Michigan
4-5 , 2-3
Indiana
3-5 , 0-4
Johnson, Darboh Break Out; U-M 'D' Wears Down IU for Homecoming Win
11/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan Stadium)
Score: Michigan 34, Indiana 10
Records: U-M (4-5, 2-3 Big Ten), IU (3-5, 0-4 Big Ten)
Attendance: 103,111
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Nov. 8 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), 2:30 p.m. CST
• Kornacki Postgame Feature: Wolverine Defense Makes Big Plays, Puts Blanket on Hoosiers
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Behind breakout performances from junior/sophomore running back Drake Johnson and junior/sophomore wide receiver Amara Darboh, the University of Michigan football team dispatched of Indiana, 34-10, on Homecoming on Saturday (Nov. 1) inside Michigan Stadium. The Wolverines, who opened a 17-point first-half lead, have now won 19 straight meetings between the two schools dating back to 1988 and are 54-9 in the all-time series.
Johnson came on in the second half and exploded, rushing 16 times for 122 yards and a pair of scores. Darboh had a career day, as well, hauling in nine passes for 107 yards and a touchdown. Graduate student quarterback Devin Gardner orchestrated the offense to a balanced performance, going 22-of-29 for 220 yards and a pair of touchdown throws.
Bryan Mone
The defense was just as strong, locking down the Hoosiers, the owners of the eighth-best rushing attack in the NCAA, to only 167 yards on the ground, more than 120 yards below their season average. The Wolverines kept Indiana's Tevin Coleman -- the nation's leading rusher at 170 yards per game -- out of the end zone and allowed only 24 yards passing. Leading the way for Michigan was fifth-year senior linebacker Jake Ryan, who made a team-best 11 tackles, including 2.5 tackles-for-loss, and a pair of forced fumbles.
The Wolverines got off to a fast start in the first quarter, scoring points on each of their first two possessions. An eight-play, 60-yard drive was finished off by senior kicker Matt Wile, who connected on a 35-yard field goal to give Michigan its first points of the day. On the first play of the ensuing Indiana possession, Coleman was stripped of the ball by Ryan, with freshman defensive tackle Bryan Mone recovering. The Wolverines took advantage of the turnover, as Gardner hit senior/junior tight end Keith Heitzman with a six-yard shovel pass for a score. At the end of the first quarter, Michigan led Indiana 10-0.
In the middle of the second quarter, Gardner engineered another long drive that ended in six to increase the lead. On a third-and-six, Gardner found Darboh for a 12-yard touchdown to make the score 17-0. Indiana nearly added points before the half following a Gardner interception, but the 25-yard field goal attempt by Griffin Oakes clanged off the left upright.
The Hoosiers put points on the board with their first possession of the second half, as Oakes made a field goal from 38 yards out to put the score at 17-3. The Wolverines answered right back, though, and it started on defense, as junior/sophomore defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow recovered a fumble from Indiana quarterback Zander Diamont. With great field position, Johnson capitalized three plays later, scoring his first career touchdown from 10 yards out to make the score 24-3.
Amara Darboh (left) and Keith Heitzman
The final minutes of the fourth quarter still produced plenty of points. After Wile tacked on another field goal, this time from 23 yards out, Indiana followed with its only touchdown of the afternoon, a three-yard touchdown run from D'Angelo Roberts. After a failed onside kick, Michigan got the ball back on the right side of the 50-yard line and gave it right to Johnson. He only needed two plays to score, putting an exclamation point on the victory with a 16-yard touchdown run to cap the scoring at 34-10.
The Wolverines are back on the road next Saturday (Nov. 8), heading to Evanston, Ill., for the second straight year to take on Northwestern. The game at Ryan Field will begin at 3:30 p.m. EST and be televised on ESPN2.
Team Stats
IND 0, MICH 3
MICH - Wile, Matt 35 yd field goal 8 plays, 60 yards, TOP 4:23
IND 0, MICH 10
MICH - Heitzman, Keith 6 yd pass from Gardner, Devin (Wile, Matt kick) 6 plays, 27 yards, TOP 2:43
IND 0, MICH 17
MICH - Darboh, Amara 12 yd pass from Gardner, Devin (Wile, Matt kick) 9 plays, 79 yards, TOP 3:54
IND 3, MICH 17
IND - Oakes, Griffin 38 yd field goal 11 plays, 51 yards, TOP 5:00
IND 3, MICH 24
MICH - Johnson, Drake 10 yd run (Wile, Matt kick), 3 plays, 20 yards, TOP 1:22
IND 3, MICH 27
MICH - Wile, Matt 23 yd field goal 15 plays, 78 yards, TOP 8:00
IND 10, MICH 27
IND - Roberts, D. 3 yd run (Oakes, Griffin kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:39
IND 10, MICH 34
MICH - Johnson, Drake 16 yd run (Wile, Matt kick), 2 plays, 48 yards, TOP 0:43
