The last time IU was ranked as high as No. 13 was after beating No. 20 Michigan 14-10 in 1987. The last time Indiana was ranked higher than Michigan in a head-to-head matchup was 1988, when No. 20 Michigan beat No. 14 IU, 31-6.
The Hoosiers haven’t beaten the Wolverines since.
But IU hasn’t played Michigan this year. The Wolverines have won 24 straight games against the Hoosiers, but this season, it’s simply a clean slate.
The culture is changing at IU, and head coach Tom Allen said it started last season after winning eight games.
“Instead of that proverbial waiting for something bad to happen, now you’re waiting for something good to happen,” Allen said in a Zoom conference Monday. “You expect something good to happen because of what you’ve experienced.”
IU is 2-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 1991 and now faces the challenge of playing No. 23 Michigan at home.
If the IU offense can ride off the momentum they built late against Rutgers and stay in sync, they should feel comfortable looking to sophomore quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to guide them past a weakened Wolverine secondary.
Penix completed only three of his 10 pass attempts in the first quarter last week, part of an early trend of IU’s offense starting slow.
“It’s just simple execution,” Penix said. “Once we get that down we’re going to be lighting it up.”
The sophomore quarterback only had two incompletions for the rest of the game and went on to complete nine consecutive passes to finish the game.
Michigan State attacked Michigan’s secondary with deep passes in their matchup Oct. 31, including three plays of over 40 yards allowed by junior cornerback Vincent Gray. Penix proved his ability to throw long passes with a 63-yard completion to senior receiver Whop Philyor last week, and the Hoosiers can make use of that against the Wolverines.
But the offensive line needs to provide Penix time to throw those deep passes.
Allen said he expects to see the offensive line continue to improve week to week after not getting full practices before the season started.
Allen said sophomore lineman Matthew Bedford is expected to play after leaving last week’s game early.
Allen said he wants to open up the run game and run successfully on first down, but it may be hard against a Michigan defense that is historically good against the run.
“You have success however you can get it,” Allen said. “You may use the pass to set up the run or you may use the run to set up the pass.”
Splitting up who is running may help the Hoosiers achieve their success. Last week, junior Stevie Scott III and sophomore Sampson James both rushed well, but James saw limited touches outside of a single drive. Penix had some success running when he scrambled for a big 25-yard run but stayed in the pocket most of the game.
The key to IU’s defense is controlling the big plays.
Both of Rutgers’ touchdown passes came on defensive breakdowns. Senior quarterback Noah Vedral connected with senior receiver Bo Melton on a 23-yard touchdown in the first quarter after Melton slipped past IU’s secondary. In the fourth quarter, Vedral hit Melton again for 16 yards after sophomore cornerback Tiawan Mullen lost Melton in coverage.
The defense needs to control Michigan’s run game as well. Junior running back Hassan Haskins is averaging nearly 10 yards per rush this season. The Hoosiers have allowed less than 5 yards per rush in each game this season but have allowed two rushing touchdowns over 35 yards.
There’s a lot of program history against Michigan that doesn’t bode well for IU. The last IU victory in the matchup came 33 years ago and there’s only been a few close games since.
Allen sees it differently.
“Anytime you can experience something, that experience will be valuable next time,” Allen said.
IU beat then-No. 8 Penn State in week one, its first victory over a top 10 opponent since 1987. Playing Michigan is just another opportunity to elevate the program, and this time IU knows the feeling.
