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Game Day October 14, 2017 Michigan vs Indiana Football

Posted on October 14, 2017 by Barry Gallagher

Today is another chapter in the Michigan vs Indiana football tradition. The teams have not played a lot, but when they do, Michigan usually comes out on top. Of course, when Indiana does win, it is very “upsetting” to Michigan fans – for sure! It’s time to take a closer look at a very BIG game for both teams.

Calendar History:

The Wolverines have played a total of sixteen games on October 14^th  in their 138 year football history. Michigan’s record on this day is 11 wins, 4 losses and 1 tie which works out to a winning percentage of just under seventy-two percent (.719). Conference play is always tougher, but the Wolverines still own a winning rate of just over sixty-six percent in Big Ten games played on this day. Check out the numbers below:

Type Game	# of Games	Won	Lost	Tied	Win %
Non-Conference	7	5	1	1	.750
Conference	9	6	3	0	.607
All Games	16	11	4	1	.639

The Wolverines have played ten home games on this date and six road games. Their home record is 7 wins and 3 losses. Michigan’s road record on October 14^th is very good. They have won 3 games, lost 1 and tied 1 when playing away from Ann Arbor. The numbers on this page absolutely make the fourteenth day in October a great day for Michigan Football! History is definitely on the side of our Maize and Blue football team today! Here is a little more history about Michigan Football on this date.

• Michigan’s first game, and first win, on this date took place in 1893. The Wolverines traveled to Detroit to play the Detroit Athletic Club team (DAC). The DAC team had a lot of Michigan alumni players, but it didn’t matter. Michigan won the game by a score of 26-0.
• Michigan’s first loss on this day did not take place until 1950 when the Wolverines lost to Army 6-27.
• Michigan’s biggest win on this date was a 58-0 Homecoming victory against Indiana in 2000. This is also the biggest conference win that Michigan ever recorded on this day.
• The biggest Michigan loss on this date took place at the hands of MSU in Ann Arbor. The Spartans clobbered the Wolverines by a score of 34-0 in 1967. This is also the biggest conference loss ever recorded on this day in Michigan Football history. Ugh!
• Michigan won the last game they played on this date against Penn State in 2006. The Wolverines defeated PSU in a close one 17-10 in Happy Valley!

Interestingly, Michigan and Indiana have only played once on this day. The game took place on October 14, 2000 and it was a blowout – Michigan 59 and Indiana 0.

Notable Wolverine Performances on October 14^th:

• 1939 – Tom Harmon records the longest (95-yards) “pick-six” in Wolverine history in a 27-7 win over Iowa. Harmon scored all of Michigan’s points on four touchdowns and three extra points.
• 1944 – Bob Nussbaumer (14 rushes for 147 yards) and Bob Wiese (21 carries for 119 yards) become the first, and only, men to rush for over 100 yards in the same game on this day in Michigan Football history. Oh yes, the Wolverines defeated Northwestern 27-0.
• 1967 – Ron Johnson rushes 24 times for 107 yards in a 34-0 loss to MSU.
• 1989 – Tony Boles racks up 100 yards on 22 carries in a 10-7 victory at Michigan State.
• 2000 – David Terrell catches 6 passes for 101 yards in a 58-0 Homecoming win over Indiana.
• 2000 – Marquise Walker scores on a 41-yard punt return in the 58-0 rout of Indiana.

Series History:

Today’s game is the sixty-sixth game in the Michigan vs Indiana football series. This will be the second time that these Big Ten rivals have ever played on the fourteenth  day of October. .

• The first game between Michigan and Indiana was played in Ann Arbor in 1900. The Wolverines won by a score of 12-0.
• The first time the Hoosiers beat the Wolverines was on October 13, 1928 in Ann Arbor. Michigan fell by a score of 0-6.
• The biggest series win belongs to Michigan. Fielding Yost’s footballers blasted the Hoosiers by a score of 63-0 in 1925!
• Bill Mallory, a long-time friend of Bo Schembecher, ambushed Bo and his Wolverines in 1987. Indiana beat Michigan in Memorial Stadium by a score of 10-14. Ugh!
• The last game in Bloomington between these two Big Ten rivals was played on November 14, 2015. Michigan prevailed by a score of 48-41! Michigan defeated Indiana by a score of 20-10 in November 2016.

