Day after WKU assessment

[IndyIUFan66]

This game almost felt like playing Army triple option trap. Their offense is wide open, a huge home game for them & they have a ton of D1 transfers.

But IU got a win and there were both positive & negative takeaways.

start with negatives:

-DJ Matthew’s leg injury. I haven’t heard anything official but it looks like he may be out a few weeks? But it was a “Penix-like fluke” play as had nothing to do with WKU, he landed funny by himself on a punt return. It happens, hope he can bounce back.

-Our vaunted D looked vulnerable to this run & Gun style up tempo offense. Not the prettiest thing to see heading into Penn St night game next week.

-Baldwin got stripped again (but luckily landed on it). He needs to hold onto the FB!

-CB’s Williams & Taylor + safety Matthew’s got toasted a few times for bigger plays.

-Overall very close and losable game, heading into B10.

Positives:
-Penix seems to have “gotten the message” about protect the football! Thought he looked comfortable, more confident and threw some nice balls tonight.

-Think Coach Allen’s trust in Penix paid off in form of Penix appreciating that trust and playing more confidently. That may be turning point he needed to get back his confidence & OSU 2nd half mojo!

-Fryefogle: made many huge, third down catches and looked most likely his beat of last year self we’ve seen so far this season. Didn’t have his long balls, but I will take those third down 8-14 yd catches to move the chains all day long! He looked great to me.

-Hendershot- keeps looking better and more confident each week too. He & Barner & Bjorson may be peaking more heading into B10.

-Carr: he went over 100 yds and is looking better and better each week it seems. He is a hard runner and I think he could cause some trouble ahead for B10 opponents.

-Charles Campbell! It is nice to have a phenomenal kicker! He was my game MVP (or at least co-MBP with Penix tonight)

-McFadden: the man is a beast and inspires rest of defense. Enjoy watching him!

-Cam Jones & T Mullen - also stand out a lot to me.

-Anderso. & Stone Handy - think they will “get home” for some sacks in B10 season ahead!

Looking ahead:
-We’ve lost to two current top 10 teams. Defense played well enough to win @Iowa, and Few bad mistakes cost us Cinci game we should have won. We clearly could play with and did for awhile badly outplay Cinci. Things can still build off from that game.

- Against WKU, going to say Offense carried D a bit more for the W. That’s a good thing to see Offense turning a corner.

-Confidence is a funny thing, and if Penix now has a shot of it, he could also light up Penn St too, as in they are not #1 team in country or totally unbeatable.

-Carr, Fryefogle & Hendershot - See Penix above. If they keep rolling IU may have a more balance attack that can cause problems for B10 teams.

-I still trust IU Defense. B10 teams who don’t run WKU run & gun can’t just go add that suddenly. They may try uptempo no huddle, but if you aren’t well versed in that, it can also lead to quick 3 & outs too. Our D is more “bend not break” and I think they also rise to level they are playing, meaning Idaho’s & WKU’s will still get some plays off against them maybe more so than B10! Teams they are more dialed in on.

If they ran the table and were 9-2, no one would say “bad season.” So don't pre-judge it until it’s over. They are 2-2, defense has been solid and offense looked beat it has all season in game 4 now heading into B10 season.

-Penix is still same guy who people said watch him…if he turns confidence corner, and could play like tonight or 2nd half OSU last year, he could make IU a dangerous team again quickly.

-OL needs to step up and keep building but run game and Penix looked best have all season vs WKU.

onward!!

 

[td75]

You covered a lot of ground. I think my biggest take away from last night is what I've stated in other threads; quite a few Big Ten teams lose that game last night. That would seem to bode well for Indiana.

Defensively, I'm not sure what we can take away from last night's effort. Western's QB has thrown for 10k yards in his college career, pretty tough customer. Indiana probably won't see that type of rapid fire, break neck tempo again.

 

[Bobby9]

This game almost felt like playing Army triple option trap. Their offense is wide open, a huge home game for them & they have a ton of D1 transfers.

