About Last Week Some of you said that Mason Graham played like a man possessed. Or that he played like a man who was angry that he’d missed two games. Or like a man trying to make up for lost time. None of these theories was exactly correct. Barron Mason Graham was playing with the fury and desperation of a man who badly needs to scratch his butt, yet cannot. And he knows that only by ending the game can he remove the club and end his suffering. Mason Graham hates the Red Hat Media Timeout Guy more than anyone. The Road Ahead Indiana (2-3, 0-2 B1G) Last week: Bye Indiana Recap: Some folks take the bye week to rest and recover. Some folks use the bye week to apply the full catalogue of ACME products to their offense. Tom Allen woke up last week and chose ACME. Out: offensive coordinator Walt Bell, a guy dedicated to the idea that you can pester a defense into submission one three-yard screen pass at a time. In: former Temple and NIU head coach Rod Carey, a guy who, in the past, ran an offense that was actually based on the principles Bell’s offense was SUPPOSED to be based on: spreading teams out and running the dang ball. From 2012 through 2018, NIU finished 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 3rd, and 3rd in the MAC in rushing attempts per game. The only catch is Indiana’s offensive line. Which is very very very bad. Indiana finished under 3.2 yards per carry (and either last or second-to-last in the Big Ten) against FBS teams in 2020, 2021, and 2022, and they’re currently last in the conference at 2.6 YPC this season. This team is as frightening as: Giving a 7-year-old the first shot in a game of H-O-R-S-E. Yes, they get a momentary tactical advantage. No, it won’t matter. Fear Level = 2.5 Michigan should worry about: Indiana has had two weeks to implement an offense Michigan hasn’t seen yet. Michigan can sleep soundly about: Against FBS teams, Indiana is 14th in the conference in yards per play allowed (6.5), yards per carry allowed (5.3), passing yards per game allowed (259), sacks per game (1.0), and scoring defense (28.8). As you may be aware, there are only 14 teams in the conference. Even if the offense they come up with is “put Patrick Mahomes in glasses and a fake mustache,” it probably won’t matter. When they play Michigan: If you can’t run the ball and you can’t protect the quarterback long enough to throw the ball down the field and throwing the ball short is what got you into this mess and you can’t stop the run and you can’t stop the pass and you can’t score and you can’t stop the other team from scoring, your strategic options are limited. Next game: @ Michigan, Moderately Sized Noon Saturday, FOX (IU +34-ish) [AFTER THE JUMP: y no one play?]