Maryland game is a must win

[wi_hoosier]

if the Hoosier have aspirations of bowling this year. Looking at the remaining schedule i feel like there is 1 more win in there, possible 2, but more realistically 1 more.

@ Maryland
@ Nebraska
Northwestern
@Penn State
Meatchicken
@Purdon't

 

[fpeaugh]

We need 2 of the next 3. Doesn’t matter how we get them.

 

[dahldc]

if the Hoosier have aspirations of bowling this year. Looking at the remaining schedule i feel like there is 1 more win in there, possible 2, but more realistically 1 more.

@ Maryland
@ Nebraska
Northwestern
@Penn State
Meatchicken
@Purdon't

We'll go 4-2.

 

[wi_hoosier]

We'll go 4-2.

I don't see it. No to PSU for sure. I don't think we win versus Meatchicken and I think we drop a chance at Neb. That leaves NW and @PU as other two possibles. Now, do I think we could beat Meatchicken and @Neb? Yes, but I just don't think we do. I could also see losing to NW at home. Regardless, Maryland is a must win.

 

[Palmbeachhoosier]

Every game is a must win. There are no throw aways.

 

[IUFan_FWA]

I think Maryland is not a very good team and I will be disappointed if IU loses on Saturday. If we hope to watch IU in a bowl game this year then I think that this week is a must win game. There are still other games on the schedule that IU can win but I think if we lose to Maryland it will be a bad sign for the other games. IU has had a chance to go to bowl games the last two years and I have a bad feeling that the longer we wait to be bowl eligible the more pressure the team feels and they have not played well when there is a lot of pressure on them to win. I have watched Nebraska and they are not very good but it is still a hard place for teams to win. Northwesters record looks bad but I have not seen them play so I can’t comment. PSU is really good and I do not think we can win there. Michigan is ok but it seems like IU always soils there pants when they see those winged helmets. Purdue can be beat but they looked a lot better this week than they did vs PSU and winning there will not be easy but I will be there!

 

[turney333]

I think Maryland is not a very good team and I will be disappointed if IU loses on Saturday. If we hope to watch IU in a bowl game this year then I think that this week is a must win game. There are still other games on the schedule that IU can win but I think if we lose to Maryland it will be a bad sign for the other games. IU has had a chance to go to bowl games the last two years and I have a bad feeling that the longer we wait to be bowl eligible the more pressure the team feels and they have not played well when there is a lot of pressure on them to win. I have watched Nebraska and they are not very good but it is still a hard place for teams to win. Northwesters record looks bad but I have not seen them play so I can’t comment. PSU is really good and I do not think we can win there. Michigan is ok but it seems like IU always soils there pants when they see those winged helmets. Purdue can be beat but they looked a lot better this week than they did vs PSU and winning there will not be easy but I will be there!

I'd agree with Maryland - still several winnable games afterward so technically not an absolute need, but losing would be a bad omen. I would say Maryland is currently (ie without Josh Jackson at QB) the worst team in the conference not named Rutgers. Even with Jackson, they would only maybe move ahead of Illinois.

 

[Palmbeachhoosier]

I'd agree with Maryland - still several winnable games afterward so technically not an absolute need, but losing would be a bad omen. I would say Maryland is currently (ie without Josh Jackson at QB) the worst team in the conference not named Rutgers. Even with Jackson, they would only maybe move ahead of Illinois.

I hope u are right. But one thing I have learned being an IU fan is that there no such thing as a sure thing. The football gods can be cruel.

 

[Pigalow]

if the Hoosier have aspirations of bowling this year. Looking at the remaining schedule i feel like there is 1 more win in there, possible 2, but more realistically 1 more.

@ Maryland
@ Nebraska
Northwestern
@Penn State
Meatchicken
@Purdon't

Pretty....much. It's not a 100% must win, but it's about a 90% must win, if you know what I mean. We need to win this game, & let me tell you, if we play well, do a lot of good things, but allow a plethora of big plays defensively & on ST's & make dumb mistakes in the 4th quarter to just barely come from ahead to lose in the dying moments(like we usually do in this situation)I will launch this PC, or whatever device delivers that news as far & hard as I possibly can.

 

[turney333]

I hope u are right. But one thing I have learned being an IU fan is that there no such thing as a sure thing. The football gods can be cruel.

Not saying its a sure win, just that Maryland is bad, and losing would suggest bad things for IU's future games

 

[Hoosiers Rising]

Not a must win but a need to win for damn sure.

