Indiana – 1st Quarter Report Card

[daddyhoosier]

September 20, 2022 | DaddyHoosier | iufb.net

Tony Dungy advocates dividing a football season into four quarters. Doing so, he argues, helps to manage the season, set goals and evaluate progress. Borrowing from his premise then here is Indiana’s Report Card for the first quarter of their 2022 season. The grades are derived through a combination of national statistics, PFF player and team grades, and the good old-fashioned eye-test.

Pass Protection – C

Indiana has only allowed four sacks through three games. At times the pocket has been pretty clean but at times there has been pressure that has affected the play’s success. I would call it a mixed bag here. There is some improvement for sure from last year but we’ll see if this holds up as competition increases.

QB – B

Connor Bazelak has a PFF player rating of 68.2, which is serviceable. He currently ranks 20th in the country in passing yards and has been clutch in key moments. His completion percentage (56.6) is lower than you’d like to see but could be trending upward has he gets more reps in this offense. A tendency to float balls has shown up in all three games but Baze is a gamer and doesn’t wither if the moment gets big.

WRs / TEs – B-

Eight different Hoosier receivers are averaging at least a catch a game and 12 different receivers have caught a ball so far. Cam Camper and D.J. Matthews are the primary targets but Emery Simmons, AJ Barner and Donaven McCulley all seem to be viable options. They appear to be getting open regularly as a group but there have been way too many drops for the grade to be any higher.

Pass Offense – B-

Run Blocking – C-

Indiana currently ranks 96th in the country in Rush Offense and 12th in the Big Ten. Having one starter out for the year and another out indefinitely doesn’t help matters but opponents won’t feel sorry for the Hoosier Offensive Line. Collectively Indiana’s linemen are not grading well in run blocking and that’s facing opponents Idaho and WKU who do not have Big Ten level defensive interiors. It takes time for an Offenisive Line to gel and come together but things will need to improve in this area, there’s no way around it.

RBs – B-

Shaun Shivers and Josh Henderson are averaging over 5 yards per carry collectively. Both have two touchdowns and both have popped some big gainers. But there have also been quite a few carries for 2 yards or less. If the IU Offense is forced into being one-dimensional going forward it will make points a whole lot more difficult to come by.

Run Offense – C

A C is a C. Hard-hitting analysis I know. But I wouldn’t describe the Rush O as anemic but I also don’t imagine it is striking fear into the heart of opponents either.

Play Calling – B

Overall the Play Calling has been an improvement from what it was last year. Walt Bell has some good concepts and he has gotten hot a couple of times. There have been several instances where the play was there but the execution was lacking (missed throws, dropped balls, etc.). At the end of the day all a Coach can do is put players in a position to succeed, it is the player who ultimately has to make the play.

Overall Offense – B-

The Hoosiers are averaging over 30 points per game and have left some points on the table. If they can get 30 a game in Big Ten play they will be in a lot of games. The ability to rush the ball and protect the Quarterback are the biggest concerns.

Pass Defense – C-

IU ranks 94th nationally in Pass Defense and 9th in the Big Ten. Opponents’ Wide Receivers are finding more space than many would have anticipated coming into the season. IU has 8 sacks which is tied for 4th Big Ten and is good for 27th (tied) in the country.

Run Defense – C-

The Hoosier Run D is currently 108th nationally and 12th in the Big Ten. This was a relative strength after Week 2 but WKU gashed Indiana for 216 on the ground Saturday. I think some of this was a function of their pass offense setting up the run.

Overall Scheme – B

I continue to believe that Indiana has a very good scheme, it just needs to be executed at a higher level. One of the big things is missed tackles which has led to many yards after contact both on the ground and through the air. Gambles and miscommunications have led to chunk plays that will be more difficult to covercome in league play.

Overall Defense – C

I’m giving the Hoosiers the benefit of the doubt here. The combination of a few more weeks to make tweeks plus familiar conference opponents may allow this unit to step things up down the stretch.

Special Teams – B–

Highlights include a blocked field goal and Charles Campbell’s 51-yard game winner in overtime. Lowlights include three kickoffs out of bounds which is the main thing dragging this grade down.

Intangibles – A-

Mental toughness, character, grit and leadership. Without a healthy dose of all of these Indiana is probably looking at 1-2 right now.

OVERALL – B–

I’m grading on a curve here. I’m basically treating the 3-0 record as extra credit because if Indiana was sitting at 1-2 as we speak the picture is not the same. And again the upcoming chapters are more difficult so there is no room for having a false sense of security. It’s going to take more out of everyone or future report cards could lower the overall GPA.
Improvement and growth, individual and collective, are not optional if Indiana wants to get to that six win mark and earn a Bowl bid.

