CMU/Indiana: Halftime Notes

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Quick points at halftime from Memorial Stadium:

• Porous defense early. Indiana used a wide array of runners in the first half and it seemed each of them had success against Central. Tailback Marcus Thigpen has more than 100 rushing yards already, many coming from his 77-yard scamper in the first quarter that made it 14-7. The main issue here, yet again, is tackling - CMU missed several tackles, some of which could have saved touchdowns or big-play yardage. While the Hoosiers have just 98 passing yards, they really have not utilized that part of their game (6-for-9 combined between quarterbacks Kellen Lewis and Ben Chappell). The Chippewas just need to tackle better and keep putting pressure on the quarterback. That's all it takes; Indiana's not good enough to overcome that.
  
• Outstanding performance by Brunner. Junior Dan LeFevour's absence barely affected the offense today in terms of scoring. Here's senior quarterback Brian Brunner's stat line after just one half: 24-for-32, 248 yards, three touchdowns. He is singlehandedly keeping Central in the game. Two or three of his passes were near-interceptions, but because he is throwing so accurately, those passes were complete, including a 16-yard lob to Joe Bockheim to tie the game late in the half. His play is key so far.
  
• The absence of senior right tackle Greg Wojt shows. CMU has just two rushing yards. Tailbacks Ontario Sneed and Bryan Schroeder have a combined 7 rushes for 0 yards, many of which were stuffed because of Indiana defenders breaking through. This also applied to the pass, where Brunner struggled to stay comfortable in the pocket late in the second quarter. The offensive line just need to protect the run and the pass better if the Chippewas are going to continue scoring.
  
• Despite their struggles, the Chippewas still have a tie. It's obviously important not to get down. It's a tie game, and CMU gets the ball to start the second half. Start it off right, and build some momentum on defense. That's the key to winning the first Big Ten game in 16 years.