 

[Tegray1]

Maryland has some big play guys. They need home run plays and have trouble with long drives. They had over 400 yards against PU. I watched the game and saw Jeff Brohm just say Maryland's QB didn't have a good game which helped PU defense look good. PU offense wore Maryland down and PU ran the ball in second half. I would like to see us start hurry up and try to score as many as possible. Make it a long game. They commit a lot of penalties. Have to limit big plays on defense.

I think Maryland is not a very good team and I will be disappointed if IU loses on Saturday. If we hope to watch IU in a bowl game this year then I think that this week is a must win game. There are still other games on the schedule that IU can win but I think if we lose to Maryland it will be a bad sign for the other games. IU has had a chance to go to bowl games the last two years and I have a bad feeling that the longer we wait to be bowl eligible the more pressure the team feels and they have not played well when there is a lot of pressure on them to win. I have watched Nebraska and they are not very good but it is still a hard place for teams to win. Northwesters record looks bad but I have not seen them play so I can’t comment. PSU is really good and I do not think we can win there. Michigan is ok but it seems like IU always soils there pants when they see those winged helmets. Purdue can be beat but they looked a lot better this week than they did vs PSU and winning there will not be easy but I will be there!

 

[iubud]

I see 4 opportunities for wins. One more that we won't be favored in but have a chance for an upset. There is only one game that would shock me, the conference and the nation if we won. It would be as unlikely as PU beating OSU last year.

Out of those 5 chances, I could see us winning 2 or 3. I will be very disappointed with less.

 

[4IUSox2]

What concerns me is Maryland wasn't a particularly good team 2 years ago when IU went there, ran out to a 16 zip lead, only to be trailing at half after a special teams meltdown in 2nd quarter. Whop and Lagow (after PR got injured) tried to manufacture a comeback, but came up a bit short.

Current IU D isn't as good as '17, so the IU O will really need to be clicking.

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

Beat Maryland.

 

[Crossblock]

What we can't do is let the 6th win come down to a Do or Die situation against Purdue. We really need to win 2 of the next 3, get an upset against Penn State or Michigan and take care of business against Purdue. Here is what I see coming up.
Maryland must be reeling after going to West Lafayette to play a team with enough injuries to fully occupy a Mash Unit and giving up 40 points, and 400 passing yards to an inexperienced QB. The one thing we can't do against Maryland is give up long touchdown runs from scrimmage like we have in the past several games.

When I saw Northwestern against Nebraska several weeks ago, they were starting their 3rd string QB, and weren't generating any Offense. They are still a good defensive team, so we can't afford to give them any cheap Defensive or Special Teams Scores. Twenty One points should be enough to win the game based upon the state of their Offense.

Nebraska didn't generate any Offense against Northwestern, and got run off the field by Minnesota. I believe I saw that the Minnesota Quarterback only threw the ball 12 times, but the Minnesota OL and running game just mauled and gashed the Nebrsaka Defense. The game is at Nebrsaka, but this is by no means your Father's or Grandfather's Nebraska Team.

I will hold my fire on the final 3 Games until I see what we do in the next 3.

 

[Bowlmania]

It's definitely not a sure win. No Big Ten road game is (just ask Urban Meyer). I don't think it's a must win, either. I'd call it a pivotal game. If we win, we'll be 5-2 with five remaining opportunities to get that all-important sixth win. Frankly, 5-2 would probably set us up to finish better than 6-6. A loss to Maryland, though, means we'll likely have to scratch and claw our way to six, and I'd bet that, once again, it would come down to the Bucket game. I think we'd all like to avoid a "win or go home" scenario in Game 12.

 

[Tegray1]

That was worst defensive game of the year. IU defense now is faster and has more depth. We had no depth on defense in 2017.


QUOTE="4IUSox2, post: 2762365, member: 4100"]What concerns me is Maryland wasn't a particularly good team 2 years ago when IU went there, ran out to a 16 zip lead, only to be trailing at half after a special teams meltdown in 2nd quarter. Whop and Lagow (after PR got injured) tried to manufacture a comeback, but came up a bit short.

Current IU D isn't as good as '17, so the IU O will really need to be clicking.[/QUOTE]

 

[IUFan_FWA]

I really do not like the setup we have going to Nebraska next week. The team is focusing on Maryland as they should be but as a fan I am looking ahead and just noticed that Nebraska has a bye this week. That means they will have two weeks to think about there loss at Minnesota and are probably looking at IU as their get well game. Another fan said that we do not want to go to Purdue with 5 wins and I agree with that which means we really need a w this week! That way northwestern can hopefully be #6.