 

[YOTHN]

I like it, good job!

The intangibles are certainly the extra credit you speak of. Like you said, without those intangibles, IU would be 1-2 at this point and we're all singing a different tune. But I won't dismiss those intangibles because one could argue the depth (22-30 man rotation on D) is why the team performs so well late. So in that circumstance, the team is performing this way by coaching design and its not just by luck and happenstance.

The one thing we can't lose sight on is Illinois may be a pretty good team. So far (and those are the key words) based on their other games, they have proven to be just that. The same with Idaho and WKU. We'll continue to learn more as we go on but if this team can start to win some of these battles earlier in games and use the fresh legs on the field to close out games instead of get us back into them, who knows what can be accomplished.

 

[turney333]

I like it, good job!

The intangibles are certainly the extra credit you speak of. Like you said, without those intangibles, IU would be 1-2 at this point and we're all singing a different tune. But I won't dismiss those intangibles because one could argue the depth (22-30 man rotation on D) is why the team performs so well late. So in that circumstance, the team is performing this way by coaching design and its not just by luck and happenstance.

The one thing we can't lose sight on is Illinois may be a pretty good team. So far (and those are the key words) based on their other games, they have proven to be just that. The same with Idaho and WKU. We'll continue to learn more as we go on but if this team can start to win some of these battles earlier in games and use the fresh legs on the field to close out games instead of get us back into them, who knows what can be accomplished.

Related to intangibles, I'd vastly prefer a team that starts slow, but finishes strong (like we are seeing) rather than a team starts hot, but fades as the game goes along even if final score/outcome end up the same. Plus I think slow starts are more fixable than a team that fades

 

[TMFT]

Like it overall.

I'd probably flip the grades on QB & Pass blocking. I think the pass blocks have been above average. He's certainly not running for his life a significant portion of the time, at least yet.

 

[YOTHN]

Related to intangibles, I'd vastly prefer a team that starts slow, but finishes strong (like we are seeing) rather than a team starts hot, but fades as the game goes along even if final score/outcome end up the same. Plus I think slow starts are more fixable than a team that fades

For sure. I am just saying those advantages might be based on us just having fresher legs. Meaning its not just some lucky situation we are stumbling into only due to some hidden fortitude. We just have energy late and other teams are gassed. The other side of that is we are getting beat by everyone early because with all energy being equal, we're not showing to be as good as our opponents.

So I said it would be nice for us to show up early because that means come late in games, our late game strength of having more energy will be used to close the game out without us having to perform miracles. ha

 

[turney333]

For sure. I am just saying those advantages might be based on us just having fresher legs. Meaning its not just some lucky situation we are stumbling into only due to some hidden fortitude. We just have energy late and other teams are gassed. The other side of that is we are getting beat by everyone early because with all energy being equal, we're not showing to be as good as our opponents.

So I said it would be nice for us to show up early because that means come late in games, our late game strength of having more energy will be used to close the game out without us having to perform miracles. ha

Of course, ideally it shouldn't be an either-or, but all else being equal, just that finishing strong is a much better situation to be in

 

[vesuvius13]

Good report as this Hoosier team is still a bit of a mystery. They play like they are a very good team at times, then like they are shaky at best other times.

IU needs to start putting together a whole game with the schedule coming up to win enough games to go bowling.

 

[Jackskip23]

For sure. I am just saying those advantages might be based on us just having fresher legs. Meaning its not just some lucky situation we are stumbling into only due to some hidden fortitude. We just have energy late and other teams are gassed. The other side of that is we are getting beat by everyone early because with all energy being equal, we're not showing to be as good as our opponents.

So I said it would be nice for us to show up early because that means come late in games, our late game strength of having more energy will be used to close the game out without us having to perform miracles. ha

I’m not sure it’s about late energy or fresher legs, since our TOP through three games has been pretty lopsided away from us (106:52 TOP for our opponents versus 73:08 TOP for us). Great that we rotate some guys on D, but everyone does that. I think our late surges are more about a fully open playbook that takes advantage of our strengths.

 

[TMFT]

I’m not sure it’s about late energy or fresher legs, since our TOP through three games has been pretty lopsided away from us (106:52 TOP for our opponents versus 73:08 TOP for us). Great that we rotate some guys on D, but everyone does that. I think our late surges are more about a fully open playbook that takes advantage of our strengths.

