IU has to leave South Bend with a W

[mattndallas]

 

[RegionHoosiers]

I just wish the game was tonight instead of next week.

 

[dr.jb]

Notre Dame is an excellent football team but this is a not a terrible draw for IU. USC, with a redshirt sophomore QB, was able to throw for 360 yards (unfortunately for USC, their QB also threw 2 pick-sixes in the final four minutes), rack up 557 total yards of offense and move the ball extremely well against the Irish. We have a good offense and are a very efficient passing team. IF our pass pro is decent (more on that later), Rourke should have a big night.

Some other factors that hopefully will make a difference:

• We’re playing up the road and should have several thousand fans in attendance.
• We’ve got a cold-weather game (Purdue) under our belts.
• We’ve got a loud-environment game (Ohio State) under our belts. That one obviously didn’t turn out too well, with Ohio State able to tee off on Rourke after picking up on the indicator used in our silent count, but CCC is confident “we’ll be a lot better” the next time (South Bend) we’re in that kind of an environment. Our pass pro, good or bad, will be the key factor in this game, IMO.
• CCC commented after the Ohio State game that there were multiple missed assignments and communication errors, and that those issues are correctable. Here’s hoping the corrections have been made.

I'll close with the obvious. I believe CCC is building an “emerging superpower,” but we’re not going to be 11-1 every year, and we’re not going to be in the CFP every year. We have an opportunity this year to make a statement, we need to strike while the iron is hot and silence the naysayers who insist we don’t belong. We must beat ND.

Go Hoosiers!

agreed. we need this one bad

however, we still won't get any respect until we beat georgia

and maybe only grudgingly then.......y'know they had a "down year"

 

[Bowlmania]

agreed. we need this one bad

however, we still won't get any respect until we beat georgia

and maybe only grudgingly then.......y'know they had a "down year"

Come on. If we beat a Top 5 team on their home turf in the College Football Playoff, that's unquestionably a marquee win, and anyone who doesn't respect that either doesn't know anything about college football or has some other agenda and/or an ax to grind.

 

[dr.jb]

Come on. If we beat a Top 5 team on their home turf in the College Football Playoff, that's unquestionably a marquee win, and anyone who doesn't respect that either doesn't know anything about college football or has some other agenda and/or an ax to grind.

so you're saying those people aren't out there?

 

[daddyhoosier]

Rudy is a charlatan.

 

[IUNCAAChamps2012]

agreed. we need this one bad

however, we still won't get any respect until we beat georgia

and maybe only grudgingly then.......y'know they had a "down year"

“Beck was out”

The excuses really writes themselves

 

[Walt542]

Agreed. Don't ask the ND fans though. They are treating us like we are Northern Illinois and expecting a blowout. I work with a guy who is an ND fans and he thinks it's going to be a cakewalk.I would love to beat them and have these arrogant ND fans crying in their tears.

I have an ND fan guy that I play golf with. He is concerned that ND got a bad draw and that IU is a real sleeper in the playoffs. So not all of them think it will be a blowout.

 

[Bucket Getter]

And they were 5-1 and ranked when we blistered them. We broke Nebraska!

That’s exactly what I think happened throughout the season. We broke the spirit of several teams. Nebraska actually was a damn good team coming into that game. But none of the national analysts have ever quite figured that out.

 

[OpenWheels]

We broke some teams and rejuvenated Michigan. "Man if we can play Indiana tough at their place..." Sorry Ohio State.

 

[Crossblock]

From what I have seen of Notre Dame, the biggest key is can We control their running game on 1st and 2nd down and get Them into 3rd and 6 or more. Leonard is not a great passer, and their passing game is pretty basic. Put Them in situations where they have to pass and make Them uncomfortable. Leonard may not be a great passer, but He is an effective runner. If You get Them in long distance pass situations You have to have the discipline to maintain Your rush lanes and maybe have on of Your Linebackers spy Leonard so He can't take advantage of openings in the rush lanes to run for yardage with your pass defenders dropped down field.

 

[Pazhoosier85]

From what I have seen of Notre Dame, the biggest key is can We control their running game on 1st and 2nd down and get Them into 3rd and 6 or more. Leonard is not a great passer, and their passing game is pretty basic. Put Them in situations where they have to pass and make Them uncomfortable. Leonard may not be a great passer, but He is an effective runner. If You get Them in long distance pass situations You have to have the discipline to maintain Your rush lanes and maybe have on of Your Linebackers spy Leonard so He can't take advantage of openings in the rush
lanes to run for yardage with your pass defenders dropped down field.

Jailin Walker is key in this game. He needs to be a spy for Riley Leonard takes off running.

 

[Hoosier Clarion]

Jailin Walker is key in this game. He needs to be a spy for Riley Leonard takes off running.

...and possibly a DE...

 

[kmathum]

I have an ND fan guy that I play golf with. He is concerned that ND got a bad draw and that IU is a real sleeper in the playoffs. So not all of them think it will be a blowout.

He's just sandbaging you.

 

[hookyIU1990]

He's just sandbaging you.

Walt is modest and won't come out and tell us that he plays golf with Lou Holtz.

 

[OpenWheels]

Walt is modest and won't come out and tell us that he plays golf with Lou Holtz.

Holtz would tell us he's scared of Purdue, if that's who they were playing.

 

[hookyIU1990]

Holtz would tell us he's scared of Purdue, if that's who they were playing.

Exactly my point. Holtz would constantly speak of his opponents as if they were the love child of the 72 Trojans and 2001 Canes.

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

1. Slow down their run.
2. Protect our QB.

That'll do it.

 

[OpenWheels]

Exactly my point. Holtz would constantly speak of his opponents as if they were the love child of the 72 Trojans and 2001 Canes.

Yeah, I knew it was.

 

[RegionHoosiers]

Rudy is a charlatan.

He was definitely offsides.

 

[Hopkins02]

ND people still cling to their elite status from 30+ years ago. If there is another team in the country that is consistently ranked higher than they should be I don't know who it is. I think they are very good but not a top 5 team and not as good as Ohio State. Their fans and most of the country still doesn't recognize that Cigs IU ain't nothing like the IU of the past! If we play a clean mostly turnover free game, I like our chances.

ND fan here. Reminds me of a certain hoops program… Good luck Friday

 

[Hoosiers Rising]

ND fan here. Reminds me of a certain hoops program… Good luck Friday

I don’t think you would find much argument here.

 

[CC Mac]

ND fan here. Reminds me of a certain hoops program… Good luck Friday

Doubt you get any argument about that on this board.But I’m sure if I went to the ND and I said ND isn’t elite anymore I’d get booted out.
Some over there (not all) think this is gonna be a massacre.
I sat close to a bunch of Nebraska fans at the IU game.
They went on and on about how iU hadn’t faced a defense like theirs all year.
They were very quiet the second half and left before the beatdown was over.
Not predicting an IU win but I won’t be shocked if it happens.

 

[Cortez88]

We have 6-8 Hoosiers fans going now. It’s go time Hoos!