Three Up/Three Down: Michigan Figures It Out, Defeats Indiana 31-10

It doesn't matter who the opponent is, road games can be tricky. Michigan was a huge favorite over Indiana, but the Hoosiers had other ideas, at least for a good part of the day. It was 10-10 at the half and looked like it was going to be a 60-minute dogfight. When the dust settled, Michigan won 31-10, but it wasn't always pretty. Here are some things that stuck out in both directions.

Three Up

Blake Corum continues to be reliable, productive and trustworthy

Blake Corum, once again, was very good. On his first carry of the day, he took it 50 yards all the way down to the one-yard line and then he punched it in for a touchdown on the very next play. He has proven to be the guy in Michigan's running back room as he's now carried it 30, 29 and 25 times in the past three games. Today against the Hoosiers, he finished with 124 yards and that first-quarter score.

Huge third-quarter drive

With Michigan and Indiana knotted up at 10 coming out of the half, the Wolverines needed a score in a bad way. After a solid punt by the Hoosiers that was downed at the two-yard line, U-M put together an impressive and needed 11-play, 98-yard drive that culminated in the end zone. It was one of the first times all day that Michigan mixed up some regular running plays with some quick passes, JJ McCarthy runs and a few shots downfield. The drive ended with a 29-yard catch and run by Cornelius Johnson for a touchdown after Johnson dropped a very easy catch earlier in the drive. It made the game 17-10, which set the tone for the rest of the half.

Mazi Smith was outstanding

There were several times today where Smith clearly ate up at least two offensive linemen as Indiana struggled to run the ball anywhere near the middle of the line of scrimmage. Smith pushed the middle of the pocket on pass plays and held the whole interior down on run plays. He finished the day with five tackles, including four all by himself, and had at least two big hits that certainly rattled the teeth of the Indiana ball carrier.

Three Down

The Mike Hart situation

We're still not exactly clear what happened with Michigan's running backs coach, but it was a scary situation early in the first quarter when the one-time U-M legend reportedly collapsed on the sideline. The players formed a wall around him as a cart made its way over to the U-M area of the stadium where Hart was then put on a stretcher and strapped down before being wheeled off. After Hart was clear of the field, you could see running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards fighting tears as the situation unfolded.

Once Michigan came out for the second half it was reported that Hart had been communicating with at least someone on the team and let everyone know that he was okay. Depending on what happened, there could still be some things to clear up and take care of but for now, Hart is reportedly fine.

Indiana's tempo/personnel was a problem

Indiana went fast all day long and did so with a lot of four and five wide receiver sets, which gave Michigan some trouble throughout the game. The Hoosiers would also utilize a running back as a pass catcher pretty often and did sprinkle a tight end in there from time to time as well. However they did it, and whoever they used, it was moderately effective as it had the U-M defense looking a little disheveled and unorganized for really the first time all season.

At the end of the day, Indiana only had 222 yards through the air and 203 yards of total offense, but the Michigan defense was definitely tested today in a way that will make them better for the future. If that's Penn State or Ohio State rattling the maize and blue, the offense likely would've been much more effective because of the level of talent at those programs. Indiana just doesn't have the juice like that.

Lack of creativity on offense

I know, I know...Michigan is 6-0 and won by 21 points today, but it felt painful getting there at times. The Wolverines converted on just 7-of-13 third downs, there was a turnover on downs and there was an interception in the end zone. At times, U-M looked unstoppable and at other times, quite inept. At the end of the day, Michigan averaged just 6.2 yards per play, which is mediocre at best when compared to some of the best offenses in the country. Today against Indiana, it didn't matter. Doing whatever it takes to get a solid W on the road is noteworthy, but a sputtering, inconsistent offense like today's won't be enough to beat Ohio State in Columbus and might not be enough to beat Penn State in Ann Arbor next weekend.