100 days
- Thread starter CC Mac
- Start date
I'm ready, but to just completely skip through summer to fall? Nah, not me. Gotta enjoy some golf and some Cubs baseball.
I'm ready for a nice summer! Garden is in, graduation parties, beach, baseball, and great weather!
I am ready for football but will enjoy my summer until it gets here. B1G football meeting will be here soon and then the season really kicks off with Fall camps.
I’m not wishing my life or summer away,just pointing out it’s 100 days until the first game,that’s all.
I just moved back to the heartland after five years. I’m excited to see them in person this season.
Can't wait and really don't know what to expect, not only because of what's going on in Bloomington but also the changes around the conference. McSorley's gone from Penn State and they're near the bottom nationally in returning production. At Ohio State, Haskins is now a Sunday player, and one of the best HCs in the history of the game said good-bye to Columbus. Michigan State lost a lot on defense. Purdue returns only about a third of their offensive production. Michigan is really good, but they're breaking in a first-time OC. Nebraska's turning the corner with Frost, but probably still not a national power. Maybe there's a win or three among this group.
It'll be interesting to see what DeBoer is able to do in his first year with an offense that is loaded at the skill positions. Which of the three (Ramsey, Penix, Tuttle) will separate himself from the rest of the QB pack? Does the defense bounce back after a disappointing 2018? Lots of uncertainty, and I'm excited to see how it all plays out.
It'll be interesting to see what DeBoer is able to do in his first year with an offense that is loaded at the skill positions. Which of the three (Ramsey, Penix, Tuttle) will separate himself from the rest of the QB pack? Does the defense bounce back after a disappointing 2018? Lots of uncertainty, and I'm excited to see how it all plays out.
The Hoosiers have broken through with the top 40 recruiting class. CTA is putting things together in Bloomington.
However, let’s not forget that there were nine other teams in the Big Ten they had better recruiting classes this year. So despite the improvement the Hoosiers are still in the bottom half of the conference when it comes to recruiting. That’s not Coach Allen’s fault. That’s just the reality of being a member of a very deep conference.
Win or lose, the Hoosiers are going to play competitive football.
However, let’s not forget that there were nine other teams in the Big Ten they had better recruiting classes this year. So despite the improvement the Hoosiers are still in the bottom half of the conference when it comes to recruiting. That’s not Coach Allen’s fault. That’s just the reality of being a member of a very deep conference.
Win or lose, the Hoosiers are going to play competitive football.
MSU returns 8 starters on defense (lose 1 linebacker, 2 DB's). Defense should be their strong suit.
Their offense is horrendous. The OL gets blown off the LOS, and the backs have nowhere to run because there are no holes. Lewerke's shoulder is still a question mark. If he returns to his 2017 form the offense should be able to eclipse their 2018 17 PPG average. If not MSU is screwed. None of the backups have shown much promise.
MSU is at best a six win team without massive improvement on the offensive side. All Dantonio did was rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic when it comes to his offensive staff. They are ripe for being overtaken by IU or Maryland.
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I hope you're right! These teams at the bottom of the east are not far away from being really good teams. With the possible exception of Rutgers.
I should have been clearer. I'm talking returning production, not merely returning starters. It's different - - and more meaningful - - than a returning starters count, per Bill Connelly and the linked article below. As you can see, MSU is ranked 99th in returning defensive production.
https://www.sbnation.com/college-fo...9-ncaa-football-returning-starters-experience
That's an interesting take when MSU returns a front four that is rated as one of the top 5 in the nation. MSU lost a reserve DL in Gerald Owen, but returns everyone else including 1st Team All-American & BIG10 Defensive Linemen of the year, Kenny Willekes, 1st Team All-Big10 DT Raequan Williams, and 2nd Team All-Big10 Mike Panasiuk. All but one of the rotational DL are back (Owens) from a unit that led the nation in rush defense (77.9 yards/game).
Linebacker unit graduated Andrew Dowell (2nd leading tackler), but return MIKE Joe Bachie (1st Team All Big 10, teams leading tackler), and Tyriq Thompson. The backups (Brandon Randle, Antjuan Simmons) played significant amount of snaps. With 2/3 of the linebacking corps returning and two solid replacements this unit shouldn't experience any significant drop off.
The Secondary lost Safety Khari Willis, and Corner Justin Layne to the NFL. Layne became the lockdown corner after 2017 freshman All-American Josiah Scott was lost for the first 9 games of the season. Scott's performance in the final 4 games of the 2018 season resulted in 2 INT's, 7 PBU's, and 13 tackles. He was selected Defensive MVP of the Red Box Bowl. Josh Butler filled in while Scott was out the first 9 games, and then replaced Layne in the bowl game when Layne decided not to play. Safety David Dowell (3rd team All-Big10 in 2018, 59 tackles, 2 INT's) returns for his senior year. Xavier Henderson will take Willis' spot in the secondary. He played last year as a true freshman, rotating in for Willis. He earned the position by passing several veterans.
That ranking of 99th in returning defensive production may be true statistically, but I would venture a strong possibility that the MSU defense will once again rank among the top ten nationally. Too much proven talent on that side of the ball for such a low ranking.
