2014-15 Football Previews – (Big 10) – Hoosiers
Indiana was pegged by many as a team that should be one of the most improved in the country last year. They did improve to 5-7, but they fell short of their goal of reaching a bowl game. Indiana had just one win in 2011. They won four games in 2012 and five games in 2013.
Big Ten 2014-2015 College Football Preview – Indiana Hoosiers (Link)
Head Coach: Kevin Wilson
2013 Record: 5-7
Indiana Odds to win the National Championship: +250,000
Season Win Total: 5.5
How are the Hoosiers going to take that next step? They’ll be counting on their veteran leaders. Indiana returns 17 starters from last year’s team, and they are hungry for a bowl berth. As a program, Indiana has only had one bowl berth since 1993. Let’s take a look at their strengths and weaknesses as a team.
Team Strengths:
Nate Sudfield gives Indiana a very good one at the quarterback position. Sudfield is the accomplished passer for the team. Tre Roberson threw for 15 TD’s and ran for five more last year, but he has transferred away from the school.
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Sudfield threw for 2,523 yards and 21 touchdown passes. Wilson’s system allows for a lot of switching of schemes, and Sudfield should do well in the starting role this year.
Indiana’s offensive line was tremendous last season, and they should be even better this year. There aren’t many defensive fronts who can match up with this group. Indiana returns 130 career starts across the offensive line, which is third most of any team in the country.
Wilson was an offensive lineman in college, and he does a great job coaching up these guys.
While there isn’t as much experience at the skill positions on offense outside of running back this year, there is still plenty of speed. Wilson will have the ability to spread out opposing defenses and keep them off guard with both the running game and the short passing game.
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Team Weaknesses:
It would be easy to just put the entire defense down as a weakness. Indiana has struggled to stop anyone for the last few years, and until they are able to stop someone it will be hard to beat the better teams in the Big Ten. Indiana allowed 528 yards per game last year, and the Hoosiers allowed 39 points per game. Those just aren’t numbers that will get the job done.
It all starts with a weak defensive line. Opponents ran for 238 yards per game against this group last year. Indiana’s defensive tackles are constantly dominated, and the entire front seven has been terrible against the running game.
A lot of the same guys are back from last year, but I don’t think that is a good thing when they haven’t been able to slow anyone down the last couple seasons. The secondary is a similar situation where 8 of the top 10 return from last year, but this group was riddled by the better quarterbacks in the league last year.
This defense needs to take some serious steps forward.
Sudfield is a good quarterback, but he’ll have far less weapons on the outside this year. Hughes, Lattimer, and Wilson are all gone from last year, and those were arguably the team’s best three pass catchers. Inexperience on the outside could slow the offense down a bit.
2014-2015 Indiana Football Prediction: 4-8
I don’t see Indiana making any further improvements this year. Roberson was arguably their best player in key situations last year, and he’s gone now. The defense is still atrocious, and the offense looks a little less stellar on paper.
Indiana isn’t likely to get to a bowl game this year, and they’ll probably take a small step backward.
Indiana Football Schedule
- 8/30/14 TBD INST
- 9/13/14 TBD @BGSU
- 9/20/14 TBD @MIZZ
- 9/27/14 TBD MD
- 10/4/14 TBD UNT
- 10/11/14 TBD @IOWA
- 10/18/14 TBD MSU
- 11/1/14 TBD @MICH
- 11/8/14 TBD PSU
- 11/15/14 TBD @RUTG
- 11/22/14 TBD @OSU
- 11/29/14 TBD PUR