I tend to agree with this. They've had big plays on both sides of the ball at times throughout the first three games. It seems the ends have been when they've been able to consistently put it together, but it's not been feast or famine necessarily.

Bell said something interesting at the presser yesterday that I've also noticed watching. I think he said only one drive was a three & out Saturday. That's been pretty consistent all season that they've been able to put together more drives and a big departure from the last two years where it seemed to be a lot of 3 & outs or quick scores. Traditional drives were few & far between with Sheridan.

 

[Bowlmania]

September 20, 2022 | DaddyHoosier | iufb.net

Tony Dungy advocates dividing a football season into four quarters. Doing so, he argues, helps to manage the season, set goals and evaluate progress. Borrowing from his premise then here is Indiana’s Report Card for the first quarter of their 2022 season. The grades are derived through a combination of national statistics, PFF player and team grades, and the good old-fashioned eye-test.

Pass Protection – C

Indiana has only allowed four sacks through three games. At times the pocket has been pretty clean but at times there has been pressure that has affected the play’s success. I would call it a mixed bag here. There is some improvement for sure from last year but we’ll see if this holds up as competition increases.

QB – B

Connor Bazelak has a PFF player rating of 68.2, which is serviceable. He currently ranks 20th in the country in passing yards and has been clutch in key moments. His completion percentage (56.6) is lower than you’d like to see but could be trending upward has he gets more reps in this offense. A tendency to float balls has shown up in all three games but Baze is a gamer and doesn’t wither if the moment gets big.

WRs / TEs – B-

Eight different Hoosier receivers are averaging at least a catch a game and 12 different receivers have caught a ball so far. Cam Camper and D.J. Matthews are the primary targets but Emery Simmons, AJ Barner and Donaven McCulley all seem to be viable options. They appear to be getting open regularly as a group but there have been way too many drops for the grade to be any higher.

Pass Offense – B-

Run Blocking – C-

Indiana currently ranks 96th in the country in Rush Offense and 12th in the Big Ten. Having one starter out for the year and another out indefinitely doesn’t help matters but opponents won’t feel sorry for the Hoosier Offensive Line. Collectively Indiana’s linemen are not grading well in run blocking and that’s facing opponents Idaho and WKU who do not have Big Ten level defensive interiors. It takes time for an Offenisive Line to gel and come together but things will need to improve in this area, there’s no way around it.

RBs – B-

Shaun Shivers and Josh Henderson are averaging over 5 yards per carry collectively. Both have two touchdowns and both have popped some big gainers. But there have also been quite a few carries for 2 yards or less. If the IU Offense is forced into being one-dimensional going forward it will make points a whole lot more difficult to come by.

Run Offense – C

A C is a C. Hard-hitting analysis I know. But I wouldn’t describe the Rush O as anemic but I also don’t imagine it is striking fear into the heart of opponents either.

Play Calling – B

Overall the Play Calling has been an improvement from what it was last year. Walt Bell has some good concepts and he has gotten hot a couple of times. There have been several instances where the play was there but the execution was lacking (missed throws, dropped balls, etc.). At the end of the day all a Coach can do is put players in a position to succeed, it is the player who ultimately has to make the play.

Overall Offense – B-

The Hoosiers are averaging over 30 points per game and have left some points on the table. If they can get 30 a game in Big Ten play they will be in a lot of games. The ability to rush the ball and protect the Quarterback are the biggest concerns.

Pass Defense – C-

IU ranks 94th nationally in Pass Defense and 9th in the Big Ten. Opponents’ Wide Receivers are finding more space than many would have anticipated coming into the season. IU has 8 sacks which is tied for 4th Big Ten and is good for 27th (tied) in the country.

Run Defense – C-

The Hoosier Run D is currently 108th nationally and 12th in the Big Ten. This was a relative strength after Week 2 but WKU gashed Indiana for 216 on the ground Saturday. I think some of this was a function of their pass offense setting up the run.

Overall Scheme – B

I continue to believe that Indiana has a very good scheme, it just needs to be executed at a higher level. One of the big things is missed tackles which has led to many yards after contact both on the ground and through the air. Gambles and miscommunications have led to chunk plays that will be more difficult to covercome in league play.

Overall Defense – C

I’m giving the Hoosiers the benefit of the doubt here. The combination of a few more weeks to make tweeks plus familiar conference opponents may allow this unit to step things up down the stretch.

Special Teams – B–

Highlights include a blocked field goal and Charles Campbell’s 51-yard game winner in overtime. Lowlights include three kickoffs out of bounds which is the main thing dragging this grade down.

