Larry Black still remembers the play he almost made against Michigan.
Back in 2010, the former Indiana defensive tackle was in Bloomington for a wild back-and-forth game against the Wolverines, a matchup that included his brother Jibreel on the other side as a Michigan defensive tackle. With the score tied and about a minute left, Denard Robinson launched a pass from near midfield just as Black broke free and got to him. The throw still found Junior Hemingway for a spectacular catch near the 3-yard line, setting up the touchdown that gave Michigan a 42-35 win.
“If you look it up, I almost had Denard,” Black said Wednesday. “He threw a pass up to Junior Hemingway to put him down there.
It was a tie game, I remember, and I still hit Denard, he’ll probably tell you about it. I got to him right before it because Patrick Omameh messed up the protection, I came clean, I still remember that.”
Sixteen years later, Black is on the Michigan sideline with a chance to put a new ending on that memory. The Wolverines travel to face No. 6 Indiana on Saturday, and Black sees it as the kind of matchup a defensive line coach wants: a top team, a big stage and a real chance to make a difference.
“I was telling the D-line the other day, ‘You got the national champs coming in here, what better opportunity do you want?’ ” Black said.
“It’s cool, man, you know, IU, I met my wife there, like that’s been a big part (of my life). But I’m at Michigan, and it’s good to be on this side, and it’s an exciting opportunity to go get after those guys.
So let’s do it, baby.”
Indiana’s offensive front remains one of the nation’s best, checking in second nationally in PFF’s pass protection rankings. Michigan’s defense has been just as stout in its own way, ranking 11th in the country in pass rush and second in run defense, behind only the Hoosiers, while leading the nation in yards allowed per play at 4.1.
That kind of résumé gives Michigan a strong case as the best defense in the country, but Saturday offers a chance to sharpen that argument against a top-10 opponent.
The turnover battle may decide a lot of it. Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham has kept coming back to that point all season, and Indiana makes that challenge especially steep. The Hoosiers have gone 31 straight games with fewer turnovers than their opponent.
Still, Black sees a path for his group. Michigan won the turnover margin for the first time in four weeks against Penn State, 3-2, thanks to two interceptions and a strip sack from the safeties. The defensive line didn’t fill up the box score in that game, but Black said its impact went deeper than that.
“I couldn’t tell you how many times versus Penn State, like you guys might not notice, but we’re taking away (quarterback Rocco) Becht’s view, and he’s clutching and he’s throwing a bad turnover,” Black said of his defensive line’s impact. “… Actually study the film and see it’s a short quarterback, if he can’t throw over (senior defensive tackle Enow Etta’s) hand and (junior defensive end) Dom Nichols’ hand, it’s tough for him to see, and that’s just as good as a pressure.”
Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover stands 6-foot-2, just an inch taller than Becht, putting him in the same range for Michigan’s front to bother passing lanes at the line of scrimmage.
Black made it clear Wednesday that his unit has already helped decide games this season. Now the Wolverines need that group to do it again against their toughest opponent yet - and give their coach the get-back he’s been waiting for.
In Other News...
Michigan Suddenly Has New Injury Questions Ahead Of Indiana
Michigan is heading into its Week 8 matchup with Indiana carrying a few more health questions than it would like this late in the week. Right tackle Andrew Sprague has already been sidelined since Week 3, and the latest injury report also includes Brady Norton and Blake Frazier as questionable, adding more uncertainty to a position group that has already been juggling availability.
The other new names are Enow Etta and Rod Moore, though Moores issue is not expected to be serious. Even so, the timing is less than ideal for a Michigan team trying to get settled before facing an Indiana squad that enters the week without anyone on its own injury report. For the Wolverines, the bigger concern now is not just who is available, but how many moving parts they can afford to manage. [Read more 🡒]
Urban Meyer Sees One Important Thing In Michigan's QB Switch
Michigans quarterback switch at halftime against Penn State was less about making a statement than finding a way to get the offense moving. Bryce Underwood gave way to Tommy Carr after the Wolverines struggled to establish rhythm, and the change gave the staff a fresh look without forcing a wholesale rework of what they wanted to run.
Urban Meyer pointed to one important part of the move: Carrs skill set is close enough to Underwoods that Michigan could keep leaning on the same run-pass menu. That showed up in the second half, when Carr was able to operate the offense on RPOs and quarterback counters and finish a speed option play in the end zone, the kind of continuity coaches hope for when they turn to a backup in the middle of a game. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Heads Into Indiana With A New Concern Up Front
Michigans first injury and availability report for the trip to No. 6 Indiana immediately put the spotlight on the offensive line, where Andrew Sprague was listed as out and Andrew Babalola was marked probable after missing previous games because of injury. For a Wolverines team heading into one of its toughest tests of the season, any uncertainty up front matters, especially when the opponent is ranked sixth and the margin for error figures to be slim.
There was at least some encouraging news elsewhere, with Kyle Whittingham saying safety Rod Moores injury appears minor after negative x-rays and that he should be okay. Even so, his status for the next game remains unclear, leaving Michigan with a few moving parts to monitor as it tries to sort out its health before facing Indiana. [Read more 🡒]