Game balls from Michigan football's win over Indiana
The Michigan Wolverines had no shortage of standout performances in their seventh win of the season, this time coming in the form of a 52-7 rout of the Indiana Hoosiers at home on Saturday afternoon.
The Wolverine’s team of Chris Balas, Anthony Broome and Clayton Sayfie chime in with their game ball picks after the seventh victory of the 2023 campaign.
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Chris Balas: Sophomore TE Colston Loveland
Sophomore tight end Colston Loveland had 16 catches for 205 yards and a touchdown coming into the day but made arguably his biggest impact on Saturday against Indiana. The Michigan tight end had 3 catches for 80 yards and a 54-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter to start pouring it on the Hoosiers.
It was another play where Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy made some magic on a rollout to his right side. He found Loveland, who did most of the work and showed a ton of burst on his way to the end zone. He continues to emerge as a consistent offensive weapon for this Michigan group.
Clayton Sayfie: Junior QB J.J. McCarthy
Despite wind, rain and cold temperatures in Ann Arbor, McCarthy was undeterred in operating the Michigan offense on Saturday afternoon. He finished the game 14-for-17 for 222 yards and 3 touchdowns along with 27 yards rushing.
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One of his incompletions came via a ball that had a bit too much mustard on it, while another was a miscommunication with Cornelius Johnson in the red zone. The way he continues to spread the ball around and move this team into the end zone remains impressive, even if he took a few too many hits on Saturday.
Anthony Broome: Graduate linebacker Michael Barrett
Business is booming for the Michigan defense, and Michael Barrett‘s efforts at linebacker have a lot to do with that. Saturday was one of his most disruptive outings in a Michigan uniform, with 3 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a QB hit, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Michigan has increased depth and more athleticism at linebacker than it did last year, but Barrett has continued to hold emerging players off while playing some of the best ball of his career.
Honorable Mention: Michigan freshman offensive players
There has been a lot of concern over what the future might hold for Michigan offensively, but the Wolverines continue to get solid contributions in a number of areas from true freshmen. Running back Benjamin Hall led the team in rushing with 9 carries for 58 yards, while both Semaj Morgan and Karmello English had touchdown receptions. There’s a decent amount of juice from these young guys early on, and it’s reassuring to see Michigan find players who contribute despite a lack of recruiting accolades.
