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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

112. Indiana


(1-11, 0-8) Big Ten Leaders


(November 4, 2011 - Source: Jamie Sabau/Getty Images North America)

Rankings:-

Offense
Avg
Defense
Avg
Rushing
161.00
Rushing
243.67
Passing
199.42
Passing
215.00
Total
360.42
Total
458.67
Points
21.42
Points
37.33


Overview

When Kevin Wilson took on the HC job at the Hoosiers, he bemoaned the lack of talent available, and it showed when they managed just 1 victory, over FCS team South Carolina State. Even Ball State and North Texas got their pound of flesh. Wilson played a lot of young guys with the intention of building for the future, and while he was able to identify some quality players, the team really struggled. The same plan is in place again this season, but results may be a bit better with an all-round improvement in talent and depth.

Offense

The Hoosiers tried 3 different QBs last season, but only now-sophomore Tre Roberson is still on the roster. He’s the starter for now, but JUCO Cameron Coffman and incoming freshman Nate Sudfeld bring a lot to the table and either could win the job. The good news is whoever starts has a quality stable of backs to hand off to. Stephen Houston (802 yards, 8 scores) was the star of the show last season and should be the focal point of the offense in 2012. D’Angelo Roberts (263 yards, 4 scores) will back him up, but watch out for freshman Tevin Coleman who could be used in a lot of ways on offense. WR is one of the ways, and it’s just as well, as Indiana are a little thin on the ground there. Last year’s leader, Kofi Hughes (35-536-3), should be better with better service, but no-one else really stands out. The hope is one of the incoming freshmen can add some explosiveness. At TE Ted Bolser was a useful target in the few games he started, including scoring a TD against Penn State’s gnarly defense, but spent too much time in Wilson’s bad books. He’s back and raring to go this season, and a good TE is always a young QB’s best friend. The offensive line should be strong on the interior at least - C Will Matte is the best of the bunch, but sophomore guards Collin Rahrig and Bernard Taylor impressed in their rookie seasons. Rahrig was a walk-one and Taylor switched over from D. Peyton Eckert was another freshman starter at RT and should continue there, but the left side is a big question mark after the graduation of Andrew McDonald. Clarence Chapman will most likely win the job, but huge freshman Raphael Green could push for playing time. He may be better suited to the right side though. The offense, despite its flaws, was not usually the reason the Hoosiers lost, and many of the main contributors return. Expect to see some noticeable improvement in 2012.

Defense

When the defense wasn’t being bad last season, it was downright awful, and opponents generally ran and passed with success on the Hoosiers. The run defense was the biggest problem, with opponents racking up a massive 2924 yards and 25 scores. DTs Adam Repogle (4 sacks) and Larry Black were okay in the middle and both return, but the ends need addressing. Bobby Richardson and Ryan Phyllis are both back after starting a few times in their freshmen seasons, and will be functional (at best) starters if no pass rusher steps forward. Justin Rayside was a key contributor on a top 5 JUCO team (Riverside), and could be a factor, at least on passing downs. Top MLB Jeff Thomas has graduated, and may be hard to replace. The only returning starter is SLB Chase Hoobler, although he was okay in his freshman season and should keep his spot. Wilson signed a lot of LBs this offseason, and the hope is some of the JUCOs are ready to step in. Expect David Cooper in the middle and Jaccari Alexander at WLB. Both were good players at the JUCO level. It’s difficult to be too harsh on the young secondary, as they didn’t get a whole lot of help from the the front 7 and often had to keep an eye on teams running too. The good news is most of the guys are back, and should be better for the experience. Wilson’s big signing class includes both freshmen and JUCO defensive backs, and the added competition should improve depth. Greg Heban and Lawrence Barnett should man the corners again, while Mark Murphy and (maybe) Drew Hardin will man the free and strong safety spots respectively. If the defense can slow down running attacks, the unit as a whole should be better next season.

Special Teams

One of Indiana’s few reliable players is K Mitch Ewald who hit all his PATs last season and 13 of 16 FGs (49 long), although he had a shaky spring camp. He’s also a solid kickoff option. P Adam Pines has graduated, but he’s replaceable. Mitchell Voss is the only punter with game experience (Ferris State), and is the front-runner for the job. The Hoosiers didn’t return a whole lot of punts, but KR Shane Wynn had his moments and took one back for a score against Illinois. The coverage units were nothing special, but were alright.

5 Players to watch out for


  1. QB Tre Roberson - Wilson seems to like him and he showed he was a nice dual-threat last season. If he can improve his passing, and better receivers will help, then he could be a headache for opposing DCs next season.
  2. RB Isaiah Roundtree - the third quality RB on the roster, and he could be the best. Houston’s a banger and has value, but Roundtree has the kind of moves and acceleration that can really hurt a defense. He may not carry the load straight away, or at all, but he will have an impact if the spring game is anything to go by.
  3. WR Duwyce Wilson - after a fine freshman season, Wilson suffered through an injury-marred second year. If he can stay healthy, he’s the best option among the receivers to pair with Kofi Hughes, as shown by his impact in games he played.
  4. MLB David Cooper - with his indecision over signing with Indiana now in the past, Cooper should be the glue that holds the defense together. He racked up 102 tackles with 13 for loss at Coffeyville CC last season, and the hope is he can reproduce that here.
  5. WLB Jacarri Alexander - the other player coaches hope will improve the defense next season, Alexander has looked great in spring, showing a nose for the ball that was sadly lacking amongst last year’s corps. He has some pass rush skills that could be put to good use too.

Prediction

The Hoosiers SHOULD open the season 3-0, but after that the schedule gets tough in a Big Ten where no games are easy. Key losses to opponents, coupled with improvements all across the board at Indiana, means a couple of conference wins could be in the offing. If they sweep their OOC (not so sure about Navy), they could pull off enough wins (Northwestern & Purdue anyone?) to make a bowl game.

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