The trend lines all favor Michigan in this series. The last time Indiana won in Bloomington was in 1987. That is a very, very long time ago.

Michigan and Indiana have played a total of sixty-five games so far. Check out the series numbers below:

Type Game	# of Games	Won	Lost	Tied	Win %
UM Home	47	40	7	0	.851
UM Away	18	16	2	0	.888
Series Total	65	56	9	0	.862

History is definitely on Michigan’s side in this series, even when the game is played in Bloomington. I also find it very interesting that there has never been a tie in this series. Of course, there won’t be one today!

In addition to fifty-six wins over the Hoosiers, Michigan players have had some record setting performances against Indiana. Here are some of the best Wolverine performances against the Hoosiers at Bloomington:

• October 19, 1968 - Jerry Hartman returns a “’pick-six” for 62-yards in a 27-22 win.
• November 1, 1980 – Butch Woolfolk (16 rushes for 152 yards) and Lawrence Ricks (23 carries for 123 yards run over around and through the Hoosiers in a 35-0 win.
• October 17, 1992 – Derrick Alexander returns a punt for 70 yards in a 31-3 win over Indiana. Chris Hutchinson also records three sacks.
• October 21, 1995 – Amani Toomer races to the end zone with a 56-yard punt in a 34-17 victory over the Red and White.
• October 30, 1999 - Anthony Thomas becomes the first Michigan Man to rush for over 190 yards at Bloomington when he turns 42 carries into 197 yards. Michigan wins again in Memorial Stadium 34-31. (Note-a total of 9 Michigan runners have rushed for 100 yards or more in the games played at Bloomington.)
• October 2, 2004 – Michigan wins 35-14. Leon Hall returns a punt for a 76 yard touchdown. Chad Henne completes 17 of 21 passes for 316 yards. Braylon Edwards grabs 8 passes for 165 yards.
• October 2, 2010 – Denard Robinson completes 19 passes for 217 yards and puts up 494 yards of total offense. Michigan wins a “shootout” by a margin of 42-35.
• November 14, 2015 – Jake Ruddock has a record setting day against the Hoosiers. He completes 33 of 46 passes for 440 yards and 4 touchdowns. Amarah Darboh grabs 8 passes for 109 yards.

So, some of the greatest plays in Michigan Football history have occurred against the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington.  Who will do something memorable today in the sixty-sixth edition of Michigan vs Indiana football?

Today:

At this point in the 2017 season, Michigan (4-1) and Indiana (3-2) are looking to improve their standing in Big Ten play. Michigan’s loss at home to MSU was a BIG setback. The Wolverines need a bounce-back game against the Hoosiers. Meanwhile, Indiana always seems to be looking for respect. The Hoosiers employ two former Wolverines named Mike DeBord (Offensive Coordinator) and Mike Hart (Running Backs coach). Both men have strong Michigan backgrounds and would love to upset the Wolverines. A Hoosier victory over Michigan would be the BIGGEST win in Bloomington since 1987.

As of this writing, Michigan is a seven and one-half point favorite and that is probably about right based on their performance so far this season. It is Homecoming in Bloomington and the Hoosiers will be fired up! I think it will be a close game, but Michigan will find a way to win their 500^th game in Big Ten play.

I do think that Indiana will give the Wolverines all they can handle. However, Michigan’s defense will keep them in the game and put them in position to win their fifth game of the season. I’m looking for the Wolverines to get back on the winning track today in Bloomington.

My Prediction:

I think that the first five games of the season tell us everything we need to know about today’s game. So far, Michigan averages just over 27 points per game and allows about 13 points per contest. The Wolverines have an outstanding record on this day in their football history and that will not change today. Michigan’s record against Indiana is superb and it will stay that way with a 27-13 victory today. Go Blue!