Intangibles – A-

Mental toughness, character, grit and leadership. Without a healthy dose of all of these Indiana is probably looking at 1-2 right now.

OVERALL – B–

I’m grading on a curve here. I’m basically treating the 3-0 record as extra credit because if Indiana was sitting at 1-2 as we speak things the picture is not the same. And again the upcoming chapters are more difficult so there is no room for having a false sense of security. It’s going to take more out of everyone or future report cards could lower the overall GPA.
Improvement and growth, individual and collective, are not optional if Indiana wants to get to that six win mark and earn a Bowl bid.

Nice job.

 

[turney333]

Good report as this Hoosier team is still a bit of a mystery. They play like they are a very good team at times, then like they are shaky at best other times.

IU needs to start putting together a whole game with the schedule coming up to win enough games to go bowling.

On offense, a large chunk of the shakiness comes from a huge amount of coach and player turnover. New OC (and scheme), new RB coach, new WR coach, new starting QB, completely new RB corps, and a lot of new WRs. Only 4 of 9 WR/TEs that have caught a pass this year were on the roster last year, and includes Matthews coming back from an ACL injury and McCulley that switched from QB. The only skill guys that aren't new or don't have some sort of asterisk are TE Barner and 3rd string WR Swinton.

On defense, I think the heavy player rotation, while keeping legs fresh, might disrupt some continuity and communication.

Certainly not the only issue on either side, just major contributing factors.

 

[IUNorth]

Thanks for this, and good job! I think the analysis is really good.

I would give the pass defense a lower grade than you did, probably a D. Coming into the season, our secondary was lauded as potentially one of the best in the conference. Its not all on them, obviously. We need to get more consistent pressure on the QB...but man, the tackling and coverage so far has been really, really suspect. Mullen, Sanguinetti, and Pierre have been solid for the most part. Williams, who was supposed to be an all B10 level corner, has been really bad...as has Fitzgerald, and even Mathews out of his monster spot. I expect those 3 guys to start playing a lot better. We'll need them to if we're going to contend/beat any of the good teams remaining on our schedule.

 

[Giant32]

Special Teams - no way is that a B-

Campbell just won a game after the defense blocked a game winning FG. Yes he missed a kick in a monsoon. But he is 6/6 otherwise. With a clutch 51 yard kick

Evans has improved tremendously. No bad punts, some great ones. Was tremendous in Idaho bad weather

Freeman has a strong leg and was perfect first two games. Then had 2 (not 3) OB vs. WKU. Not sure the one at the end was out. Linesman was out of position and appeared to guess on in/out.

Wratcher is an NFL snapper who has been perfect

Grades:
Campbell A-
Evans A-
Freeman B
Wratcher A+
Coverage teams: A (incl the block)

Overall:
If that isn’t an A-, not sure what you are looking for. TEEGARDIN has tuned these units up

 

[76-1]

Special Teams - no way is that a B-

Campbell just won a game after the defense blocked a game winning FG. Yes he missed a kick in a monsoon. But he is 6/6 otherwise. With a clutch 51 yard kick

Evans has improved tremendously. No bad punts, some great ones. Was tremendous in Idaho bad weather

Freeman has a strong leg and was perfect first two games. Then had 2 (not 3) OB vs. WKU. Not sure the one at the end was out. Linesman was out of position and appeared to guess on in/out.

Wratcher is an NFL snapper who has been perfect

Grades:
Campbell A-
Evans A-
Freeman B
Wratcher A+
Coverage teams: A (incl the block)

Overall:
If that isn’t an A-, not sure what you are looking for. TEEGARDIN has tuned these units up

Those Kickoffs that went out of bounds are what he indicated brought the Special Teams grade down, otherwise you're absolutely correct...

Here's hoping our Kickoff Specialist gets back on track down in Cincinnati...

If they're attempting to have him directionally kick it then I say just get back to kicking it straight towards the Goalpost... He was putting it 7 yards deep in the end zone when he was doing that... If the opposition wants to try to return those good luck to em...

 

[Walt542]

For sure. I am just saying those advantages might be based on us just having fresher legs. Meaning its not just some lucky situation we are stumbling into only due to some hidden fortitude. We just have energy late and other teams are gassed. The other side of that is we are getting beat by everyone early because with all energy being equal, we're not showing to be as good as our opponents.

So I said it would be nice for us to show up early because that means come late in games, our late game strength of having more energy will be used to close the game out without us having to perform miracles. ha

I also think the slow starts may be due to playing the second teasers a lot in the earlier part of games. Those guys are not as good or they would be first team. They also in many cases are younger guys that are still learning and will get better as the year goes on.

