Charlie Campbell
Indiana 13, Michigan 6 OT
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This game had the potential for a good draft matchup, with Michigan cornerback Zeke Berry being challenged by Indiana star wide receivers Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh. Becker looks like a pick for the top half of the first round; Marsh could also go on opening night, and Berry is an early-rounder. All good receivers are dependent on their quarterback and offensive line playing well, and that was proven again as Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover and the offensive line struggled versus Michigan to limit what their star receivers could do. Another reason why the Indiana offense struggled was a tremendous performance from Berry that is going to help him a lot in the months to come.
In the second quarter, Berry looped around the line to make a tackle in run support near the line of scrimmage. Shortly later, Berry had a good tackle on Josh Hoover on a third-down scramble to stop him short of first-down yardage and force a field goal. Late in the second quarter, Berry had excellent coverage running with Marsh down the sideline, and Berry looked back at the quarterback at the perfect time to make a diving breakup that got his defense off the field. Late in the third quarter, Berry made a game-changing play with his team down 6-0. Berry was in off-man coverage and read the eyes of Josh Hoover to undercut Marsh for an interception with a 37-yard return to set up his offense at the Indiana 13.
This tape is going to help Berry a lot with pro evaluators in the months to come. Berry had sticky coverage on Marsh, showing the ability to run the route to prevent separation. He had excellent technique on when to look back for the ball and showed an excellent ability to play the ball. His ball skills with the batted pass and interception were impressive. Plus, Berry tackled and was active as a run defender and played well on special teams. Berry could end up getting late first-round consideration and looks like a second-round pick at the lowest.
Michigan limited Becker to 32 yards on three catches, and Marsh had two receptions for 25 yards. On the first play from scrimmage, Marsh caught a pass and had a nice run, weaving through defenders and was on his way to a long gain but had a foot step out of bounds. Late in the second quarter, Becker ran a good route on an out for a leaping grab of 17 to set up a field goal for the Hoosiers on the final play of the first half. That proved to be a big play in the game. Overall, this tape won’t hurt or help Becker and Marsh for the 2027 NFL Draft.
