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          Devin Gardner, Jeremy Gallon set records in Michigan's shootout win

          Oct 19, 2013
          • Associated Press

          ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan had a record-breaking day on offense, and its defense was almost bad enough to overcome that.

          Devin Gardner set school records with 584 yards of offense and 503 yards passing and matched another mark with five touchdowns to help the Wolverines outscore Indiana 63-47 Saturday.

          "We won the football game, that's the only thing I care about," Michigan coach Brady Hoke said.

          Jeremy Gallon had a Big Ten-record 369 yards receiving and two TDs on 14 receptions for the Wolverines, much to the dismay of Indiana coach Kevin Wilson.

          "Ridiculous," Wilson said.

          The Wolverines (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) lost two fumbles in the second half that gave the Hoosiers (3-4, 1-2) a chance to win in Ann Arbor for the first time since 1967.

          Indiana quarterback Tre Roberson ran for a 15-yard score that pulled the Hoosiers within two points early in the fourth quarter.

          But after Gardner fumbled at the Indiana 2 on the ensuing drive, Roberson took himself out of the game because of a hand cramp and Nate Sudfeld gave the ball back with an interception that was thrown well short of a teammate who had gotten past Michigan's secondary.

          That was Thomas Gordon's first of two interceptions in the fourth quarter. The other one was at the Wolverines 6 with 2:57 left, helping them avoid an upset.

          "We were frustrated because we were giving up so many points, so we knew we needed to make a couple plays," Gordon said. "The offense and defense are supposed to be picking each other up, and we hadn't done that all night until the end."

          Fitzgerald Toussaint had 151 yards rushing for the Wolverines and scored for a fourth time with 1:12 left in the shootout.

          The Wolverines set a school record with 751 yards of offense.

          "We were getting blocked, not getting off blocks and missing tackles," Wilson said.

          Michigan, though, gave up 572 on defense in its worst showing since Oregon racked up 624 yards of offense in 2007.

          Gardner completed 21 of 29 passes for two TDs and avoided throwing an interception for the second time in three weeks.

          "The offensive line protected so well that I was able to read the defenses and our guys had time to get open," he said.

          Gardner ran 15 times for 81 yards and three scores, including one that included a hard hit after he was a few yards into the end zone.

          Through three quarters, Gallon had 343 yards and was within reach of the major college record set in 1998 by Louisiana Tech's Troy Edwards with 405 yards receiving.

          "I guess they focused so much on (Devin) Funchess and forgot about me," Gallon said.

          Toussaint gave Michigan the desperately wanted running game it wanted -- by a running back -- by averaging nearly 5 yards on 32 carries.

          Indiana had a lot of success with the ball, too, especially with its hurry-up offense. And yet, Wilson acknowledged the pace that helped the Hoosiers have scoring drives that lasted no longer than 2:08 may not be such a good thing for his team overall.

          "Offensively the tempo helps us, but it might hurt our defense," Wilson said.

          Roberson was 16 of 23 for 288 yards with three TDs and an interception. He ran 11 times for 50 yards and a score. Sudfeld was 8 of 19 for 122 yards with a TD and an interception.

          Indiana's Tevin Coleman had 11 carries, none for a negative gain, for 78 yards and a score. Kofi Hughes caught six passes for 138 yards and a TD for the Hoosiers. Cody Latimer had five receptions for 96 yards and a score. And, Shane Wynn scored on two of his four receptions.

          The Hoosiers scored first, but both teams scored often.

          Gardner and Toussaint combined for three TDs on the ground to give Michigan a 21-7 lead midway through the second quarter and it seemed as if the team, unranked for the first time this year, might coast to an easy victory.

          The Wolverines' shaky defense, though, couldn't stop Indiana until the late in the game.

          Michigan has won 19 straight at home, the longest streak by a BCS conference team, and 18 in a row against Indiana. The Wolverines' next game is Nov. 2 at Michigan State. The Hoosiers are also idle next week before hosting Minnesota.