Tag: indiana hoosiers football

Ohio State has up and down first half against Hoosiers

Ohio State had ups and down in the first half, they have slowly pulled away, but there is work to do against Indiana.

The first half for Ohio State against Indiana has been up and down. After the first drive, the offense struggled to get anything against the Hoosier defense. Earlier this week we talked about how Indiana relies on bringing pressure to force mistakes and Fields certainly made mistakes. Fields needs to calm down and take what Indiana’s zone is giving him. He did better in the second quarter.

Granted, there were two missed fumble calls, a pick play not being called, and some questionable officiating, but that can not be the excuse for the mistakes. Ryan Day needs to tell Fields to just work his way down the field. Allow the run game to keep getting yards and force Indiana to have to play differently. The Hoosiers have struggled against the run game. Fields, Teague, and Sermon have been great on the ground.

The game is far from over, and Day is great at adjustments at half-time. The defense has played well for the most part. They do need to get a little more pressure on Penix, but this game is certainly winnable and Indiana’s offense has not been good. Get to Penix, stop Fryfogle, and force Indiana to stop the run, and the Buckeyes should be able to pull away.

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Ohio State vs. Indiana 2020 Football Preview And Prediction

It’s the first time Ohio State and Indiana will match up as top-ten opponents. See our keys to the game and how we see it playing out.

Raise your hand if you thought Indiana would be the biggest test of the Big Ten season for Ohio State. Yeah, me either, and yet here we are. What head coach Tom Allen has done there in Bloomington is quite amazing. And it’s all been done relatively quietly in the Big Ten East division.

The Hoosiers come to town this weekend and it marks the first time in the nearly 120 year history of Ohio State vs. Indiana football games that the teams will face each other as top-ten opponents. The Hoosiers are right at No. 10 in the latest Amway Coaches Poll Powered by USA TODAY sports, and a spot higher (at No. 9) in the AP Poll.

Let’s get ready for the game of the century! Well… not quite… but you understand. At least we hope to be able to watch some football with a Scarlet and Gray hue to it this weekend as opposed to last Saturday.

NEXT … Records and broadcast information

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Ohio State still sitting pretty in Joel Klatt’s latest top ten

We share where Ohio State football falls in FOX College Football’s Joel Klatt’s latest opinion top ten.

Even though Ohio State was unable to play this week, Joel Klatt still thinks very highly of the Buckeyes. With a record of 3-0, Klatt left OSU at No. 2 in his personal rankings this week.

Alabama, who also was unable to play after LSU had several players test positive for COVID, stayed put at No. 1. Notre Dame took care of a pesky Boston College team and was kept in Klatt’s third spot, while Clemson, who was also off, stayed at No. 4.

The Big Ten in general was well represented in Klatt’s top ten. Wisconsin comes in at No. 7 after an absolute beat down of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Directly behind the Badgers? The surprise of the Big Ten, the Indiana Hoosiers at 4-0.

Ohio State hosts Indiana this Saturday and has garnered national attention as the Fox Big Noon Kickoff show will be in Columbus for the game. However, the undefeated Hoosiers team isn’t getting much respect and has opened as a big underdog against the Buckeyes.

This will be the first time Ohio State and Indiana have played as top-ten ranked opponents.

 

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What will Ohio State do with the weekend off? Ryan Day gives some insight

With no game for the Buckeyes this Saturday, how will the team spend their extra time off?

Typically at this time in the week, we’re getting you ready for Saturday’s game with looks into enemy territory, reasons why the Buckeyes win, things to watch for, and more. More importantly, Friday’s for the football team are for a final walkthrough and preparations. But since the game against Maryland has been canceled, how will Ohio State spend its time?

Head coach Ryan Day gave some insight while answering questions from the media on Thursday. It’s no secret that Coach Day is in favor of being able to replace an opponent if the original opposition is unable to play. And we all know that Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren has unequivocally said “No.”

So what’s a coach to do when you’ve been planning for a game and the other team lets you know they can’t play four days before kickoff? Coach Day says, move on and get ready for the next one.

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Responding to how the team was moving forward without a game against Maryland, Day was quick to answer.

“…fast and furious… All of our attention last night and today went to Indiana. Anything we do now is a bonus,” Day said.

Bonus time to prepare for a quality opponent… not a bad consolation prize.

