3B
TheMichiganDaily, www.michigandaily.com

Behind Enemy Lines: Founder of Hoosier 
Network and WIUX caster Eddie Cotton

With College Football Playoff 
hopes, the No. 4 Michigan football 
team (7-0 Big Ten, 9-1 overall) is 
looking for that top-four spot in 
the Cotton Bowl or Orange Bowl. 
Indiana (2-5, 5-5) needs a win just 
to be bowl eligible.
Though the two teams have 
vastly different season trajectories, 
the narratives have largely been 
left to the wayside in their matchup 
since 
Jim 
Harbaugh 
started 
coaching 
the 
Wolverines.
In 
2015, 
Michigan 
escaped 
Bloomington 
with 
a 
48-41 
shootout victory 
in 
double 
overtime. 
The 
following 
year 
sang a different 
tune, with the 
Wolverines 
winning, 20-10, 
in 
the 
snow. 
And last season, another overtime 
game in favor of Michigan. While 
this year projects to be a blowout, 
the past says otherwise.
The Daily spoke with Eddie 
Cotton, a founder of The Hoosier 
Network 
and 
broadcaster 
for 
WIUX, to learn about Indiana’s 
challenges 
and 
opportunities 
ahead of Saturday’s game at 
Michigan Stadium.
The Michigan Daily: From 
a pure record standpoint, has 
Indiana performed above, at or 
below expectations?
Eddie Cotton: Oh God, that’s 
a tough question. I would say at 
expectations. 
The 
expectation 
every season at this point for 
Indiana football is 6-6. If you go 
6-6, that’s kind of a win because 
bowl games are not exactly rich in 
the program’s history. So the fact 
that the program has two games 
remaining and is one win away 
from a bowl game is exactly the 
expectation. 
Potentially 
better 
than expectations, but the way 
that it’s happen has been kind of 
poor.
TMD: Given where the team is 
at right now, where do you think 
the fanbase stands with Tom Allen 
in his second year?

EC: I think there are two sides 
of the coin. The more radical 
Indiana fan is genuinely frustrated 
with Tom Allen. There were 
calls for him to get fired after the 
Minnesota game, which to me is 
absurd because he’s in his second 
season. But there are concerns 
because he’s never been a head 
coach before this and he’s made 
some mistakes in terms of game 
management and head coaching 
type things. But the rational fan 
understands it’s only his second 
year, he brought in one of the best 
recruiting classes Indiana has 
brought in last year. That’s why 
we’ve seen so many young players 
playing for Indiana and why there 
are reasons for hope — all the 
players that are vital for Indiana 
are so young and will be here for 
a few years. Especially with the 
quarterback 
situation. 
Michael 
Penix looks like a star, he’s out for 
the season, but he’ll get a redshirt. 
The rational fan looks at that and 
is okay with it and sees that Tom 
Allen still has potential.
TMD: Coming off a win against 
Maryland, what has the vibe 
been around the team this week 

being one game away from bowl 
eligibility? Do they sound like a 
hungrier team?
EC: I don’t know what to say 
about the vibe out of the team. I 
can say the vibe of the coach has 
been very adamant about that 
sixth win. He said after the last 
win against Maryland that they 
absolutely squeaked out, Tom 
was very adamant that they knew 
how much the win was because 
it was all about a bowl game, so 
that kind of pushed them to win. 
The fan base themselves are more 
self-deprecating about it. They’re 
kinda just like “Yeah, yeah this 
season is kinda over.”
TMD: Michigan opened as 
26.5-point favorites. Do you agree 
or disagree with that spread?
EC: I disagree with that spread 
because Indiana historically, as 
in just the recent history, has 
kept it close against Michigan, 
Ohio State, Penn State and then 
completely lost it in the third and 
fourth quarter. Indiana will do 
the same thing again and keep it 
close for a half, and stay within 26 
points.
TMD: 
Two 
overtimes 
and 

a 10-point game the past three 
meetings. 
Even 
with 
talent 
mismatches, can you pinpoint a 
particular reason why this game 
can be competitive? 
EC: They can stay competitive 
in this game because it’s a trap 
game. Realistically, it’s easy to 
overlook Indiana and then you 
start playing them in real life and 
it’s like “Hey, they’re not that 
bad.” To stay competitive in this 
game, they’ll need to be aggressive 
offensively, which I don’t think 
they will be. If (quarterback) 
Peyton Ramsey doesn’t make any 
mistakes, seemingly he’s very 
good at being conservative and 
managing a game, they can stick 
around.
TMD: For an offense largely 
dependent on Ramsey and running 
back Stevie Scott, how do you think 
they will fare against Michigan’s 
defense? 
EC: Not great. You mention 
Stevie Scott and Indiana has this 
issue where they seem statistically 
to rely on Stevie Scott. But every 
big game they play against a good 
run defense, they give up on the 
run after about eight carries. I 

think Scott had about 11 carries 
against Ohio State, and against 
Michigan State he didn’t touch 
it more than five times. It’s a bit 
hyperbolic, but once the second 
half came they stopped running 
the football. Don’t be surprised if 
Michigan’s defense forces Indiana 
to throw the football downfield 
five yards every play.
TMD: Indiana doesn’t have a 
strong pass defense, but the run 
game is more of Michigan’s bread 
and butter. Who do you think their 
x-factor is offensively?
EC: The whole key is (Karan) 
Higdon. The biggest problem for 
Indiana defensively all year has 
been being able to handle RPO, 
because they don’t have the man-
to-man talent. If Michigan can 
establish Higdon early, then the 
idea of just having Higdon on 
a play-action play — or maybe 
his running will force Indiana’s 
defense into situations that they’re 
not comfortable with, because 
they have no idea what they’re 
doing in an RPO situation. 
TMD: Prediction?
EC: 27-13 Michigan. It feels 
right. It’s on the books.

Indiana at 
Michigan

Matchup: 
Indiana 5-5; 
Michigan 9-1

When: Saturday 
4 P.M.

Where: 
Michigan 
Stadium

TV/Radio: FS1

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Senior running back Karan Higdon passed the 1,000-yard mark for the season last Saturday in Michigan’s 42-7 victory over Rutgers in Piscataway.

ETHAN WOLFE
Daily Sports Writer

