IU's offense can't get going in loss

ANN ARBOR. Mich. -- In practice leading up to IU's game at Michigan Saturday, coach Gerry DiNardo challenged his cornerbacks. He told them whoever had the most interceptions would start the game against the Wolverines.\nThat turnover mentality carried over, as IU had two picks and two forced fumbles in the first half against Michigan. Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, the offense couldn't capitalize on any of those opportunities. IU lost 31-17 in a lackluster offensive performance, despite a number of chances.\n"There's so many reasons you can pinpoint, but it's just a matter of getting all 11 guys on offense working together, moving the ball, and creating some momentum," said quarterback Matt LoVecchio, who threw for 107 yards with two picks. "The bottom line is we lost the football game. We have to go back to work tomorrow and work on it."\nIU began the game with consecutive interceptions on the Wolverines' first two possessions. After a 41-yard run by senior Wolverine tailback Chris Perry to the 19-yard line, sophomore defensive back Leonard Bryant picked off quarterback John Navarre. \nThe Hoosiers then went three and out, and Michigan drove to the IU 25-yard line. But, on a fourth and 6 play, Navarre threw another interception, this time to senior cornerback Duane Stone.\nBryant said the challenge in practice carried over to the game.\n"As you can imagine, you had guys flying around left and right trying to pick the balls off, myself included, in practice," he said. "(Saturday) it was all about making plays. DiNardo told us he wants us to go for the balls. Forget the tackles, go after the balls and that's what we did. That's the mindset we've got to have every game going in."\nAfter the second interception, IU again went three and out. But freshman punter Tyson Beattie kicked a line drive that sophomore wideout Steve Breaston caught, dodged a tackler and raced down the right sideline for a touchdown.\nIU got another break on the Wolverines' next possession when Perry fumbled and sophomore linebacker Kyle Killion recovered. But LoVecchio threw an interception that cornerback Jeremy LeSueur returned 60 yards for a score.\nDespite forcing three turnovers in the first quarter, IU found itself down 14-0 at the end of the period. \nAfter a Wolverine field goal, senior free safety Joe Gonzalez recovered a fourth Michigan turnover -- a second fumble by Perry. The Hoosiers took the ball to the Wolverines' 32-yard line, but LoVecchio couldn't connect with freshman running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis on a fourth down play. The Wolverines answered with a long drive, culminating with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Navarre to Breaston. \nThe Hoosiers did manage to get on the scoreboard in the second half, though. IU opened the third quarter with a massive 19-play, 72-yard, 8:40 drive ending in a Bryan Robertston field goal. Senior running back Brian Lewis paced the drive with 11 carries for 32 yards, while LoVecchio found a rhythm offensively. After passing for a mere 8 yards in the first half, he connected on 6 of 7 passes for 38 yards on the drive.\n"It wasn't much different than what we called in the first half, they just played it better," DiNardo said. "I honestly think (the team was) probably embarrassed and they should have been."\nIU outscored the Wolverines in the second half, although UM inserted a variety of second-string players. The team gave up one more UM score, a 15-yard touchdown pass from Navarre to junior wideout Braylon Edwards in the third quarter, but scored a pair of touchdowns.\nThe first came on special teams in the fourth quarter when junior strong safety Herana-Daze Jones blocked a punt. Safety Buster Larkins scooped up the loose ball and ran it to the end zone for the score. In the closing minutes of the game, IU managed a 55-yard drive, capped off by a 3-yard touchdown run by Lewis. \n"I was more pleased than the first half for sure," DiNardo said. "We still had some tough plays, but the first half was just atrocious offensively. If you can't get to the line of scrimmage, you can't win a game. You can't come into Michigan stadium and win a game if you have no offense."\nDespite the loss, the Hoosiers did limit the Wolverines' potent offensive attack. The defense surrendered only 17 points and held Perry to 74 yards rushing after his long first-quarter run. \nJunior linebacker Josh Moore said there were positives to draw from the performance. \n"I think every week our run defense is improving," Moore said. "We went up against a Heisman candidate today and we played pretty well. I think we did some positive things, but the fact is we lost the game. We just got to take it one step at a time, keep building next week and hopefully, we'll get a 'W.'"\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.