You have to believe Day and the Buckeyes hate missing an opportunity for actual live game action. However, instead of whining and complaining, the Buckeyes are controlling what they can.

Time to move on and get ready for what could be a de facto Big Ten East championship game against a very good Hoosier squad. Who would have thought?

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Around the Big Ten: Michigan falls to Indiana

In a highly anticipated ranked Big Ten matchup, the 13th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers were able to beat the 23rd-ranked Michigan Wolverines 38…

In a highly anticipated ranked Big Ten matchup, the 13th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers were able to beat the 23rd-ranked Michigan Wolverines 38-21 in a dominant fashion.

Related: What Badger fans should be watching in the Big Ten this weekend

The game was not close early, as the Hoosiers jumped out to a 24-7 lead at halftime. Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had an outstanding first-half performance of just over 250 yards and three passing touchdowns. Penix finished the day with 342 passing yards and three passing scores. Hoosier receiver Ty Fryfogle was on the receiving end of the outstanding first half from Penix and had 142 receiving yards and a touchdown in the game.

The first-half performance by the Hoosiers was dominant, and prevented Michigan, or quarterback Joe Milton, from getting any momentum other than the first-quarter touchdown pass to Cornelius Johnson. The Wolverines struggled to contain the offense of Indiana in the first half and were burned multiple times deep.

Nov 7, 2020; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Ty Fryfogle (3) caches a pass one handed against Michigan Wolverines defensive back Vincent Gray (4) during the first quarter of the game at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan seemed like a new team coming out of halftime, led by a phenomenal second-half effort from receiver Ronnie Bell. The big plays from Bell and Milton brought the game within ten midway through the third quarter. Bell finished the game with 149 yards and a receiving touchdown, while Joe Milton had 344 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two costly interceptions.

The effort from Michigan proved not enough, as two rushing touchdowns from Hoosier running back Stevie Scott III in the second half and a late Joe Milton interception were able to cement Indiana’s victory over the Wolverines.

Nov 7, 2020; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) hands the ball off to Indiana Hoosiers running back Stevie Scott III (8) during the second half of the game at Memorial Stadium. The Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Michigan Wolverines 38 to 21. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin is scheduled to play the Wolverines next weekend on Nov. 14 at the ‘Big House’, and will play the Hoosiers at home on Dec. 5. If Indiana can keep putting together wins against talented teams, they could be a real threat to Ohio State in the Big Ten East.

College Football News Preview 2020: Indiana Hoosiers

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Indiana Hoosiers season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Indiana Hoosiers season with what you need to know.      

CFN in 60 Podcast: 2020 Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana preview in 60 seconds

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– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Indiana Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

2019 Record: 8-5 overall, 5-4 in Big Ten
Head Coach: Tom Allen, 4th year, 18-20
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 43
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 64
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 59

NOTE: Obviously, no one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.

5. College Football News Preview 2020: Indiana Hoosiers Offense 3 Things To Know

– The offense quietly started to work really, really well. It might not have been able to keep up enough to overcome the occasional defensive issues, and the firepower wasn’t there to do anything against the Ohio States and Michigans of the world, but at least the attack was able to keep things moving.

The running game needs to be stronger, but the passing attack was the second-best in the Big Ten. With the potential of eight starters returning – along with some parts that missed time last year – the league’s No. 3 offense should be every bit as strong.

CFN in 60 Video: Indiana Hoosiers Preview
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– It’s now time for the Michael Penix era to take off. Peyton Ramsey did a nice job last season, but he’s bolting for Northwestern. Former Utah transfer Jack Tuttle is a talent, but as long as Penix is in one piece, this is his gig. The 6-3, 202-pounder threw for 1,394 yards and ten touchdowns with just four picks, but he was knocked out for the season with a shoulder injury.

Top targets Whop Philyor and Ty Fryfogle are back, along with junior TE Peyton Hendershot. However, there’s a wee bit of a depth problem early on after losing longtime veterans Nick Westbrook and Donavan Hale. There’s a whole lot of promising talent coming in – Rashawn Williams and David Baker were terrific gets in the latest recruiting class – but the law firm-sounding tandem of Philyor and Fryfogle will be the main men early on.

– Stevie Scott wasn’t quite the rushing force he was as a freshman, but he was still terrific, following up a 1,137-yard, ten-touchdown season with 845 yards and another ten scores. The problem? No problem – he wasn’t used as much.