 

[Hatchets7times]

Afully high ..Imo..
Sure if your gradeing off last season...
Q.B. is very average at best...
Indiana is going to have to beat a Cincinnati Or Maryland to get me to buy in..
Till then...6 wins seems beyond reality...

 

[TomEric4756]

Nice work … Like Dungy’s approach… schedule and make the time to assess where you are.

No reflection can miss opportunities for improvement.

 

[Palmbeachhoosier]

Afully high ..Imo..
Sure if your gradeing off last season...
Q.B. is very average at best...
Indiana is going to have to beat a Cincinnati Or Maryland to get me to buy in..
Till then...6 wins seems beyond reality...

Are you kidding? Bazelak has had two last minute drives in the final minutes to tie or win games. He is learning a new system and new receivers. The offense also has new running backs. The backs are averaging over 5 yards per carry. Granted it has been far from pretty. But we are sitting at 3-0. We just beat an 8 win team from last season. Yes I agree we need to beat Cincy and win 6 games or more to make it truly successful season. But so far we have done what was necessary and won all of our games. I wll take that. I also am looking forward to the team continuing to get better.

 

[Hatchets7times]

Are you kidding? Bazelak has had two last minute drives in the final minutes to tie or win games. He is learning a new system and new receivers. The offense also has new running backs. The backs are averaging over 5 yards per carry. Granted it has been far from pretty. But we are sitting at 3-0. We just beat an 8 win team from last season. Yes I agree we need to beat Cincy and win 6 games or more to make it truly successful season. But so far we have done what was necessary and won all of our games. I wll take that. I also am looking forward to the team continuing to get better.

Absolutely a step forward..
But let's see how the Hoosiers do now the meat of season is coming..
Time will tell..
Bazelak misses way to many easy passes...
Doesn't move well in the pocket.
And for sure can't make something out out of nothing....
He's not even close to being Ramsey good....
Idk..Hopefully he proves me wrong going forward...

 

[Palmbeachhoosier]

Absolutely a step forward..
But let's see how the Hoosiers do now the meat of season is coming..
Time will tell..
Bazelak misses way to many easy passes...
Doesn't move well in the pocket.
And for sure can't make something out out of nothing....
He's not even close to being Ramsey good....
Idk..Hopefully he proves me wrong going forward...

Absolutely a step forward..
But let's see how the Hoosiers do now the meat of season is coming..
Time will tell..
Bazelak misses way to many easy passes...
Doesn't move well in the pocket.
And for sure can't make something out out of nothing....
He's not even close to being Ramsey good....
Idk..Hopefully he proves me wrong going forward...

He has done something that not many IU quarterbacks have done in a long time for sure and that is lead IU on last minute drives to tie or win games in 2 of 3 games.
Agree not in BIG play but do believe our opponents are better than many give them credit for.
I think many of the passes that Bazelak misses are not as "easy" as you say. Many are because he has pressure and most move his feet or is not able to step into his throws. When he has a clean pocket and is able to step into his throws he is mostly on target. Yes he must get better at at throwing under pressure for sure.Hopefully something Bell can fix whether it be mechanics of Bazelak or Hiller and offensive lines.
Agree he is not as good as Ramsey in running ability.
I will not disagree that the offense needs to get better and that Bazelak's completion percentage needs to go way up but I do think he has been a very pleasant surprise so far to date as have our receivers although still too many drops but at least I see them being able to create separation.

 

[So.In.Hoosier95]

He has done something that not many IU quarterbacks have done in a long time for sure and that is lead IU on last minute drives to tie or win games in 2 of 3 games.
Agree not in BIG play but do believe our opponents are better than many give them credit for.
I think many of the passes that Bazelak misses are not as "easy" as you say. Many are because he has pressure and most move his feet or is not able to step into his throws. When he has a clean pocket and is able to step into his throws he is mostly on target. Yes he must get better at at throwing under pressure for sure.Hopefully something Bell can fix whether it be mechanics of Bazelak or Hiller and offensive lines.
Agree he is not as good as Ramsey in running ability.
I will not disagree that the offense needs to get better and that Bazelak's completion percentage needs to go way up but I do think he has been a very pleasant surprise so far to date as have our receivers although still too many drops but at least I see them being able to create separation.

One thing not a lot of people talk about is the impact a guy like DJ Matthews brings to the offense. Him simply being on the field having world class speed forces defenses to always protect his area of the field. IMO that is why Camper is able to get wide open at times, or only have 1 on 1 coverage with the #2 corner (#1 corner is on the other side of the field trying to lock down DJ).