Never Daunted: An Indiana Hoosiers Dynasty (NCAA 14)

[apate93]

2018 Season Preview

Projected Big Ten Outlook
East Division
Ohio State
Indiana
Penn State
Michigan
Rutgers
Michigan State
Maryland

West Division
Nebraska
Iowa
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Northwestern
Purdue
Illinois

IU's Games to watch

Notre Dame- Fans across the midwest have been wanting this one for the past couple of seasons; Indiana, the hot up-and-comer, against Notre Dame, the perennial powerhouse. Football fans will finally get this matchup, week 1 in Bloomington. With the Irish ranked preseason number 8 and the Hoosiers at 19, this game has the potential to be an instant classic, with state bragging rights on the line.

Purdue- Indiana did a lot last year on their way to the national championship. But the one thing the Hoosiers didn't do: beat Purdue. And Indiana didn't just lose to their arch rivals, they had a complete meltdown. Indiana threw for just 5 passing yards and failed to score a touchdown until the fourth quarter. While nobody on the coaching staff or the team may admit it, that loss has to sting still. The Hoosiers get their chance to reclaim the Old Oaken Bucket and get revenge when they travel to West Lafayette.

Nebraska- Since the Big Ten expanded to 14 teams, the conference has been a bit lopsided. In recent years, the East Division has been far and away the tougher division (Nebraska's 2013 national title not withstanding), with the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, and now, Indiana, the Big Ten schedule has been a gauntlet for teams in the East, and this year looks like no exception. Nebraska has dominated the West, with Wisconsin and Iowa fighting for second-best, then a huge gap, then everyone else. While the likes of Minnesota and Illinois have had moments of success, they haven't been able to maintain that success for more than a season. This will be coach Pate's first matchup against the Huskers, and with Nebraska ranked number 23 to start the year, it should be a great way to kickoff Big Ten play. This could very well be a conference championship preview, so long as IU can take care of...

Ohio State- Yes, those pesky Buckeyes, who open the year as the favorites to win the conference, ranked number 3 nationally. Ohio State started off slow last year, but got red hot once Big Ten action started, and stormed through the East en route to a conference championship and a victory in the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes have even higher aspirations this year, which comes as no surprise when you look at this year's team. OSU used a dominant second half to end the Hoosiers' hopes of a conference title game appearance last year, one of only two losses Indiana suffered in 2017. The Hoosiers and Buckeyes have been pretty even since coach Pate's arrival, so it's hard to foresee this early who will have the upper hand when these two meet at The Rock for IU's senior day. Quite possible that this could, yet again, decide who wins the East.

Indiana's keys to victory

Defense- Last year, the Hoosiers used their high-powered offense, lead by Daryl Chestnut, to take them to the top of the mountain and win the BCS crown. Now, with Chestnut, and much of the 2017 starting offense, gone, things are going to be different. Where the Hoosiers relied on their offense last year, the name of the game in 2018 is defense. Indiana enters this year with 5 preseason All-Big Ten players, 4 of which come from the defense (with kicker Lewis Richardson the lone exception). Among them, senior defensive tackle Guy Butler, and linebacker Marcus Clark. But the real strength comes from the Hoosiers secondary, which includes cornerbacks Drew Moses and Alphonso Williams. If IU can contain the running game and keep healthy, opponents should have a tough time against this defense.

Offense- The math experts among us may have noticed that out of IU's 5 preseason All-Big Ten players, 4 are defensive, and 1 is special teams, which means none come from the offense. That isn't a huge surprise, and expect the Hoosiers to have a few stumbles at first as they try to find their rhythm. IU is lead on offense by redshirt senior QB Jon Manning, who threw just 8 touchdown passes last year to 13 interceptions. He will have to bring the TDs up and the picks down for the Hoosiers to have success offensively. The bright side for Manning: he completed 70% of his passes last year, and with the Hoosiers' top two running backs gone, expect him to get a lot more throwing opportunities. Manning's number one target will be Sam Pitts, who caught 56 passes last year as the #2 target behind Taj Williams. Pitts only had 3 touchdowns last year, which was actually down from his 4 in 2016, but again, expect to see that number rise. And that leaves us with the big question all Hoosier fans are asking: who will take over for Daryl Chestnut and Laray Smith? Answer: redshirt senior Michael Keenan. Keenan isn't the best ball-carrier around, but makes up for it in speed and agility. Also looking to get some carries is redshirt junior Nate Cross, who doesn't quite have the speed of Keenan, but has lightning fast acceleration and solid carrying ability. Neither of the two saw any action last year, so seeing how they respond to their newfound pressure will be interesting.

Turnovers- Simply put, Indiana gave the ball away too much last year. While Daryl Chestnut did a good job of taking care of the ball, he wasn't perfect. But the Hoosiers' biggest problem in the turnover department was interceptions. IU threw 14 picks last year, 13 by Jon Manning and 1 from now-sophomore Leonard Bell. Considering how much more important the passing game will be this year, reducing the number of interceptions is critical.

