R&B Sling the Blue (Oct. 2, at Indiana)

ROGER GARFIELD: Well, 4-0 is great. It's grand. Can't do better than that. But through a month, I feel like I only know two things about this team: The defense is putrid, and Denard Robinson is remarkable. Now it's time to see whether Rich Rod has truly improved this team and made it ready for the Big Ten. He has only ever won three Big Ten games. Let's make it four in Bloomington.

BRANDON FALK: And ironically, the defense has performed to the level of competition. Let’s hope that holds true when we keep playing teams that are better than the non-conference competition we've faced.

RG: I'd like to think these are guys who can raise their level of play with increased competition, but we just don't know. Too many question marks on defense. That’s why I’m nervous for tomorrow.

BF: I’m excited. We get a couple guys back this week, Marvin Robinson and Carvin Johnson, some freshmen who have contributed early, and hopefully they can help. The offense is obviously clicking well, regardless of quarterback. I loved seeing Tate get in there and perform at a high level last week.

RG: Yeah, great to see Tate -- and his attitude about the whole situation couldn't be better. You said Saturday that if there's a game up in the air and Denard is hurt for whatever reason, you'd much rather have Tate in there than Devin. I couldn't agree more. Although Devin didn't look too shabby against BG.

BF: Also great to see our corners give less than 25 yard cushions ... but I digress. Tate's been there before, he's become a grizzled veteran of sorts. You're right about the question marks being on the defensive side of the ball. It's almost like the offense isn't even worth talking about, it's going so well.

RG: Yeah, but it's more fun to talk about the offense. Even then, they haven't played any good defenses. So we'll figure out a lot in these next couple weeks. Heading to Indiana, I think a big key is getting to the quarterback. Ben Chappell is poised and pretty dangerous back there, and they run that pistol offense pretty well. Almost beat us in Ann Arbor last year. With the corners playing unreliably, our D line and our linebackers need to rattle this guy early, or it could be a painfully long day for us U-M fans. I’m not looking to relive the UMass game.

BF: A few of our Spartan friends believe that the offense won't hold up in the Big Ten! I think that's fallacious. But yes, Chappell can play, and if we can get pressure with those front three and drop eight, we'll be in great shape. Just like before, I think Craig Roh is critical to the success of this defense. Speaking of the D line, how great has Mike Martin been? Unreal.

RG: I'd like to think those three can get to Chappell, but I just don't see it. I want to rush four and five and six and force him into making mistakes. Maybe Mike "the animal" Martin can do it on his own. I don't see the hoosier line stopping him too consistently. The guy is relentless. I thought we'd have a huge void there after Brandon Graham left, but Martin has filled it well.

BF: We have a true freshman out of Ohio named Jibreel Black wearing BG's No. 55, and he's performed very admirably in it. Need more consistent play out of Obi Ezeh! Mouton has looked great. We'll find out a lot in this game, though. It's nice to get in conference so we can really start silencing some critics.

RG: All that matters is we keep the zero on the right side of that W-L column. At least for another few weeks. What do you think of the state of the Big Ten four weeks in to the season? I was impressed through two weeks, but now I'm not so sure. We have beaten up on some patsies and not won any significant games, unless you count Ohio State topping Miami.

BF: The Big Ten looks great, and I think we'll show out well in Bowl season. Notre Dame is looking more and more pedestrian; that's maybe not as great a win as we thought it was initially. But you'll still take it, obviously.

RG: May the Irish cry themselves to sleep every Saturday night.

BF: Couple injuries this week: Mike Shaw and Fitz Touissant out, need some other backs to step up. I'm looking for Vince Smith and Mike Cox to play well, and Stephen Hopkins to hold onto the rock.

RG: I hope we get Smith the ball moving North and South. He doesn’t go sideways very well. Either way, with Shaw out, we’ll need another big day from the ‘Nard Dog.

BF: A real quick recruiting piece: Demetrius Hart makes his "Decision" this weekend. Nabbing him will be big if we do.

RG: I look at our style of play and think it helps recruiting in two ways: No. 1, the offense is so high-powered and fun, why wouldn't you want to play in that style and put up astronomical numbers? And No. 2, the defense is so bad and porous, the plausibility of coming in and playing right away is very real.

BF: OK, prediction time.

RG: Michigan 49, Indiana 28.

BF: Michigan 36, Indiana 30.

RG: Go Blue.

BF: Go Blue.

Roger Garfield and Brandon Falk are Michigan football fans excited for the Big Ten schedule to begin. They know the Hoosiers have some offensive pop, but they hope Denard and the boys will expose Indiana for the football school it really is and give the Hoosiers a customary home loss to the Maize and Blue. They hope. They can be reached at rlouisgar@gmail.com and hbrandonfalk@gmail.com.