But IU got a win and there were both positive & negative takeaways.

start with negatives:

-DJ Matthew’s leg injury. I haven’t heard anything official but it looks like he may be out a few weeks? But it was a “Penix-like fluke” play as had nothing to do with WKU, he landed funny by himself on a punt return. It happens, hope he can bounce back.

-Our vaunted D looked vulnerable to this run & Gun style up tempo offense. Not the prettiest thing to see heading into Penn St night game next week.

-Baldwin got stripped again (but luckily landed on it). He needs to hold onto the FB!

-CB’s Williams & Taylor + safety Matthew’s got toasted a few times for bigger plays.

-Overall very close and losable game, heading into B10.

Positives:
-Penix seems to have “gotten the message” about protect the football! Thought he looked comfortable, more confident and threw some nice balls tonight.

-Think Coach Allen’s trust in Penix paid off in form of Penix appreciating that trust and playing more confidently. That may be turning point he needed to get back his confidence & OSU 2nd half mojo!

-Fryefogle: made many huge, third down catches and looked most likely his beat of last year self we’ve seen so far this season. Didn’t have his long balls, but I will take those third down 8-14 yd catches to move the chains all day long! He looked great to me.

-Hendershot- keeps looking better and more confident each week too. He & Barner & Bjorson may be peaking more heading into B10.

-Carr: he went over 100 yds and is looking better and better each week it seems. He is a hard runner and I think he could cause some trouble ahead for B10 opponents.

-Charles Campbell! It is nice to have a phenomenal kicker! He was my game MVP (or at least co-MBP with Penix tonight)

-McFadden: the man is a beast and inspires rest of defense. Enjoy watching him!

-Cam Jones & T Mullen - also stand out a lot to me.

-Anderso. & Stone Handy - think they will “get home” for some sacks in B10 season ahead!

Looking ahead:
-We’ve lost to two current top 10 teams. Defense played well enough to win @Iowa, and Few bad mistakes cost us Cinci game we should have won. We clearly could play with and did for awhile badly outplay Cinci. Things can still build off from that game.

- Against WKU, going to say Offense carried D a bit more for the W. That’s a good thing to see Offense turning a corner.

-Confidence is a funny thing, and if Penix now has a shot of it, he could also light up Penn St too, as in they are not #1 team in country or totally unbeatable.

-Carr, Fryefogle & Hendershot - See Penix above. If they keep rolling IU may have a more balance attack that can cause problems for B10 teams.

-I still trust IU Defense. B10 teams who don’t run WKU run & gun can’t just go add that suddenly. They may try uptempo no huddle, but if you aren’t well versed in that, it can also lead to quick 3 & outs too. Our D is more “bend not break” and I think they also rise to level they are playing, meaning Idaho’s & WKU’s will still get some plays off against them maybe more so than B10! Teams they are more dialed in on.

If they ran the table and were 9-2, no one would say “bad season.” So don't pre-judge it until it’s over. They are 2-2, defense has been solid and offense looked beat it has all season in game 4 now heading into B10 season.

-Penix is still same guy who people said watch him…if he turns confidence corner, and could play like tonight or 2nd half OSU last year, he could make IU a dangerous team again quickly.

-OL needs to step up and keep building but run game and Penix looked best have all season vs WKU.

onward!!

Penex would more affective if he ran the ball--defenses know he won't --so they cover receivers all over place--they offer him a free ride--IF HE WANTS to take it--run and flop before anyone gets near him--if defenses have to stop him, more receivers will be open--especially the 10 yarders--come on Sheridan--or is it Allen--let him run !!

 

[Big Red Crimson Buffalo]

Penex would more affective if he ran the ball--defenses know he won't --so they cover receivers all over place--they offer him a free ride--IF HE WANTS to take it--run and flop before anyone gets near him--if defenses have to stop him, more receivers will be open--especially the 10 yarders--come on Sheridan--or is it Allen--let him run !!

There was a scramble play in the 2nd half where Penix slid down a full 3 yards short of the first down marker and had room to run for the first down. Still very, very hesitant on the knee.

 

[ce36ei]

I’ve taken the morning to try and digest. I’ve tried to put a positive spin in my mind but it just won’t output. I was glad to see MP throw the ball better. But I’m afraid we’ll be back to where we were after next week because of defensive pressure up front.

