BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Indiana thought it did all the right things against Michigan.
The Hoosiers more than doubled the Wolverines' play total. They had more than twice as many first downs. Indiana's defense kept Michigan's electric quarterback off the field for 42 of 60 minutes, and a sold out Memorial Stadium was ready to celebrate an upset.
And Denard Robinson still beat them, 42-35.
"We played a very, very good football team with some great players," coach Bill Lynch said.
Denard Robinson impressed the Indiana players on Saturday. He was named the Big Ten's Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.
Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com
Robinson is clearly the best of the bunch.
He exploited the Hoosiers' most glaring weakness — stopping the run — and gave every other Big Ten school a game plan for how to beat them.
Almost every time the sophomore quarterback touched the ball, something magical happened. Robinson carried 19 times for 217 yards and two scores, the first and last for the Wolverines (5-0, 1-0). When he wasn't running, he was setting up teammates for their own big plays, and now the Hoosiers (3-1, 0-1) have to fix things.
It starts with better tackling.
Indiana has allowed 828 yards rushing, or 207 per game, and is yielding 6.3 yards per carry as it heads into the coming weekend's daunting challenge at No. 2 Ohio State, a team that has traditionally relied on the run.
"It's tackling, angles and execution," senior linebacker Tyler Replogle said when asked what Indiana's defense will focus on this week. "We're going to watch the film, we're going to learn from it and we're going to be a better defense."
The Hoosiers had better be.
To win three more games and become bowl eligible, they don't have a choice.
Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor is equally proficient at running and throwing, like Robinson. Pryor also finds himself squarely in the Heisman Trophy conversation, like Robinson.
And also like Robinson, Pryor now faces Indiana with something to prove after getting hurt in the lead-in game.
Robinson's bruised left knee didn't seem to bother him at all Saturday.
But Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez was still upset with his offense's inability to seal the game late in the second half after stopping Ben Chappell & Co. on three straight second-half series.
"Every time, it seemed like we were a yard short," Rodriguez said. "That is the thing that is disappointing for us, that we had two or three opportunities to go up two scores."
Rodriguez's critique comes after Michigan rolled up 297 yards rushing and 574 yards on just 45 plays.
But after three straight games exposed cracks in Indiana's run defense, Robinson blew right through them.
He started the winning drive with runs of 8, 17 and 2 yards, then hooked up with Junior Hemingway for a 42-yard completion to the Indiana 4. And when the Wolverines needed one more big play, they kept the ball in Robinson's hands and let him run against the Big Ten's No. 10-ranked run defense.
The result: A 4-yard TD for the win that left the Hoosiers searching for answers as they prepare for another ranked opponent this week.
"He's No. 1 for the Heisman, he's obviously a great player. There's not much else that needs to be said," Replogle said. "They're a great football team and we've got another great football team (ahead). I think you want to play great football teams, especially after a loss."
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