Takeaways, observations from Michigan’s blowout win over Indiana

ANN ARBOR – Another week, another lopsided victory for Michigan’s football team.

The second-ranked Wolverines routed Indiana 52-7 Saturday in Ann Arbor to improve to 7-0 and 4-0 in the Big Ten. For three quarters, Michigan looked every bit like a national title contender, outscoring the Hoosiers 52-0 over the last 45 minutes.

In the first quarter, the Wolverines looked anything but like the juggernaut they’ve displayed at most times this season.

Here are takeaways and observations from Michigan’s win Saturday afternoon:

*What a disastrous start for the Wolverines. Their first two offensive drives resulted in minus-8 yards and two three-and-outs. The defense also was having trouble with Indiana’s quick pass game. The Hoosiers were finding soft spots in coverage and methodically moving the chains.

*Michigan has had a lot of success this season with trick plays, but it was a victim of one Saturday. Indiana grabbed a 7-0 lead on a 44-yard touchdown pass…from receiver Donaven McCulley to fellow receiver Jaylin Lucas. The play began with a lateral pass to McCulley from quarterback Brendan Sorsby, and no one in Michigan’s secondary picked up Lucas, who was left all alone. The Hoosiers gave the Wolverines an early scare, outgaining them 141 yards to 17.

*Let’s talk about the turnaround. Michigan flipped a switch in the second quarter on both sides of the ball. It scored on eight straight drives after two three-and-outs to begin the game. After two incompletions to start, McCarthy connected on 14 of his next 15 passes for 222 yards and three scores. It was another spectacular game for the junior throwing the ball, but he was sacked four times and fumbled. On a couple of the sacks, no blockers picked up a rusher, leading to an easy path to McCarthy.

*Once again, the Wolverines’ adjustments defensively paid off. They started bottling up Indiana’s run game and taking away those short passes that were carving them up in the first quarter. Generating more pressure also helped. The team has a new sack leader as Jaylen Harrell is up to 4 ½ after recording two Saturday, including a strip sack.

*Another key turning point in the first half was Rod Moore’s interception. Indiana drove inside the red zone and threatening to take the lead, but Michigan’s defense continues to make plays on the ball. Mike Sainristil deflected the pass right into the arms of Moore, who returned it all the way to the Michigan 41. The Wolverines forced four turnovers, all resulting in great field position.

*Michigan appears to have settled on its No. 2 quarterback. Position coach Kirk Campbell said this week that the coaching staff is constantly evaluating the quarterback depth chart, but with graduate transfer Jack Tuttle being the first backup in the game for two straight weeks, he seems to be the guy if anything happened to J.J. McCarthy. He played well in his limited action Saturday, completing all five passes for 22 yards, including fitting a ball through a tight window to Karmello English for a 4-yard touchdown.

*Donovan Edwards finally has his first touchdown of the season. The junior barely crossed the goal line on a 2-yard run, but you would have thought the team just scored a pivotal touchdown in a marquee matchup with the way the players celebrated afterward. The score gave Michigan a 45-7 lead, but it was evident that a load was lifted off Edwards’ shoulders. He seemed visibly frustrated earlier in the game when he didn’t score on a goal-line situation. With time winding down in the second quarter, he tried to waved off personnel changes in an attempt to stay on the field. Instead, Jim Harbaugh called a timeout, and it was Blake Corum who was in the backfield after the timeout, scoring on the next play.

When Edwards scored later in the game, Corum came onto the field from the sidelines to congratulate him, along with several other teammates. We’ll see if this will boost Edwards’ confidence moving forward as he looks to rebound from a slow start. He only had 20 rushing yards on nine carries Saturday, but he also added two receptions for 33 yards.

*Speaking of running backs, freshman Benjamin Hall got his first extended look Saturday and led the team with 58 yards on nine carries. Most of his touches came late in the game with Michigan holding a comfortable lead, but he showed glimpses of why the coaching staff is excited about him. The 5-foot-11, 234-pounder was the star of the team’s annual spring game but had only appeared in one game this season before Saturday. With Kalel Mullings out, Hall stepped into the RB3 role.