The defense is very average. We won’t win many games in the B1G because of it.

CTA positive coach speak drives me insane. He sounds like the 5 year olds soccer coach constantly praising. We beat a probably .500 CUSA team largely because of a massive coaching gaff by their HC. We shouldn’t really be that happy! If we’ve truly made the step that shouldn’t be the tone. If we’re still same old Indiana, I get it.

I’m really afraid we just played an atrocious defense and still got held to 4 FG’s! Next week IMO really tells you where this team is going. If they play with Penn State, then fine, I was wrong. If we lose by 21 or so points, same old Indiana I’m afraid.

 

[Univee2]

I’ve taken the morning to try and digest. I’ve tried to put a positive spin in my mind but it just won’t output. I was glad to see MP throw the ball better. But I’m afraid we’ll be back to where we were after next week because of defensive pressure up front.

The defense is very average. We won’t win many games in the B1G because of it.

CTA positive coach speak drives me insane. He sounds like the 5 year olds soccer coach constantly praising. We beat a probably .500 CUSA team largely because of a massive coaching gaff by their HC. We shouldn’t really be that happy! If we’ve truly made the step that shouldn’t be the tone. If we’re still same old Indiana, I get it.

I’m really afraid we just played an atrocious defense and still got held to 4 FG’s! Next week IMO really tells you where this team is going. If they play with Penn State, then fine, I was wrong. If we lose by 21 or so points, same old Indiana I’m afraid.

Didn't see the entire game. What was the "massive coaching gaff by their HC?"

 

[ce36ei]

Didn't see the entire game. What was the "massive coaching gaff by their HC?"

He didn’t go for a 4th and 1 in the 4th. I think we were up 2 at the time. They end up punting, we score the last TD on a long drive and go up 9. That to me was the game. If they end up going ahead on that drive, even by 1, it’s Indiana down late in the 4th QTR. That’s a whole new ballgame. To me, they kind of had the momentum and if you’re trying to knock a power 5 off, I don’t see how you punt there. Indiana was pretty well on their heels defensively.

 

[Radio Zero]

He didn’t go for a 4th and 1 in the 4th. I think we were up 2 at the time. They end up punting, we score the last TD on a long drive and go up 9. That to me was the game. If they end up going ahead on that drive, even by 1, it’s Indiana down late in the 4th QTR. That’s a whole new ballgame. To me, they kind of had the momentum and if you’re trying to knock a power 5 off, I don’t see how you punt there. Indiana was pretty well on their heels defensively.

Even on the radio, you could tell the fans were not at all pleased with that decision.

 

[IUFANBB]

This game almost felt like playing Army triple option trap. Their offense is wide open, a huge home game for them & they have a ton of D1 transfers.

But IU got a win and there were both positive & negative takeaways.

start with negatives:

-DJ Matthew’s leg injury. I haven’t heard anything official but it looks like he may be out a few weeks? But it was a “Penix-like fluke” play as had nothing to do with WKU, he landed funny by himself on a punt return. It happens, hope he can bounce back.

-Our vaunted D looked vulnerable to this run & Gun style up tempo offense. Not the prettiest thing to see heading into Penn St night game next week.

-Baldwin got stripped again (but luckily landed on it). He needs to hold onto the FB!

-CB’s Williams & Taylor + safety Matthew’s got toasted a few times for bigger plays.

-Overall very close and losable game, heading into B10.

Positives:
-Penix seems to have “gotten the message” about protect the football! Thought he looked comfortable, more confident and threw some nice balls tonight.

-Think Coach Allen’s trust in Penix paid off in form of Penix appreciating that trust and playing more confidently. That may be turning point he needed to get back his confidence & OSU 2nd half mojo!

-Fryefogle: made many huge, third down catches and looked most likely his beat of last year self we’ve seen so far this season. Didn’t have his long balls, but I will take those third down 8-14 yd catches to move the chains all day long! He looked great to me.

-Hendershot- keeps looking better and more confident each week too. He & Barner & Bjorson may be peaking more heading into B10.

