[LightningRod]

The Buckeyes will be there!!!

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Michigan 41, Indiana 14

U-M: Bring on Buckeyes

Wolverines speed past Hoosiers, can win title

By Angelique S. Chengelis / The Detroit News

ANN ARBOR -- The blinders are off.

Now, Michigan is permitted to look ahead to the finish line.

U-M won its fourth straight game, defeating Indiana, 41-14, Saturday afternoon thanks to a six-touchdown first half.

Michigan (7-3, 5-2 Big Ten) used trick plays and polished its passing game in that half, then worked in the backups and younger players in the second as the focus turned to the home regular-season finale against Ohio State.

The Buckeyes are 8-2, 6-1 after an equally dominant victory over Northwestern on Saturday. Under coach Jim Tressel, OSU is 3-1 against U-M.

Saturday's Ohio State-Michigan game now has bigger implications because of Wisconsin's loss to Iowa. If Michigan wins and Michigan State beats Penn State, U-M would get the Big Ten's BCS spot in a bowl game.

Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr, who is 6-4 against the Buckeyes, was asked how soon after beating Indiana did his thoughts turn to Ohio State.

"Well, I don't think you ever stop thinking about them," Carr said.

But first things first.

Against Indiana, Michigan was again without starting tailback Mike Hart, who could have played but is still nursing a sprained ankle.

The Wolverines' offense and generous field position -- all except two of their first-half series started in Indiana territory -- were too much for the Hoosiers to handle, even without Hart.

Receiver Steve Breaston accounted for 201 of Michigan's 316 first-half yards, and he scored a touchdown.

Breaston had one carry, three receptions, a kickoff return and three punt returns.

Comparatively speaking, Indiana had 148 yards of offense in the first half. It also was overwhelmed by penalties, with seven for 58 yards.

Michigan did not have a penalty.

"We made a lot of mistakes. It just hurts," Indiana defensive lineman Greg Brown said.

U-M quarterback Chad Henne played only the first half and was 17-of-24 passing for 174 yards and three touchdowns. Seven players caught passes. Jason Avant had five receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown.

"They played a perfect first half in a lot of ways," Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner said. "(They) didn't have a penalty, and Henne was outstanding. He really looked ready to play. He came out and was ready to play. They were all ready to play."

All four backs behind Hart had carries. Freshman Kevin Grady started and had 94 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Jerome Jackson also scored.

Indiana scored on its first possession after a 77-yard drive -- just more than half its first-half production. Blake Powers' 42-yard pass to Jahkeen Gilmore gave IU a 7-0 lead.

But Michigan's defense, which held Indiana to 63 yards rushing for the game, kicked in.

"We were very upset about that first series," said senior nose tackle Gabe Watson, who had two tackles for loss. "We talked all week about preventing big plays. That has been a big-time thing for our defense, not giving up big plays. To hit a big one and score a touchdown, we knew we had to go out there and stop them."

Indiana has lost five in a row and is 4-6.

Michigan, which led 41-7 at halftime, did not punt until early in the second half. Its only mistakes in the first half were a missed 52-yard field-goal attempt and a failed attempt to take advantage of an interception by Prescott Burgess in the second quarter. U-M was unable to convert on fourth-and-one at the Indiana 7.

Regardless, Carr said the way Michigan performed in the first half proved the players were focused on Indiana and not looking ahead to Ohio State.

"This was a different challenge for us," Carr said, "because we were big favorites. When you're favored, and you have a game like the next one (Ohio State) in front of you, it's easy to get distracted, it's easy to start to do things that don't allow you to play your best. We did a good job with that."