Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Closes Out Home Season Against No. 2 Michigan
11/6/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 6, 2006
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Preparing for its final home game of the 2006 season, the Indiana football team (5-5, 3-3 Big Ten) will take on No. 2/2 Michigan (10-0, 6-0) at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 11. The game will be televised by ESPN with a 3:30 p.m. EST kickoff. IU has won its last two home games and is 3-3 at Memorial Stadium during the 2006 campaign.
Twenty-one Hoosiers will bid farewell to the Indiana faithful and play their final game in Bloomington including Tyler Altman, Scott Anderson, Tyson Beattie, Lance Bennett, Kenni Burns, Justin Frye, Jahkeen Gilmore, Troy Grosfield, Paul Haan, Kenny Kendal, Nick Luce, Chris Mangiero, Eric McClurg, Graeme McFarland, Will Meyers, Casey Nowinski, Patrick Oldham, Matt O'Neal, Jake Powers, Drew Robbins and Ryan Skelton.
Facing The Best
Second-ranked Michigan is Indiana's second opponent this season ranked among the top two. The Hoosiers fell to No. 1 Ohio State on Oct. 21 in Columbus. IU has faced two teams ranked in the top two in the same season three times. In 1948 the Hoosiers faced No. 1 Notre Dame (Nov. 6) and No. 1 Michigan (Nov. 13), while taking on No. 1 Michigan State (Oct. 28), No. 2 Iowa (Oct. 14) and Nov. 3 Ohio State (Nov. 11) in 1961.The Hoosiers also took on a pair of No. 1s in 1965, facing Texas (Oct. 2) and Michigan State (Nov. 13).
Ten times Indiana has faced two teams ranked among the top five in the same season, with the last coming in 1974 - No. 1 Ohio State (Oct. 19) and No. 3 Michigan (Oct. 2). The Hoosiers have never defeated a team ranked No. 1 or 2. The program's lone victory over a top-three team came on Nov. 25, 1967 - a 19-14 win over No. 3 Purdue to clinch a trip to the 1967 Rose Bowl.
Scouting Michigan
Michigan ranks third in the Big Ten scoring at a 28.9 clip and tops the league in rushing offense (13th nationally), averaging 193.2 yards per game. Mike Hart leads the rushing attack with 128.1 yards per contest, which is second in the conference and sixth nationally. The junior has posted 10 touchdowns, a 4.9 yard per carry average and is one of only two backs in the league to reach the 1,000-yard mark (1,281). Junior quarterback Chad Henne has thrown 16 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 61.2 percent of his passes.
Senior wide receivers Steve Breaston and sophomore Mario Manningham are two of the conference's most dangerous big-play threats. Breaston leads the club with 45 receptions. He also sits second in the league with a 25.5 kick return average and an 8.9 punt return average. Manningham is averaging 22.0 yards per catch and leads Michigan with 527 yards, 75.3 yards per game and nine touchdowns.
Defensively, the Wolverines lead the Big Ten and rank fourth nationally in total defense (241.5 yards per game) and hold the No. 1 spot in the league and the country in rushing defense (30.3) in addition to giving up just 13.0 points per game. The Michigan defense has picked off 10 passes, recovered 11 fumbles and recorded 36 sacks.
Senior defensive end LaMarr Woodley owns a team- and Big Ten-best 11 sacks and 15 tackles for loss (second in the league), while senior linebacker David Harris tops the team with 69 tackles to go along with 11 stops for loss. Senior cornerback Leon Hall has picked off three passes and is first in the Big Ten and fifth in the country with 15 pass breakups.
Michigan Ties
Six Hoosiers hail from the state of Michigan, including wide receiver James Bailey (Detroit/Denby Technical Prep), defensive lineman Emile Bass (Detroit/Sterling Heights), linebacker Isaac Price (Southfield/Southfield), running back Marcus Thigpen (Detroit/Mumford), wide receiver Terrence Turner (Auburn Hills/West Bloomfield) and tight end Brian Zematis (Bloomfield/Andover).