[apate93]

Smith signs with CFL

Edmonton, Alberta- Former Hoosier running back Laray Smith has signed a contract to play for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League, according to the team.

Smith saw limited action behind Daryl Chestnut in 2017, though he did see more action at running back in 2016 when Chestnut was out with an injury. Smith did, however, see lots of play for the Hoosiers as the team's top kick returner. In the National Championship game, Smith had 191 kick and punt return yards, the biggest game of his career, a key part of the Hoosiers' win over TCU.

Smith took to Twitter shortly after the team made the announcement, saying, "Blessed to have the chance to do what I love. This is only the beginning."

Smith becomes the third Hoosier from last year's team to go pro. Danny Friend and Daryl Chestnut were both selected in April's NFL Draft.

[apate93]

This week's headlines
Atlanta abuzz- Georgia Tech opens #1
No love? Defending champ Hoosiers ranked 19th
Don't sleep on the Panthers- FIU looks to make the leap to nation's elite
TCU's Pittman leads Heisman watch list
What now? Can USF win without Heisman-winner Johnson?
Wild west- Pac-12 loaded with QB talent

This week's big games
Marshall @ Miami (OH)
UMass @ Boston College
Colorado State @ Colorado
Arkansas @ Georgia
Wisconsin @ Washington
Tulane @ Georgia Tech
NC State @ Alabama
Navy @ Texas A&M
Nebraska @ Ole Miss (College Gameday)
BYU @ Arizona
Utah @ Utah State

Preseason Heisman Watch
Jerry Pittman- Senior (RS)- HB- TCU
J.R. Gipson- Senior- HB- Minnesota
Oliver Walker- Senior (RS)- QB- Oregon
Clint Moore- Senior (RS)- QB- Stanford
Justin McNamara- Junior (RS)- QB- Arizona


Indiana has a bye this week

[kswgrad2012]

Huge B1G fan here. (Go Bucks!)

Hadn't been following before, but it looks like I'll be following from here on out.

[apate93]

Quote: Originally Posted by kswgrad2012

Huge B1G fan here. (Go Bucks!) Hadn't been following before, but it looks like I'll be following from here on out.

We've got a bit of a rivalry forming with those Bucks. I'm both looking forward to and dreading our matchup with them ;p.

Thanks for following!

[apate93]

Top 25 scoreboard
Arkansas 35, Georgia 28
Alabama 35, NC State 30
Georgia Tech 49, Tulane 17
Texas A&M 24, Navy 15
Ole Miss 42, Nebraska 35
Utah 30, Utah State 21



This week's headlines
Ole Miss rallies to beat Nebraska in thriller
Arkansas tops Georgia in early-season SEC action
NC State's upset bid falls short, Bama escapes with win
Central Michigan upsets in-state foe Michigan State, 38-31
Wisconsin beats Washington in OT
Copper State blues- Arizona and ASU fall in openers

Heisman watch
Jerry Pittman- Senior (RS)- HB- TCU
J.R. Gipson- Senior- HB- Minnesota
Oliver Walker- Senior (RS)- QB- Oregon
Clint Moore- Senior (RS)- QB- Stanford
Albert Yates- Junior- HB- Alabama



This week's big games
Notre Dame @ Indiana
Virginia Tech @ USF
Cincinnati @ Ohio State
Duke @ Northwestern
Auburn @ Florida
LSU @ Tennessee
Texas Tech @ West Virginia
Virginia @ Stanford
Kentucky @ Ole Miss
California @ Colorado
Syracuse @ South Carolina
Connecticut @ Boise State
Miami (FL) @ Rutgers
Penn State @ Pittsburgh
BYU @ Wisconsin
USC @ Texas
Mississippi State @ Vanderbilt
Minnesota @ Oregon State
Arizona State @ San Diego State
Texas A&M @ Oregon (College Gameday)

[apate93]

Top 25

[apate93]

Matchup Preview *|* September 1, 2018
	@
#7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0-0, 0-0 Away)		#19 Indiana Hoosiers (0-0, 0-0 Home)
Game Notes Not too much that you can say about this one. Both teams come in ranked in the top 25, with the Irish moving up a spot after week 1 thanks to Georgia's loss. With this being each team's season opener, we really don't know what to expect. Keys to victory Indiana: Go over the middle. Notre Dame doesn't have a great linebacker corps, and the same can be said for their safeties. This plays into IU's hand, as the Hoosiers love to run short slant routes. Notre Dame: Get to the QB early. IU's Jon Manning will be taking on new responsibility this year, and if ND can rattle him early, the Hoosiers may have to rely on their unproven running backs. Prediction: Notre Dame 30, Indiana 17. Expect IU to look a little shaky as they try to figure themselves out. 3:30 PM, ESPN