Sampson James was in the transfer portal after rushing for 275 yards and three scores as a freshman, but he’s back, and Penix is a dangerous runner who should be third on the team in yards.

The O line was okay. It wasn’t the dominant force of past years, and it could use a star who can blast away, but it’ll be a good group once the interior is figured out. Matthew Bedford and Caleb Jones are big veterans at tackle, and 311-pound senior Harry Crider will play somewhere on the inside.

NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Indiana Hoosiers Defense 3 Things To Know

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Big Ten Bowl Impact: Indiana vs Tennessee

We look back on the Gator Bowl game between Indiana and Tennessee and see how it impacted both the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

With the 2019 college football season officially in the books, it’s time to look back on how the Big Ten did in bowl games.

As we go through all the bowls, in no particular order, we will focus on two main things:

1. How did the bowl performance end the 2019 season? Was it a fitting end or a poor performance, etc.
2. What impact, if any, will it have on the 2020 season.

2020 Gator Bowl: Indiana vs Tennessee

The matchup

Indiana came into the game as an underdog. The Hoosiers were a solid team, but facing an improving Tennessee team that had better recruits, better skill athletes, and ended the season on a five-game winning streak. Indiana, meanwhile, did not beat a single team of note during the season, but also avoided bad losses. It was a huge opportunity for the Hoosiers, but they couldn’t take advantage.

What went right

Indiana punched well above its weight class for almost the entirety of this game. The Hoosiers had a brilliant offensive strategy, got precisely the quarterback play it needed, and had the defense hang with Tennessee’s talent all game long. Tom Allen and his team very clearly brought a perfect game plan, which they managed to execute almost to perfection. The longer the game went, the clearer it was that Indiana was the better-coached and better team. But the Hoosiers let Tennessee stick around.

What went wrong

There’s a lot I can point to throughout the game about this, but I’m only going to focus on the mistakes towards the end. In a terrible minute-long span, Indiana played horrible defense, wasn’t at all prepared for an onside kick, and then played terrible defense again. In the blink of an eye, a 13-point lead turned into a one-point deficit.

Indiana fans and the program should be all over Tom Allen for not being prepared for that onside kick. He coached an incredible game and season, but he couldn’t do the little things that were absolutely needed. This tweet sums it up better than I could:

Next… 2019 wrap-up and 2020 impact

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Big Ten, big ’20s: Indiana football

Indiana football in the 2020s

Given that Kalen DeBoer became the head coach at Fresno State, due to Jeff Tedford’s departure, a natural question facing the Indiana Hoosiers in the 2020s will focus on the ability of IU football to cultivate a high-level offense. That is a valid area of examination when looking at the big questions confronting the Hoosiers in the next decade.

Yet, the Hoosiers’ chops on offense are more a part of the larger question than the biggest question in itself. If one is to identify the biggest question staring the Hoosiers in the face as the 2020s begin, it’s more than just the offense. Indiana needs to show the Big Ten that it can beat the best teams in the league.

Indiana has played Michigan close several times in recent years — not 2019, but certainly in some of the years before that. Indiana has played Ohio State close in a number of first halves. Indiana has been known to be a pest to a number of upper-tier Big Ten teams, Penn State also as part of the mix.

Yet, while Indiana does bother a lot of the really good teams in the Big Ten, it hardly ever wins. If Indiana is ever going to rise to a higher level, or at least, if the Hoosiers ever want to get a realistic chance of raising their ceiling, they need to break through and notch a high-value win against one of the big boys in the Big Ten. More precisely, Indiana needs to beat one of those big boys when the big boy is at (or close to) the height of its powers.

Indiana’s 8-4 season in 2019 was certainly a productive and encouraging campaign. Indiana football fans would take a decade filled with 8-4 seasons. They would be justified in desiring that standard from their program; it would undeniably rate as a clear improvement.

That said, if Indiana ever wants to reach a higher level of achievement, it has to slay the dragon. Are the Hoosiers ever going to get to that point? The question looms over the program, and it’s going to be part of the story if IU football until the Hoosiers can change the equation. Indiana hasn’t made the Rose Bowl since the 1960s. Minnesota has shown it might snap a long Rose Bowl drought in the near future. Indiana has to be able to beat Michigan or Penn State to enter that same conversation.