The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 127 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Tom Allen was one of seven head coaches in Indi- ana history to sport a win- ning percentage better than .500, until the Hoosiers endured a 2-10 season in 2021. Plagued by injuries, the Hoosiers saw four differ- ent quarterbacks start games and struggled on both sides of the ball. The Indiana offense took a step back, ranking worse than 100th nationally in to- tal yards (124th), scoring (123rd), passing (113th) and rushing (113th). The Hoo- siers were tied for having the third-worst turnover mar- gin (minus-13) and scored touchdowns on just 54.3 per- cent of their red-zone trips. Following the season, Al- len made a move, firing his offensive coordinator, former U-M quarterback Nick Sheridan. Allen even lowered his own salary in order for the school to afford Sheridan's approximately $950,000 buyout. The Hoosiers brought in new coor- dinator Walt Bell, who was let go as UMass' head coach, to revamp the offense. IU lost quarterback Michael Penix Jr. — who threw for more than 4,000 yards and 29 touchdowns in his four-year career — to the transfer portal, too. All indications point to a new signal-caller engineering the offense, with Indiana having added redshirt junior Connor Bazelak from Missouri. While suit- ing up for the Tigers, Bazelak threw for 5,084 yards and 23 touchdowns with a 66.4 comple- tion percentage in 24 games and 20 starts. Fifth-year senior Jack Tuttle has started four career contests and will compete, too. The offensive weapons around Bazelak are also fresh faces. Third-team All-Big Ten tight end Peyton Hendershot and wide receiver Ty Fryfogle — who ranks among the top 10 on Indiana's career lists in receptions, yardage and receiving touchdowns — are both un- drafted free agents with the Dallas Cowboys. Instead, incoming transfers senior Emery Simmons (North Carolina) and junior Cam Camper (Trinity Valley Community College) are expected to be the top targets. Indiana is also tasked with replacing its top three rushers from 2021, but has a solid option in Auburn transfer running back Shaun Shiv- ers. The 5-7, 190-pounder churned out 1,020 rushing yards on 201 attempts (5.1 average) with 8 touchdowns in 43 games in the SEC. The Hoosiers' offensive line returns three starters. They're looking to improve up front, after ranking 118th nationally in line yards per game according to Football Outsiders (a metric that measures how well a front blocked for the rusher). They also gave up 29 sacks (74th in the country) and 74 tackles for loss (64th). Defense has always been Allen's calling card, and while the unit wasn't up to his standards last season, it was better than its counterpart. Indiana ranked 69th nation- ally in total yards allowed, but gave up 33.3 points per game, which slotted 109th in the land. The IU defense is a veteran one, led by a secondary with loads of experience and continuity. Fifth-year senior safety Devon Matthews, the team's 2021 defensive player of the year and a 2019 third-team All-Big Ten pick, was fourth on the squad with 55 tackles, adding 4 stops for loss, 4 pass break- ups, 1 sack and 1 interception. Fifth-year cornerback Jaylin Williams broke up a team- high 11 passes and graded out as the team's best cover man among those with 100-plus snaps per PFF (72.4) last season. To round it out, their classmate, nickelback Bryant Fitzgerald notched 41 stops and 5.5 for loss last season. The Hoosiers dipped into the portal to find two linebackers to assist fifth-year senior Cam Jones, the team's leading returning tackler, after second-team All-Big Ten se- lection Micah McFadden graduated. Red- shirt sophomore Myles Jackson (UCLA) and sixth-year senior Bradley Jennings Jr. (Miami, Fla.) should factor into the rotation, if not the starting lineup. The latter started 11 games with the Hurricanes and totaled 68 tackles, with 9 for loss and 3 sacks. Notes Indiana slotted 112th in the country with 17 sacks in 2021 … The Hoosiers were also 112th with 58 stops for loss and 119th with only 5 interceptions … QB Michael Penix Jr. trans - ferred to Washington, where he was reunited with former IU offensive coordinator and U-M quarterback Nick Sheridan, the Huskies' new tight ends coach. ❑ Hoosiers Aim To Bounce Back From A Dismal 2021 Season 2022 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2021 Result Sept. 2 ILLINOIS — Sept. 10 IDAHO W, 56-14 Sept. 17 WESTERN KENTUCKY W, 33-31 Sept. 24 at Cincinnati L, 38-24 Oct. 1 at Nebraska — Oct. 8 MICHIGAN L, 29-7 Oct. 15 MARYLAND L, 38-35 Oct. 22 at Rutgers L, 38-3 Nov. 5 PENN STATE L, 24-0 Nov. 12 at Ohio State L, 54-7 Nov. 19 at Michigan State L, 20-15 Nov. 26 PURDUE L, 44-7 PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense: Shaun Shivers, 5th-Sr., RB In addition to his 1,020 rushing yards, Shivers caught 38 passes for 211 yards and 1 touchdown during his time at Auburn … Was a Tigers team captain in 2020. Defense: Devon Matthews, 5th-Sr., S The 6-2, 204-pounder has registered 152 career tack- les and intercepted 3 passes. GAME 6 • INDIANA HOOSIERS • OCT. 8 • 12 P.M. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Michigan leads 60-10 First Meeting: U-M 12, IU 0 (Nov. 3, 1900 at Ann Arbor, Mich.) Last Meeting: U-M 29, IU 7 (Nov. 6, 2021 at Ann Arbor, Mich.) Head Coach: Tom Allen, 26-32 at Indiana and overall (6th year) 2021 In Review: 2-10, 0-9 Big Ten (7th West) Final 2021 Ranking: Unranked Returning Starters: 11 (3 offense, 6 defense, 2 spe - cialists) Last Bowl Appearance: 2020 (Outback Bowl vs. Ole Miss, L 26-20) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Donaven McCulley (475 yards, 2 TDs) Rushing: Donaven McCulley (135 yards, 2 TDs) Receiving: D.J. Matthews Jr. (165 yards, 0 TDs) Tackles: Cam Jones (64) Sacks: Cam Jones, Devon Matthews, Bryant Fitzgerald (1) Interceptions: Devon Matthews, Noah Pierre, Josh Sanguinetti (1) Opposing receivers caught just 52.7 percent of the passes thrown to them while Jaylin Williams was guarding them in 2021. That mark bested the Hoosiers' defense among those who were targeted 15-plus times, per PFF. PHOTO COURTESY INDIANA ATHLETICS