breakdown: Wolverines will need defense to play hero again
There
was
a
torrential
downpour
Saturday
night,
the
Michigan
football
team
turned the ball over five times
—
including
three
second-
half interceptions — and the
Wolverines
were
upset
by
Michigan State, 14-10. You may
have heard already.
Now,
there’s
no
dancing
around it: No. 17 Michigan (1-1
Big Ten, 4-1 overall) will have
to use the loss to the Spartans
as motivation because, barring
some help from around the Big
Ten, the Wolverines can’t win
the conference with another
loss. They aren’t blind to that
fact, as fifth-year senior center
Patrick Kugler was quick to
acknowledge
Monday
that
Michigan will probably need
to win out to accomplish their
preseason goals.
The first step on that daunting
path begins in Bloomington this
Saturday.
The Wolverines will face
Indiana (0-2, 3-2) with hopes
of redemption, no matter how
slight it may be. The Daily breaks
down the matchup:
Michigan pass offense vs.
Indiana pass defense
For
fifth-year
senior
quarterback
John
O’Korn,
his
270-yard
performance
against Purdue may have been
a deviation from the norm.
O’Korn completed 16 of his 35
attempts for 198 yards against
the Spartans, and threw three
interceptions to make matters
worse.
Make
no
mistake,
weather played a factor last
Saturday and O’Korn was the
victim of some questionable play
calling once the storm hit Ann
Arbor.
But the Wolverines’ offensive
line isn’t doing O’Korn any
favors and the Hoosiers have
enough talent to give Michigan
trouble. Rashad Fant has proven
he can be a shutdown corner,
recording 22 pass break ups as
a sophomore (second nationally)
and notching another 17 last
year (tied second nationally).
His counterparts haven’t fared
so well, allowing an average of
298 yards against Ohio State,
Virginia and Penn State.
Still, linebacker Tegray Scales
is the star of a Tom Allen defense
that isn’t afraid to blitz, and the
Hoosiers could spend a lot of
time threatening O’Korn given
the state of the offensive line.
Overall, it’s hard to bet on this
Wolverine offense right now.
Edge: Indiana
Michigan rush offense vs.
Indiana rush defense
Sophomore
running
back
Chris Evans and sophomore
left guard Ben Bredeson both
said that Michigan has focused
on reestablishing its run game
in practice this week. If a back
fumbled, he had to run a lap. If a
back carried the ball too loosely,
he had to sit out of practice for
roughly 10 minutes.
And given that the Wolverines
have fumbled eight times —
losing six of them — through
five games, that all makes sense.
If Michigan shows a dedication
to the run game and takes care
of the ball better, it wouldn’t be
surprising.
But there is also this to
consider: when the Hoosiers
faced Penn State on Sept. 30,
running back Saquon Barkley
managed just 56 yards on 20
carries for an average of 2.8
yards per carry.
Edge: Indiana
Indiana pass offense vs.
Michigan pass defense
Like
the
Wolverines,
the
Hoosiers have themselves a
new quarterback in redshirt
freshman Peyton Ramsey, who
led his team to a 27-0 win against
FCS
opponent
Charleston
Southern last week.
Ramsey fared well in his
starting debut, completing 32
of his 41 passes for 321 yards
with two touchdowns and an
interception while also rushing
for
54
yards
and
another
touchdown.
Now,
though,
Ramsey is facing an entirely
different challenge.
Michigan still boasts the top
overall defense in the nation and
the Wolverines’ secondary is
allowing just 126 passing yards
per game — good for second in
the country.
Like
Michigan
State
quarterback
Brian
Lewerke,
Ramsey presents a threat both
on the ground and in the air,
but it’s difficult to imagine him
besting this defense in his first
Big Ten start.
Edge: Michigan
Indiana rush offense vs.
Michigan rush defense
The Hoosiers average 3.6
yards per rush. Michigan is
holding opponents to 2.6 in the
same category.
The Wolverines allowed only
one first down in the second
half against Michigan State,
continuing their affinity for
shutting down opponents late in
games.
Defensive
tackle
Maurice
Hurst
is
coming
off
a
performance that featured 10
total tackles (3.5 for loss). His
supporting cast is more than
formidable and if the past is any
indication, the first half will be
ugly and the second half will
only get uglier.
Edge: Michigan
Special teams
This one could be the most
competitive phase of the game.
Indiana’s Griffin Oakes is a
perfect 5-for-5 on field goals this
year, with his longest conversion
coming from 51 yards. Wide
receiver
J-Shun
Harris
is
averaging 22.8 yards per punt
return with two touchdowns.
And the Hoosiers are averaging
18.4 yards per kick return.
Michigan, in its own right,
has
redshirt
junior
James
Foug, redshirt freshman Quinn
Nordin, and freshmen Donovan
Peoples-Jones and Brad Robbins.
Since missing two field goals
in the season opener against
Florida, Nordin has been perfect.
Foug has held the kickoff spot
from the beginning, recording
21 touchbacks in his 31 attempts.
Since taking over as the starting
punter, Robbins is averaging 41.6
yards per punt. Peoples-Jones
may fall behind Harris, as he
averages just 12 yards per punt
return, but he has returned one
for a touchdown.
Edge: Push
Intangibles
The Wolverines are walking
into a Homecoming matchup in
Bloomington, but they do so with
a point to prove. The Spartans
left a sour taste in Michigan’s
mouth for the second time in
three years, and the Wolverines
know they can’t afford another
upset
—
especially
with
matchups at No. 7 Wisconsin
and No. 3 Penn State left on the
docket before a home conclusion
against No. 9 Ohio State.
As Kugler put it Monday:
“Everyone’s just got to sack up.
It’s time to go.”
Edge: Michigan
Pick: Michigan 16, Indiana 3
KEVIN SANTO
Managing Sports Editor
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Fifth-year senior defensive tackle Maurice Hurst headed the Wolverines’ top-ranked defense last week, recording 10 total tackles against Michigan State.
BY THE NUMBERS
No. 17 Michigan vs. Indiana
22.8
Yards per punt return for Indiana’s
J-Shun Harris.
375
All-purpose yards for quarterback
Peyton Ramsey in his starting debut
against Charleston Southern.
213
Yards allowed per game — good to
cement Michigan’s defense as the
top unit in the nation.
6
Fumbles lost by the Wolverines
through five games.
BETELHEM ASHAME
Managing Sports Editor
Michigan’s fifth-year senior quarterback must recover from a three-interception outing against Michigan State
EMMA RICHTER/Daily
Fifth-year senior quarterback John O’Korn is in search of yet another redemption moment after shouldering the blame for the loss to Michgian State on Saturday.