-Carr: he went over 100 yds and is looking better and better each week it seems. He is a hard runner and I think he could cause some trouble ahead for B10 opponents.

-Charles Campbell! It is nice to have a phenomenal kicker! He was my game MVP (or at least co-MBP with Penix tonight)

-McFadden: the man is a beast and inspires rest of defense. Enjoy watching him!

-Cam Jones & T Mullen - also stand out a lot to me.

-Anderso. & Stone Handy - think they will “get home” for some sacks in B10 season ahead!

Looking ahead:
-We’ve lost to two current top 10 teams. Defense played well enough to win @Iowa, and Few bad mistakes cost us Cinci game we should have won. We clearly could play with and did for awhile badly outplay Cinci. Things can still build off from that game.

- Against WKU, going to say Offense carried D a bit more for the W. That’s a good thing to see Offense turning a corner.

-Confidence is a funny thing, and if Penix now has a shot of it, he could also light up Penn St too, as in they are not #1 team in country or totally unbeatable.

-Carr, Fryefogle & Hendershot - See Penix above. If they keep rolling IU may have a more balance attack that can cause problems for B10 teams.

-I still trust IU Defense. B10 teams who don’t run WKU run & gun can’t just go add that suddenly. They may try uptempo no huddle, but if you aren’t well versed in that, it can also lead to quick 3 & outs too. Our D is more “bend not break” and I think they also rise to level they are playing, meaning Idaho’s & WKU’s will still get some plays off against them maybe more so than B10! Teams they are more dialed in on.

If they ran the table and were 9-2, no one would say “bad season.” So don't pre-judge it until it’s over. They are 2-2, defense has been solid and offense looked beat it has all season in game 4 now heading into B10 season.

-Penix is still same guy who people said watch him…if he turns confidence corner, and could play like tonight or 2nd half OSU last year, he could make IU a dangerous team again quickly.

-OL needs to step up and keep building but run game and Penix looked best have all season vs WKU.

onward!!

I appreciate the detailed summary, but we will be luck to reach 6 games and bowl status. I think that Allen brought in to many transfers. The team chemistry is poor compared to last year. Just not the same culture & buzz on the sidelines as last year. Please show me 4 more wins with this schedule. The ESPN sports app only shows us being favored in 2 remaining games - Rutgers and Minnesota. We average 14% probability of winning Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State games.

 

[Bowlmania]

This game almost felt like playing Army triple option trap. Their offense is wide open, a huge home game for them & they have a ton of D1 transfers.

But IU got a win and there were both positive & negative takeaways.

start with negatives:

-DJ Matthew’s leg injury. I haven’t heard anything official but it looks like he may be out a few weeks? But it was a “Penix-like fluke” play as had nothing to do with WKU, he landed funny by himself on a punt return. It happens, hope he can bounce back.

-Our vaunted D looked vulnerable to this run & Gun style up tempo offense. Not the prettiest thing to see heading into Penn St night game next week.

-Baldwin got stripped again (but luckily landed on it). He needs to hold onto the FB!

-CB’s Williams & Taylor + safety Matthew’s got toasted a few times for bigger plays.

-Overall very close and losable game, heading into B10.

Positives:
-Penix seems to have “gotten the message” about protect the football! Thought he looked comfortable, more confident and threw some nice balls tonight.

-Think Coach Allen’s trust in Penix paid off in form of Penix appreciating that trust and playing more confidently. That may be turning point he needed to get back his confidence & OSU 2nd half mojo!

-Fryefogle: made many huge, third down catches and looked most likely his beat of last year self we’ve seen so far this season. Didn’t have his long balls, but I will take those third down 8-14 yd catches to move the chains all day long! He looked great to me.

-Hendershot- keeps looking better and more confident each week too. He & Barner & Bjorson may be peaking more heading into B10.

-Carr: he went over 100 yds and is looking better and better each week it seems. He is a hard runner and I think he could cause some trouble ahead for B10 opponents.

-Charles Campbell! It is nice to have a phenomenal kicker! He was my game MVP (or at least co-MBP with Penix tonight)

-McFadden: the man is a beast and inspires rest of defense. Enjoy watching him!

