Indiana Football Enters Week 6 as Major Underdog Against Michigan

Coming off a loss at Nebraska, Indiana football hosts No. 4 Michigan for a Noon ET kickoff on Saturday.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The start of Big Ten East play represents Indiana's biggest challenge of the 2022 season so far. 

No. 4 Michigan comes to Bloomington for a Noon ET kickoff on Saturday as 22-point favorites over Indiana, according to the SI Sportsbook. Indiana's homecoming game will be featured on FOX's Big Noon Kickoff, which begins at 10 a.m. ET from the South End Zone Plaza at Memorial Stadium. The pregame show is hosted by Rob Stone and includes analysis from Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn and Urban Meyer.

Next stop for Big Noon Kickoff: Bloomington, Indiana 📍🙌 pic.twitter.com/3fI9B6Fc1e

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 1, 2022

Coach Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines are off to a 5-0 start as they attempt to return to the College Football Playoff for a second consecutive season. Michigan won its first three games against Colorado State, Hawaii and UConn by an average of 49.7 points, but the start of Big Ten play has come with closer matchups. Michigan snuck by with a 34-27 win over Maryland in Week 4, and secured a 27-14 victory at Iowa last week.

Cade McNamara started all 14 games for Michigan's College Football Playoff team last season, but Harbaugh stretched Michigan's quarterback competition into non-conference play. McNamara started against Colorado State in the season opener, and J.J. McCarthy started versus Hawaii in Week 2. McCarthy completed 11-of-12 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, which Harbaugh called a "near-flawless performance."

McCarthy has since started each game for Michigan, and his 78.6 completion percentage ranks first in the nation among qualified passers. A true sophomore, McCarthy has thrown for 848 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. 

J.J. McCarthy's first drive as a starter:

𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘴 - 2
𝘠𝘥𝘴 - 68
𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 - :38
𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵 - TD 🙌@jjmccarthy09 x @UMichFootball pic.twitter.com/z8Whc9gL0e

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 11, 2022

Despite McCarthy's strong play, Michigan has arguable been even more dominant in the run game. Blake Corum is averaging 6.6 yards per carry on 93 attempts with 10 touchdowns through five games. 

Indiana has allowed 142.6 rushing yards per game, third most in the Big Ten this season, and gave up 136 yards to Anthony Grant over the weekend at Nebraska.  The Hoosiers lost two games in a row after a 3-0 start, and the remaining schedule still includes a full Big Ten East slate and the Old Oaken Bucket game against Purdue. 

Related stories on Indiana football:

• WHAT WENT WRONG IN 35-21 LOSS TO NEBRASKA: Nebraska held Indiana scoreless in the second half of Saturday's matchup in Lincoln, Neb., leading to a 35-21 Cornhusker win. With this loss, Indiana moves to 3-2 on the season with a home game against No. 4 Michigan next week. Here's what went wrong and what went right for Indiana on Saturday. CLICK HERE
• TOM ALLEN REACTS TO LOSS AT NEBRASKA: Indiana drops its second road game of the season to Nebraska, who won 35-21 on Saturday night. Hoosiers head coach Tom Allen addresses the loss in a post game press conference. Read his full transcript, or just watch the attached video of the entire interview. CLICK HERE
• CONNOR BAZELAK COMMENTS ON LOSS AT NEBRASKA: Read what Indiana quarterback Connor Bazelak said after the Hoosiers' 35-21 loss to Nebraska on the road. Bazelak completed 22-of-44 passes for 223 yards in the defeat. Follow along with the transcript, or watch the attached press conference video. CLICK HERE
• NEBRASKA DEFEATS INDIANA 35-21: Indiana had all the momentum heading into the halftime locker room, but the Hoosiers were shut out in the second half in a 35-21 loss to Nebraska on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb. CLICK HERE