A Patient, Disciplined Indiana Emphatic Big 10 Champs

11.13.2023College Men

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Indiana University won the Big 10 in convincing fashion Saturday at Notre Dame, defeating Michigan State 55-21.

Now, the Big 10 is quite competitive. Michigan State made the final thanks to a 27-21 win over Illinois. Illinois were pipped for 3rd by Ohio State 25-17. Wisconsin won 5th 26-24 over Michigan thanks to a try with three minutes to go in a game that ended on a missed penalty goal attempt.

Other scores from this season: Ohio State 24 Michigan 10; Michigan State 38 Notre Dame 26; Ohio State 16 Notre Dame 14; Michigan 19 Notre Dame 17; Wisconsin 31 Purdue 22 … you get the idea.

But that hasn’t been Indiana’s experience. From two through to eight the Big 10 is pretty close, but Indiana’s scores against Big 10 opposition doesn’t reflect this.

Indiana 48 Michigan State 8

Indiana 28 Wisconsin 14

Indiana 40 Ohio State 19

Indiana 31 Illinois 10

Indiana 43 Purdue 15

Indiana 44 Ohio State 7

Indiana kept this scoring pace up early, getting over the line in the first three minutes. Tighthead prop Mike McSorley did the honors on a pick-and-dive but this was a team try—just about every run made it past the gainline as Indiana put their stamp on the game early.

The Hoosiers added to that five minutes later after getting a penalty to set up a lineout in the Michigan State 22 and then using the forwards to camp out. It actually didn’t take long: maul, drive off the maul, forwards set a ruck, backs go wide, set a ruck, two more phases and a pick-and-go from Russell Lemaster. Lemaster was in the middle of all of that, making a break earlier in the sequence, and driving that maul.

A huge break from wing Michael Cabreros set up another attack, and inside center Parker Wall almost made it to the line. Michigan State was penalized, however, and after a few phases running it the forwards, and in fact McSorley, did it again.

So now it was 17-0 at 19 minutes, a minute later they were back threatening thanks to some shifty running and nifty offloads from the backs. This time the forwards couldn’t quite get it over and instead Tommy Hannon sent it wide and Cabreros raced in. Flyhalf Jack Ries converted and it was 24-0 after 22 minutes.

MSU did have a scoring chance after that with a penalty and a lineout, but Indiana was able to kick clear.

Cabreros once again find big meters to get IU inside the Spartan half and after another MSU penalty. Once again they relied on their forwards—the supposedly young forwards who are a year away—to finish it. Lock Saikou Barry dove over under the posts and with the Ries conversion it was 31-0.

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The INDIANA UNIVERSITY rugby program after winning the 2023 Big 10 final. Christo Kruger photo. (Photo Richard Nichols.)

With halftime approach Michigan State finally got on the board. An excellent scrum drive made it all too easy for a quick snipe over and score. But good teams often respond to being scored upon by getting into scoring position themselves. With time almost up in the half IU got a penalty but the tough-angled kick from Ries was wide. Still, 31-7 was a commanding lead.

The Hoosiers came right back after the break to challenge the MSU line. The Spartans worked hard to hold Indiana off, but the IU patience in scoring position was impressive—vice captain Wyatt Schrader dove over to make it 36-7, and, with the conversions, 38-7.

To Michigan State’s credit, they didn’t collapse. As the mountain they needed to climb became steeper and steeper (time was not their friend), they looked to take little victories where they could. But their execution in the IU 22 was not good enough and Indiana, now comfortably ahead, could afford to try some things.

Things like grubber through from Peyton Wall that set up a penalty, which led to a maul, which led to Lemaster charging over for his second.

Michigan State did battle their way over after a ton of effort, only to see IU scrumhalf Keenan Makowski scamper through. That made it 50-14. MSU kept at it and got over for another, 50-21. But Indiana had to have the last say and did with Carson Hoeppner using a nice change of direction to score it and finish it off 55-21.

What saw Indiana through was a combination of their team approach, their patience, and their discipline. This has not always been the profile of Hoosiers—patience and discipline have sometimes been spotty. But this team calmly went about its business and didn’t care who got the credit. The result was seven Big 10 games in which the closest was two tries, and the average score was 40-12.

On to the NCR D1 playoffs where the Hoosiers carry the banner for club teams into the final eight. They take on Principia next week, which will be a different test for that patience and discipline.

A Patient, Disciplined Indiana Emphatic Big 10 Champs

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