-Cam Jones & T Mullen - also stand out a lot to me.

-Anderso. & Stone Handy - think they will “get home” for some sacks in B10 season ahead!

Looking ahead:
-We’ve lost to two current top 10 teams. Defense played well enough to win @Iowa, and Few bad mistakes cost us Cinci game we should have won. We clearly could play with and did for awhile badly outplay Cinci. Things can still build off from that game.

- Against WKU, going to say Offense carried D a bit more for the W. That’s a good thing to see Offense turning a corner.

-Confidence is a funny thing, and if Penix now has a shot of it, he could also light up Penn St too, as in they are not #1 team in country or totally unbeatable.

-Carr, Fryefogle & Hendershot - See Penix above. If they keep rolling IU may have a more balance attack that can cause problems for B10 teams.

-I still trust IU Defense. B10 teams who don’t run WKU run & gun can’t just go add that suddenly. They may try uptempo no huddle, but if you aren’t well versed in that, it can also lead to quick 3 & outs too. Our D is more “bend not break” and I think they also rise to level they are playing, meaning Idaho’s & WKU’s will still get some plays off against them maybe more so than B10! Teams they are more dialed in on.

If they ran the table and were 9-2, no one would say “bad season.” So don't pre-judge it until it’s over. They are 2-2, defense has been solid and offense looked beat it has all season in game 4 now heading into B10 season.

-Penix is still same guy who people said watch him…if he turns confidence corner, and could play like tonight or 2nd half OSU last year, he could make IU a dangerous team again quickly.

-OL needs to step up and keep building but run game and Penix looked best have all season vs WKU.

onward!!

Many positives from last night. Offense is back, looking much more effective than even against FCS Idaho two weeks ago. Penix showed flashes of his old self, and we got a run game going.

Go Hoosiers!!

 

[Big Red Crimson Buffalo]

I appreciate the detailed summary, but we will be luck to reach 6 games and bowl status. I think that Allen brought in to many transfers. The team chemistry is poor compared to last year. Just not the same culture & buzz on the sidelines as last year. Please show me 4 more wins with this schedule. The ESPN sports app only shows us being favored in 2 remaining games - Rutgers and Minnesota. We average 14% probability of winning Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State games.

There are a bunch of teams in the Big this year that are 50/50 games. There are 6 wins there for 95% of the conference right now.

 

[IndyIUFan66]

I'm not delusional and every game is a "prove it" game in the B10. But it all starts up now for rest of the season next week at PSU. Every week can be different. Flukey things happen in games. Confidence can hit (or vanish) from teams along the way. I think IU has some resilience to it. They flushed Iowa game. They blew Cinci game, but they truly could/should have won it and first half (up to last 3 min) could have been representative of what IU could be ahead. And then if take Penix's WKU outing of ZERO turnovers and great use of Fryefogle and Hendershot, plus Carr continuing to shine, and then defense gets back to what it has been...I give IU a great shot against most teams left on schedule. It's why they play the games!

 

[iueyedoc99]

He didn’t go for a 4th and 1 in the 4th. I think we were up 2 at the time. They end up punting, we score the last TD on a long drive and go up 9. That to me was the game. If they end up going ahead on that drive, even by 1, it’s Indiana down late in the 4th QTR. That’s a whole new ballgame. To me, they kind of had the momentum and if you’re trying to knock a power 5 off, I don’t see how you punt there. Indiana was pretty well on their heels defensively.

We were only up two and they had just gained 13 on 3rd and 14, had the ball at midfield or slightly in IU territory, and I’m thinking no way we are stopping them on fourth. Then the punt team comes on and I was actually worried they would come to their senses and call TO before he got the punt off. I was elated!!

 

[Big Red Crimson Buffalo]

We were only up two and they had just gained 13 on 3rd and 14, had the ball at midfield or slightly in IU territory, and I’m thinking no way we are stopping them on fourth. Then the punt team comes on and I was actually worried they would come to their senses and call TO before he got the punt off. I was elated!!

We stopped them on 4th-2 inside our territory in the first half. It’s not a gimme.

 

[iueyedoc99]

We stopped them on 4th-2 inside our territory in the first half. It’s not a gimme.