 

[Crossblock]

I really do not like the setup we have going to Nebraska next week. The team is focusing on Maryland as they should be but as a fan I am looking ahead and just noticed that Nebraska has a bye this week. That means they will have two weeks to think about there loss at Minnesota and are probably looking at IU as their get well game. Another fan said that we do not want to go to Purdue with 5 wins and I agree with that which means we really need a w this week! That way northwestern can hopefully be #6.

I think you are over valuing the significance of a bye this time of year. If you have people who are banged up and need recovery time, it helps. however you can't overhaul your entire Offense or Defense at this point. You might do what Coach Brohm did at Purdue and insert three new starters in the OL to get new blood on the field and shake people up. However, that isn't going to work every time and especially in the OL with people who haven't played together before. You might re arrange your depth chart to get a better look at some of the Players you were planning to red shirt who have progressed in practice and use the 4 Game Red Shirt Rule to get them on the field. But looking at Nebraska, they were lucky to beat Northwestern two weeks ago on a last second field goal from a 3rd String Walk on kicker, and last week they were steam rolled by Minnesota. You don't get all of that corrected in a bye week.

 

[Grateful Redbeard]

I think that IU will beat Maryland this weekend.

 

[Jssanto]

If we beat MD, I think momentum will help us with the last games. If we beat MD I think our chances of beating NW, Neb, and Purdue go up. Lesser chance, but possible to beat UMich, and low chance to beat PSU.

 

[fkfootball]

We will score on Maryland. The question is whether our defense will show up? Kane Wommack needs to be on his A game. This won’t be easy. We have lost to worse Maryland teams. We can’t give up stupid return TDs, throw a pick 6, blow coverages. Just don’t let them have any gifted points. If they drive 11 plays and score, then so be it. But dont just make it easy for them.

 

[Hoosier009]

It's not a must win but it's one I really...really...really want. Need a fast start to take the crowd out of the game and play solid error free ball.

 

[ORG]

I don't see it. No to PSU for sure. I don't think we win versus Meatchicken and I think we drop a chance at Neb. That leaves NW and @PU as other two possibles. Now, do I think we could beat Meatchicken and @Neb? Yes, but I just don't think we do. I could also see losing to NW at home. Regardless, Maryland is a must win.

So, if IU loses to Maryland but beats Michigan, was Maryland really a "must win"?

 

[IUFan_FWA]

I think you are over valuing the significance of a bye this time of year. If you have people who are banged up and need recovery time, it helps. however you can't overhaul your entire Offense or Defense at this point. You might do what Coach Brohm did at Purdue and insert three new starters in the OL to get new blood on the field and shake people up. However, that isn't going to work every time and especially in the OL with people who haven't played together before. You might re arrange your depth chart to get a better look at some of the Players you were planning to red shirt who have progressed in practice and use the 4 Game Red Shirt Rule to get them on the field. But looking at Nebraska, they were lucky to beat Northwestern two weeks ago on a last second field goal from a 3rd String Walk on kicker, and last week they were steam rolled by Minnesota. You don't get all of that corrected in a bye week.

Well Nebraska's qb sat out the Minnesota game and it sounds like they will get back in time for our game. I know you can't fix everything that is broken with an extra week off but I think it can help a team like nebraska. I might just be paranoid but I always look at the schedule before the year starts to see who we play after a bye because those games always make me nervous and Nebraska's bye is our draw this year.

 

[fieldjock]

Maryland game can be won. Defense will be the key. We need to double down this week,on our Defense again. Tackling fundamentals. 3rd dawn coverages and getting our play calls in on time.

 

[cshartle123]

It’s not a must win game.

 

[Jssanto]

It's not a must win but it's one I really...really...really want. Need a fast start to take the crowd out of the game and play solid error free ball.

That would be great.
And BTW, not lose focus if we could go up early

 

[Big Red Crimson Buffalo]

I think that IU will beat Maryland this weekend.

Too much on offense for the IU defense. I think that Maryland scores a bunch this weekend. I have yet to see us pull out a road win in the prime point of the season. If we attack like we did against Rutgers, we’ve got a good shot but are we capable of putting two defensive efforts like that back to back?

 

[Palmbeachhoosier]

What concerns me is Maryland wasn't a particularly good team 2 years ago when IU went there, ran out to a 16 zip lead, only to be trailing at half after a special teams meltdown in 2nd quarter. Whop and Lagow (after PR got injured) tried to manufacture a comeback, but came up a bit short.