MSU will lose it's share of games this season, but it won't be because of its defense. Losses this season will likely be due to their inept offense.
I like what we are doing here at Indiana. But what I would give to have your program. 6-6 is your down year. Your defense holds us down every year. It will be interesting if Kalen Deboer can solve it.
If IU ever wants to have major success in the Big Ten, this is the kind of D-line they have to build.
The one thing IU has, is a lot more physically gifted athletes on defense. We’ve usually had them on offense. But now we are getting them on defense. Cam Jones, Marcelino Ball, Bryant Fitzgerald, Reese Taylor, James Head, Micah McFadden, Madison Norris, James Miller, Beau Robbins, Cam Williams. These are the kind of guys that you normally see at programs like Michigan State, and Penn State. Fast, aggressive players. We should be able to come downhill on opponents much faster. DT is the area we still need to land some difference makers. We have some guys that can hold their own there, like Jerome Johnson and Juan Harris. And we have a few big bodies coming in like Sio Nofo, and Demarcus Elliot. But we don’t yet have major talent at this position. We could be vulnerable to power running teams because trying to get outside or long on this defense will be extremely difficult.
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I’m watching the QB position. If we have a change at starter, it means we got better. If we don’t have change, at best ...at best... we will have incremental improvement.... imho that wouldn’t be enough at QB position to make the dramatic jump we are looking for on offense.
We are going in the right direction and I hope we make those drastic leaps we need.
IU is developing a more gifted DL with the players you pointed out but don't forget about King, McCabe, Jones, and Ziemba that can play inside. They are likely to play the 3 spot like Johnson but could be used in pass rushing situations.
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Me too and this will, for sure, be the most closely watched development. A big deal will be made out of who starts the Ball State game, but I think people need to be careful about not overstating the significance of that Game 1 decision. I see this as a fluid situation. We may not know who "the" guy is until the fourth or fifth game of the season. I'm ok with that, as I have every confidence that Coaches Allen and DeBoer will ultimately go with the guy who gives us the best chance at winning in the conference.
That's a good take. If Ramsey is the guy, then we will have Ramsey-level performance from the position. As great a kid as he is, we will need better to move up to the next level.
I'm still convinced that Penix had the spot won in the PSU game before he went down.
I thought Penix had it won also. I think Ramsey is great also but I think he is one of those guys that comes in when your starter goes down and looks amazing.
That injury was just so......I threw my hands up and just said “what the heck can we do”.... I do think when it flips it will flip hard like at Kentucky last year. But we have the potential to be more balanced on offense than they were.
I don't understand the mindset that if Penix or Tuttle win the QB job our offense will be better but if Ramsey wins we will stagnate. Is Ramsey not allowed to improve in the off-season?
Full disclosure: I like Ramsey. I've stated here before he reminds me of the Iowa/Northwestern QBs who are not particularly good at anything yet lead teams to 8 - 10 wins each year.
I think his one glaring weakness is throwing WR screens and quick outs to the sideline. The ball is so slow getting to the sideline that the D closes while the ball is in the air and we get precious few YAC.
Imagine the ball getting there a second sooner and Whop, Gest or Walker catching it with Hale and Westbrook in front to pave the way!
Full disclosure: I like Ramsey. I've stated here before he reminds me of the Iowa/Northwestern QBs who are not particularly good at anything yet lead teams to 8 - 10 wins each year.
I think his one glaring weakness is throwing WR screens and quick outs to the sideline. The ball is so slow getting to the sideline that the D closes while the ball is in the air and we get precious few YAC.
Imagine the ball getting there a second sooner and Whop, Gest or Walker catching it with Hale and Westbrook in front to pave the way!
Sure he is. But as Hack put it so well, it will only be incremental improvement. We need more than that.
Except he leads us to 5 win seasons. Other than that, sure, that's a good comparison.
I like Ramsey, too. I think it's likely he''ll start the Ball State game, and it's his job to lose. That said, we've got two 4-star guys waiting in the wings, and I'll be surprised if Ramsey isn't on a fairly short leash. As you said, there needs to be more zip on the ball, and we've got to have opponents believing we're capable of going deep. Otherwise, like last year, we become a lot easier to defend.
I don’t buy it.
Michigan State will put out solid players on offense. They have talent and always do. I see them no less than an 8 win team this year.
As an IU fan, I’d take their offense in a heartbeat. Dantonio doesn’t put out crap. You are underestimating them.
They will be right up there in the East division as they are every year.
Last year was Dantonio's and his offensive staffs worst season. MSU suffered a great many injuries among its offensive line, but those injuries occurred after the OOC schedule, and the issues with poor line play were evident against Utah State, Arizona State, and Central Michigan, as they were unable to open holes or run the ball.
MSU returns all but one of the members from its inept OL. Jim Bollman has gone from being the TE coach to the OL coach, and unless he knows how to make chicken salad out of chicken crap, or completely overhauls the OL with the unproven/inexperienced linemen from the 2017 and 2018 recruiting classes I can't imagine things changing much.
They, meaning the staff and players have a great deal to prove, and after seeing the spring game the offense once again didn't show much.
Ramsey's best game was when he came off the bench to beat Virginia 2 seasons ago. His best win at qb since then ... no idea.
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