No it’s not. You can make a case either way and I would not personally call it a huge coaching blunder, BUT in the moment my gut reaction to the punt call was relief and glee!

 

[iueyedoc99]

While we’re on the topic let’s not forget the huge hit Matthews put on the guy to force 4th down just short of the 1st down marker and force the decision in the first place. May have well saved the game.

 

[IUNY]

This game almost felt like playing Army triple option trap. Their offense is wide open, a huge home game for them & they have a ton of D1 transfers.

But IU got a win and there were both positive & negative takeaways.

start with negatives:

-DJ Matthew’s leg injury. I haven’t heard anything official but it looks like he may be out a few weeks? But it was a “Penix-like fluke” play as had nothing to do with WKU, he landed funny by himself on a punt return. It happens, hope he can bounce back.

-Our vaunted D looked vulnerable to this run & Gun style up tempo offense. Not the prettiest thing to see heading into Penn St night game next week.

-Baldwin got stripped again (but luckily landed on it). He needs to hold onto the FB!

-CB’s Williams & Taylor + safety Matthew’s got toasted a few times for bigger plays.

-Overall very close and losable game, heading into B10.

Positives:
-Penix seems to have “gotten the message” about protect the football! Thought he looked comfortable, more confident and threw some nice balls tonight.

-Think Coach Allen’s trust in Penix paid off in form of Penix appreciating that trust and playing more confidently. That may be turning point he needed to get back his confidence & OSU 2nd half mojo!

-Fryefogle: made many huge, third down catches and looked most likely his beat of last year self we’ve seen so far this season. Didn’t have his long balls, but I will take those third down 8-14 yd catches to move the chains all day long! He looked great to me.

-Hendershot- keeps looking better and more confident each week too. He & Barner & Bjorson may be peaking more heading into B10.

-Carr: he went over 100 yds and is looking better and better each week it seems. He is a hard runner and I think he could cause some trouble ahead for B10 opponents.

-Charles Campbell! It is nice to have a phenomenal kicker! He was my game MVP (or at least co-MBP with Penix tonight)

-McFadden: the man is a beast and inspires rest of defense. Enjoy watching him!

-Cam Jones & T Mullen - also stand out a lot to me.

-Anderso. & Stone Handy - think they will “get home” for some sacks in B10 season ahead!

Looking ahead:
-We’ve lost to two current top 10 teams. Defense played well enough to win @Iowa, and Few bad mistakes cost us Cinci game we should have won. We clearly could play with and did for awhile badly outplay Cinci. Things can still build off from that game.

- Against WKU, going to say Offense carried D a bit more for the W. That’s a good thing to see Offense turning a corner.

-Confidence is a funny thing, and if Penix now has a shot of it, he could also light up Penn St too, as in they are not #1 team in country or totally unbeatable.

-Carr, Fryefogle & Hendershot - See Penix above. If they keep rolling IU may have a more balance attack that can cause problems for B10 teams.

-I still trust IU Defense. B10 teams who don’t run WKU run & gun can’t just go add that suddenly. They may try uptempo no huddle, but if you aren’t well versed in that, it can also lead to quick 3 & outs too. Our D is more “bend not break” and I think they also rise to level they are playing, meaning Idaho’s & WKU’s will still get some plays off against them maybe more so than B10! Teams they are more dialed in on.

If they ran the table and were 9-2, no one would say “bad season.” So don't pre-judge it until it’s over. They are 2-2, defense has been solid and offense looked beat it has all season in game 4 now heading into B10 season.

-Penix is still same guy who people said watch him…if he turns confidence corner, and could play like tonight or 2nd half OSU last year, he could make IU a dangerous team again quickly.

-OL needs to step up and keep building but run game and Penix looked best have all season vs WKU.

onward!!

I think we will surprise some Big Ten opponents but also lose some, so 9-2 (10-2?) seems like a tall order. Let's look at our division. Both Michigans are vastly improved; Maryland has a great quarterback. Rutgers went into the Big House and scared Michigan; Penn State is No. 4, but we play them there, and Ohio State is Ohio State. That is a rough road.