All-Around Effort
Redshirt freshman quarterback Kellen Lewis set a career-high with 321 yards through the air at Minnesota, making him the Hoosiers' first 300-yard passer since Blake Powers tossed for 360 yards at Iowa on Oct. 15, 2005. Lewis also rushed for 75 yards, giving him 396 total yards of offense, which ranks fifth in IU history and is the most in a game since Antwaan Randle El netted 422 yards against Illinois on Oct. 2, 1999. He accounted for nearly 80 percent of the team's offense, as the Hoosiers rolled up 500 yards - the first time an IU offense reached 500 yards since a 531-yard effort against Northwestern on Oct. 11, 2003.
Additionally, the Jacksonville, Fla., tossed three touchdowns to move into a tie for fourth place on the single-season passing TD list with 13. Over the last five games, Lewis has thrown for 11 scores, rushed for three, averaged 236.6 yards through the air, averaged 40 yards on the ground, completed nearly 60 percent of his passes (58.4) and thrown only three interceptions in leading the Hoosiers to a 3-2 mark.
Lewis ranks second in the Big Ten (20th nationally) averaging 239.9 yards of total offense per game and fourth in the league (35th nationally) with 202.9 passing yards per contest.
All Hands Team
Continuing to build one of the most formidable quarterback-receiver duos Indiana has seen in a single season, redshirt freshman quarterback Kellen Lewis and sophomore wide receiver James Hardy found the end zone for the eighth time in four games at Minnesota. Hardy grabbed five balls for 115 yards and one score against the Gophers and now has nine TDs in 2006 and 19 scores in 18 career games. The contest marked his seventh-career 100-yard receiving game, tying him for third all-time in IU history with Jade Butcher. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native also moved into sole possession of third place on the school's career touchdown chart and into sixth place on IU's single-season TD list.
In the last four games, Hardy has recorded eight touchdowns, caught 25 passes and averaged 86.75 yards per game. Hardy has caught nine of Lewis' 13 touchdowns this season (69 percent), ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring, second in yards per game (66.8) and third in receptions per game (4.79).
Hardy also became only the second Hoosier in history to have more than one game with three receiving touchdowns in his career, joining Butcher in that elite club. Hardy had three touchdowns against Iowa on Oct. 14 and followed that with a school-record four touchdowns against Michigan State on Oct. 28.
Big Ten Success
As the season has progressed, the Indiana offense has improved by leaps and bounds each week. This is especially the case in Big Ten play, where the team ranks third in the league in scoring offense (26.2 per game), passing offense (227.0), red zone offense (17-of-19, 89.5 percent) and sits fourth in total offense (365.5).
Individually, sophomore wide receiver James Hardy, sophomore running back Marcus Thigpen and redshirt freshman quarterback Kellen Lewis are sprinkled throughout the league's best in several categories. Hardy leads the league in scoring (8.0), is second in receiving yards (70.3) and is third in receptions (5.17). Lewis is second in the conference in total offense (254.5), while Thigpen sits third in all-purpose yards (124.0).
Mac Attack
Seeing extensive action at Minnesota, redshirt freshman running back Demetrius McCray made the most of his opportunity. McCray had a career-high 15 carries and rushed for 39 yards and a score. He also posted a career-best 53 receiving yards and the first two TD receptions of his career. McCray is the first Hoosier to record a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game since Levron Williams and Jeremi Johnson both accomplished the feat in the Hoosiers' 56-21 victory over Northwestern on Nov. 3, 2001.
Using The Clock
The Hoosiers put together their two-longest scoring drives of the season at Minnesota. On its final two scores of the afternoon, Indiana took 8:40 and 6:25 off the clock, respectively. Both drives covered 80 yards and the first strike, culminated by a 2-yard run by redshirt freshman running back Demetrius McCray, saw IU use a season-high 16 plays. On the second score, where redshirt freshman quarterback Kellen Lewis found McCray from 10 yards out, the Hoosiers used 14 plays - the third-highest total on the year.
Overall in 2006, Indiana has recorded nine scoring drives of at least 10 plays, six of at least 80 yards, one over 90 yards (94) and five over the 5:00 mark.
