|
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana (Ticker) -- Chad Henne and Braylon Edwards are becoming a potent combination.
Henne completed third-quarter touchdown passes of 69 and 38 yards to Edwards as No. 18 Michigan overcame a slow start to defeat Big Ten Conference rival Indiana for a 13th straight meeting, 35-14.
Henne, a true freshman, completed 17-of-21 passes for 317 yards and three scores and Edwards caught eight passes for a career-high 165 yards for the Wolverines (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten), who have won 28 of the last 29 games against the Hoosiers (2-3, 0-2).
Michigan held just a 14-7 lead at the half but Grant Mason - who returned an interception for a touchdown against Iowa last week - ran back the opening kickoff 97 yards to the Indiana 3.
Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr was pleased with Edwards' blocking on the return.
"Braylon Edwards also had an unbelievable block to spring Grant open," Carr said. "That is an All-American play. You know someone is an All-American when they make a play like that without the football. Both the coaches and the players really appreciate it when someone does that."
Four plays later, true freshman Mike Hart punched it in from the 1 to open a 21-7 cushion. Henne twice found Edwards streaking down the sideline to make it 35-7 with 2:07 left in the period.
"We wanted to pressure and we wanted to double-team," Hoosiers coach Gerry DiNardo said. "I thought Henne did a good job of finding the guy who wasn't doubled. We mixed it up, some zone and some man, but there were some times we should have been in zone instead of man." Making his first start, Hart had 20 carries for 79 yards.
"He earned this start because of the good things he has been doing," Carr said. "He made an unbelievable block on pass protection today. He is just an excellent football player."
Matt LoVecchio was 13-of-19 for 136 yards and a touchdown for Indiana, which has lost three in a row since opening the season with back-to-back wins.
"As an offense we just need to continue to play hard and improve and do whatever it takes to move the ball down the field," LoVecchio said. "They are a good team and we fought hard, but we have to get back to work this week and word hard."
Michigan outgained Indiana, 424-214.
The Wolverines held just a 7-0 lead before Leon Hall, subbing for the injured Steve Breaston, returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown with 4:37 left in the first half.
Henne, who earlier fumbled at the Indiana 5, lost a fumble after being sacked with just over a minute remaining in the quarter, setting up BenJarvus Green-Ellis' two-yard run to halve the deficit entering the break.
"I thought we really fought back after having a close first half," Carr said. "We just need to learn how to take care of the football because good teams take care of the ball.
|
