Michigan celebrates a Cole Van Harn score
A potential defensive battle turned into a shootout in Elkhart, IN as the Hoosiers powered past the Maize and Blue 58-38.
A significant wind was blowing down the pitch and Michigan chose to play with the wind the first half. With thoughts on pinning Indiana deep in their own end, U of M looked to kick after receiving the kickoff. Indiana pressured well though and forced kicking errors as well as blocked a handful of Michigan kicks. This allowed the Hoosiers to grab possession in the Michigan end and start their onslaught of forward crashes. U of M defended well but committed penalties which ultimately allowed Indiana in for two scores early. Spotted a 12-0 lead into the wind, it looked promising for IU.
Michigan eventually cleared their lines though and worked into the Hoosier half. Finally on the attacking side, U of M produced some quick ball which saw Evan Rourke drive over for the first Wolverine score in the 16th minute. Joel Conzelmann converted and Michigan was only down 12-7. Michigan continued to pressure, playing a wider game than Indiana. Having worked back near the IU try line, Drew Vecchio was the next to get over and with a Conzelmann conversion, Michigan had their first lead 14-12.
Your Wolverines during the national anthem
Indiana’s discipline started to let them down and this gave Conzelmann a shot at goal from almost 40 meters out. The kick was good, Michigan up five. But the kickoff put Michigan back under pressure and with another blocked clearance kick, IU took possession in the U of M 22 and pushed over a score to tie it at 17 only a few minutes before halftime. The half was far from over though as Michigan won a penalty near halfway but chose to quick tap. Working the ball left through Jared Bosma and Sequoyah Burke-Combs, Cole Van Harn was the final ball carrier for a skillful unconverted try. U of M won another last minute penalty which Conzelmann booted over to give the Wolverines a 25-17 halftime lead.
The wind in the second half would turn the game around though. Indiana used it well to pin the Wolverines deep. Clearance attempts were moderately successful but never truly relieved the Hoosier pressure. Once near the try line, IU usually got over it. They put in a quick converted try to make it a one point game. And at the 52nd minute mark, took the lead for good, going up 29-25. Conzelmann hit a penalty for Michigan, bringing it back to a one point game but two more Indiana scores through sustained forward pressure as well as an IU penalty made it 44-28 with 13 minutes remaining.
The backs discuss tactics during a break in play
Michigan now had to chase the game. The physical encounter taking a toll on both teams as players were subbed or fought through obvious injuries to stay on the field. U of M managed two more scores through Christian Mentzer and Drew Vecchio but Indiana also scored twice and nailed the conversions to end it 58-38. A fantastic day of attacking rugby revealing Indiana, and the whole Big Ten, victorious.
Tries: Rourke 16′, Vecchio 24′, 80′, Van Harn 39′, Mentzer 69′
Cons: Conzelmann 16′, 25′
Pens: Conzelmann 35′, 40′, 57′
The second game saw Michigan take on the Badgers of Wisconsin. A rematch of a close encounter only two weeks early in Madison where UW came out on top 20-16. The day didn’t start well for Michigan. Poor basic tackling and excellent Wisconsin handling saw easy scores for the Badgers as they took a 24-0 lead after only 17 minutes. From here the Wolverines recommitted. Jesse Fenno got the Men in Blue on the board and Max Arevuo converted.
Still, Wisconsin’s backs were smooth and had little trouble carving up the U of M defense. They added two more before flanker Chening Duker would break away for a score converted by Arevuo. UW added one more to make it 39-14 at the break. They would add a dropgoal to start the second half before big Chris Byer rumbled in for a Michigan score.
The Wolverines were playing better. Consistent tackling kept them on the front foot while the offense did well to maintain possession and move up field. Simple handling errors would end a few Michigan threats though. Meanwhile, Wisconsin was handling better and put in three scores in the span of five minutes to bust out to a 59-19 lead. Duker broke away for a long score late for Michigan that Arevuo converted to go three of four on the day. Doomed by a poor first 15 minutes, the Wolverines improved and battled but could not dig out of their early hole and fell 59-26.
1. Zach Kendall
2. Jackson Wagner
3. Nick Azzopardi
4. Zack Burns (So.)
5. Jason Anthony
6. Cody Griffin
7. Cam Watson
8. Jesse Fenno
9. Albert Foo
10. Max Arevuo
11. Matt Ko
12. Riley Hanson
13. Ryan McDonough
14. Cooper Smart
15. Cody Brown
16. Chening Duker
17. Ben Shapiro
18. John Palladino
19. Chris Byer
20. Drew Calcaterra
Tries: Fenno 18′, Duker 32′, 65′, Byer 48′
Cons: Arevuo 19′, 32′, 65′
