Wolverines Move to 8-0 at Home Behind Strong Senior Effort

Saturday, November 19

Ann Arbor, Mich.

3:30 PM

Michigan

10-1 , 7-1

Indiana

5-6 , 3-5

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Indiana

Michigan

De'Veon Smith (Michigan Photography)

Wolverines Move to 8-0 at Home Behind Strong Senior Effort

11/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score Postgame Notes Player Participation PDF Boxscore Visual Story Photo Gallery

By: Dave Ablauf, Chad Shepard

» Michigan, which scored 17 third-quarter points, has won 10 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2002-03.
» De'Veon Smith ran for a career-best 158 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the victory.
» Kenny Allen hit a pair of field goals (made last eight in a row) and downed four of his six punts inside the opponent 20-yard line.

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan Stadium)
Score: #4 Michigan 20, Indiana 10
Records: U-M (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten), IU (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten)
Attendance: 110,288
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Nov. 26 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), Noon

Postgame Press Conference: Coach Harbaugh | Players

Postgame Features
• Kornacki: Smith Runs Wild on Snowy Senior Day
• Special Teams Help U-M Overcome Weather in Comeback Win

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Senior De'Veon Smith ran for a career-high 158 yards and a pair of touchdowns to guide the No. 4-ranked University of Michigan football team past Indiana, 20-10, on a winter-like Saturday (Nov. 19) inside Michigan Stadium. The Wolverines extended their win streak over the Hoosiers to 21 and have reached the 10-win barrier in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2002-03.

With the victory, head coach Jim Harbaugh becomes just the second Michigan head coach to win 10 games in each of his first two seasons at the helm, joining Fielding Yost (1901-02).

Senior John O'Korn started at quarterback in place of Wilton Speight, going 7-of-16 for 59 yards. But Smith was the star of the offense on Saturday, carrying the ball 23 times and averaging nearly seven yards per rush.

The Michigan defense held Indiana to 255 yards of total offense, more than 200 yards below its season average (467.3). Indiana focused on the run game with the wind, snow and cold temperatures, but the U-M defense was up to the task, holding the Hoosiers to less than two yards per carry and 64 yards for the game. Senior Ben Gedeon led the team with nine tackles. As a whole, the defense was dominant, accounting for 12 tackles-for-loss, including three sacks.

Both teams struggled to move the ball amidst the blustery conditions in the first half. The best player on the field was senior kicker/punter Kenny Allen, landing all three of his punts inside the opponent 20-yard line and converting on a 28-yard field goal. The score was set up thanks to a partially blocked punt from senior Michael Jocz and a 25-yard run on fourth down from Smith.

The Hoosiers went up 7-3 on a two-yard rush from Camion Patrick, a lead they took into halftime.

Allen brought Michigan within one after connecting on a 33-yard field goal on the team's first possession of the third quarter. But Indiana claimed one of its own on the next series, pushing the score to 10-6 on a 24-yarder from Griffin Oakes.

The Wolverines took their first lead on the ensuing possession, waking up Michigan Stadium on a couple big runs from O'Korn and Smith. With U-M facing a third-and-eight in its own half of the field, O'Korn escaped the pocket and scrambled up the sideline for 30 yards all the way to the Indiana 34-yard line. Smith took it the rest of the way on the next play, diving for the pylon and the touchdown to give Michigan a 13-10 lead.

After a forcing a three-and-out and facing a short field, Michigan called Smith's number again, and he answered, popping off a 39-yard touchdown run to increase the lead to 20-10 heading into the fourth quarter. As snow began to accumulate, the offense kept churning out yards on the ground, as Smith effectively ended the game after picking up a fourth-down conversion with less than three minutes to go and Indiana out of timeouts.

Michigan closes out the regular season against rival and second-ranked Ohio State on Saturday (Nov. 26) at Ohio Stadium. Kickoff for 'The Game' is slated for noon on ABC.