Current IU D isn't as good as '17, so the IU O will really need to be clicking.

Have no idea what a game from 2 years ago has to do with this one.

 

[wi_hoosier]

I think you are over valuing the significance of a bye this time of year. If you have people who are banged up and need recovery time, it helps. however you can't overhaul your entire Offense or Defense at this point. You might do what Coach Brohm did at Purdue and insert three new starters in the OL to get new blood on the field and shake people up. However, that isn't going to work every time and especially in the OL with people who haven't played together before. You might re arrange your depth chart to get a better look at some of the Players you were planning to red shirt who have progressed in practice and use the 4 Game Red Shirt Rule to get them on the field. But looking at Nebraska, they were lucky to beat Northwestern two weeks ago on a last second field goal from a 3rd String Walk on kicker, and last week they were steam rolled by Minnesota. You don't get all of that corrected in a bye week.

I think you are undervaluing the significance of a bye week. Yes, a bye week allows for banged up players to have an extra week of healing to get back to 100%. Which can be a big deal this time of the year. It also allows for an extra week of preparation versus an opponent. If you do not think that a bye is a difference maker, consider that the P5 conference teams coming off of a bye week win at a 57% clip. Also consider that the Home bye team wins at 58% (51% overall) and the Away bye team wins at only 36%.

 

[wi_hoosier]

It’s not a must win game.

Good point.

 

[Palmbeachhoosier]

I think you are undervaluing the significance of a bye week. Yes, a bye week allows for banged up players to have an extra week of healing to get back to 100%. Which can be a big deal this time of the year. It also allows for an extra week of preparation versus an opponent. If you do not think that a bye is a difference maker, consider that the P5 conference teams coming off of a bye week win at a 57% clip. Also consider that the Home bye team wins at 58% (51% overall) and the Away bye team wins at only 36%.

I would have thought those numbers would have been much higher.

 

[Grateful Redbeard]

Too much on offense for the IU defense. I think that Maryland scores a bunch this weekend. I have yet to see us pull out a road win in the prime point of the season. If we attack like we did against Rutgers, we’ve got a good shot but are we capable of putting two defensive efforts like that back to back?

We absolutely can put together another stellar performance on D. Nobody expects us to hold them to 75 total yards, but there’s plenty of signs pointing to the D getting better as the season has progressed. I expect that to continue this weekend, along with a potent offense scoring a lot of points as well. That puts pressure on Maryland’s O to try and play keep up, which plays directly into our D’s hands.

 

[grammy2]

Got to have this game. IU is favored. Maryland is coming off a horrible game, especially defensively. It's time for the Hoosiers to take this big step and win a conference game on the road.

 

[kmathum]

if the Hoosier have aspirations of bowling this year. Looking at the remaining schedule i feel like there is 1 more win in there, possible 2, but more realistically 1 more.

@ Maryland
@ Nebraska
Northwestern
@Penn State
Meatchicken
@Purdon't

you only see 1 win out of the last 6? you're not exactly a glass half full guy are you?

 

[lndyResident16]

if the Hoosier have aspirations of bowling this year. Looking at the remaining schedule i feel like there is 1 more win in there, possible 2, but more realistically 1 more.

@ Maryland
@ Nebraska
Northwestern
@Penn State
Meatchicken
@Purdon't

Of the six remaining teams on the schedule, Maryland is the worst of the bunch. Losing to the worst opponent remaining on the schedule wouldn’t bode well for success in the remaining five games. Yes, it’s a must win.

 

[IndyIUFan66]

I really do not like the setup we have going to Nebraska next week. The team is focusing on Maryland as they should be but as a fan I am looking ahead and just noticed that Nebraska has a bye this week. That means they will have two weeks to think about there loss at Minnesota and are probably looking at IU as their get well game. Another fan said that we do not want to go to Purdue with 5 wins and I agree with that which means we really need a w this week! That way northwestern can hopefully be #6.

IU had a bye week and then Rutgers, almost like a second bye week. Who cares. NE may be thinking how bad they are over those two weeks and be less confident when IU has a big win in MD!

 

[ReallyMadMax]

Having lived about 15 minutes from Northwestern’s campus and following them fairly closely, that should be a win for IU, especially at home. NU has some serious QB issues, cannot lose to them.
As far as Nebraska, if they get Martinez back, it will certainly be a very tough game to win on the road. If no Martinez, I like our chances.