Indiana football will run into the giant that is Michigan in Week 6

Indiana football will take on preseason-ranked #8 Michigan on October 8th as the Hoosiers will play in their third conference game of the season in Week 6. The Hoosiers have not faired well against the Wolverines in the recent past, with its only win since 1988 coming in November 2020. Prior to 2020, Indiana football lost 24 straight games against Michigan, including 11 straight games in Bloomington.

We get ready for Indiana football to take on the Michigan Wolverines in Week 6:

Opponent: Michigan Wolverines
Date/Time: Saturday, October 8th at 12pm EST
TV: TBD
Location: Memorial Stadium – Bloomington, Indiana
All-time Head-to-Head Record: 10-60-0 (.143)

Offensive Key Player(s)

Blake Corum – #2 – RB

Corum ranks as the #5 best player on Joshua Perry’s Top 30 Big Ten Players list and, if last season is any tell of how he will play this season, Corum is in line to make the first team All-Big Ten and make headlines for the Wolverines. Last season, the junior running back racked up 952 rushing yards, 6.6 yards per rush attempt, and totaled 11 rushing touchdowns as the second back behind Hassan Haskins.

Ronnie Bell – #8 – WR

As confusing of a season as it gets, Ronnie Bell finished his senior season with one reception for a 76-yard touchdown and was featured as a punt returner as well. As a graduate senior this upcoming season, Bell should be the feature wide receiver that is targeted the most, if he gets the targets.

In 2019, Bell led all Wolverine players in receptions (48) and receiving yards (758). Though he has struggled to stay healthy, Joshua Perry from the Big Ten Network ranked Bell as the 19th best player in the Big Ten for 2022, as Bell was named team captain for the 2022 season. If Bell is healthy against Indiana, he has a chance to light up Bloomington.

Defensive Key Player(s)

Mike Morris – #90 – EDGE

The senior edge rusher made 16 tackles and one for loss in his junior season and is in line to be the star of the defense with Aidan Hutchinson now leading the Detroit Lions defense. The top four leaders in tackles last season are all out the door and this lines Morris up to prove his worth as one of the best edge rushers in the Big Ten.

Mike Sainristil – #0 – DB/WR

You don’t see it often anymore, but Mike Sainristil will be playing both sides of the ball, along with special teams, for Michigan football and Jim Harbaugh. Sainristil has totaled 36 receptions, 532 receiving yards and five touchdowns on offense and six total tackles on defense in his three seasons in Ann Arbor. Though he’s got more experience and game time playing on the offense, Sainristil seems like he is going to have more of an impact in the secondary for the Wolverines this season. Watch out for Sainristil to make an impact anywhere and everywhere on the field.

Overall Outlook

Week 6 is looking like it will be the third toughest game for Indiana football all season, with the two tougher games coming in Week 10 (at Ohio State) and Week 11 (at Michigan State). The Hoosiers will hopefully come into this game against likely top 10-ranked Michigan, who will have many games under their belt and a quarterback situation figured out by then. I’ll always give Tom Allen and the Hoosiers a fighting chance, but running into the giant that is Wolverine football will be a tough task for the Hoosiers.