Got this from a friend on our Phi Kappa Theta thread:
Ok guys. Been out of touch on a camping trip. It's scary not having cell reception. I felt vulnerable and naked (Oh, wait a minute, I was naked. I'm a get-back-to-nature kind of guy.)
After thumping Rutgers 35 to zip at home, we mark up another win at Maryland. The Maryland game was a key game in this year's dash to a bowl game. I agree that it was not a statement win, but a loss here would have sent a bad signal about this team. But, we found a way to win. This has not always been in the case in the past. In the Big 10, any road win is a good win. This particular win gives us a 5 - 2 record with 2 games to play before another bye week.
The Maryland game kept me on edge. Kept waiting for IU to put this game away. After scoring on their first drive, IU failed to keep Maryland from marching down the field. We gave Maryland a big assist by getting 3 holding/ pass interference calls that gave Maryland substantial yardage. Overall, IU had 11 penalties for 105 yards. Those are free yards that we have stop giving away. Looking mediocre in the 1st half, the defense finally tightened up in the 2nd half, with Reese Taylor intercepting the ball to kill Maryland's last drive. (Kerry, I agree the ball was underthrown, but I still think Reese was great on the interception.)
Michael Penix left the game early in the 2nd quarter with an undisclosed injury. Peyton Ramsey came in and performed admirably. I think IU is fortunate that they have 2 capable back up quarterbacks. I remember watching the Hoosiers warm up for a home game (I think it was in 2014) The quarterbacks were throwing short down and outs to the receivers. I told Jack that there was one quarterback out there who couldn't hit the side of barn. I said I hope he never has to play. Well, guess what. Nate Sudfeld got hurt in that game. Tre Roberson was hurt, and Alexander Diamont (who definitely couldn't hit the side of a barn) played the rest of the game. That season we went 4 and 8 (1 and 7 in the Big 10) with Diamont our starting quarterback. I think I'm correct about it being the 2014 season.
Kerry has sent me a couple of emails expressing cautious optimism for the season and disappointment with the Maryland game. I will say this about the Hoosiers. In the games we were expected to win, they were resounding wins. Starting with a 34/24 win over Ball State, 52 zip against Eastern Illinois, 30 zip over Connecticut, a 3 point loss to Michigan State and a win over Maryland, I am pretty pleased with how the Hoosiers are playing. The games against Ball State, Eastern Illinois and Connecticut allowed a lot of freshmen to get into the game - gaining experience. Keep in mind, in years past, we probably would have squeaked by Eastern Illinois and Connecticut. Ball State and Maryland could have gone either way. I'm seeing a better team with more depth. We continue to play through the 4th quarter - where we used to lose games because of lack of depth. And as I said before, a win on the road is a good win. Look at the Wisconsin- Illinois game. Any team in the Big 10 is capable of beating most of the other teams on a good day. Bottom line, we exist in a touch division in a tough conference.
Are we perfect? No. The front line is cobbled together with left tackle Coy Cronk out for the season and center Hunter Littlejohn out until who knows when. Our left guard, Harry Crider, had to move over to center and our starting right guard had to move over to left guard. Can't remember who has moved into the right guard slot. Nevertheless, I did not see any letdown on the front line.
The defense continues to make mistakes, but is improving. Our defensive line is average, especially against the run. For the season so far, we have not been able to shut down the running game. Maryland was able to stay in the game with penalties by IU and a long run by their 2nd string running back for a touchdown. Going forward, I think our defense is still going to give up big plays. That's why we need to put points on the board.
Kerry pointed out one area for concern - the ability of Michael Penix to hold up against the Big 10 schedule. He's a lot like I was in college - tall and skinny (knowing that people shrink as they get older, I extrapolated my current height of 5'8" and figure I was about 6'2" in college). Penix was injured last year and was redshirted. He injured his non-throwing arm earlier this season. Against Maryland, he left the game early with an undisclosed injury. Unlike my football days at Klondike High School, Penix has a hard time holding up to 320 lb defensive linemen driving him into the ground. Supposedly a game time decision if he starts against Nebraska.
If we beat Nebraska, I see a possible 8-5 season. I think this will be our signature win.
Darryl
Ok guys. Been out of touch on a camping trip. It's scary not having cell reception. I felt vulnerable and naked (Oh, wait a minute, I was naked. I'm a get-back-to-nature kind of guy.)
After thumping Rutgers 35 to zip at home, we mark up another win at Maryland. The Maryland game was a key game in this year's dash to a bowl game. I agree that it was not a statement win, but a loss here would have sent a bad signal about this team. But, we found a way to win. This has not always been in the case in the past. In the Big 10, any road win is a good win. This particular win gives us a 5 - 2 record with 2 games to play before another bye week.
The Maryland game kept me on edge. Kept waiting for IU to put this game away. After scoring on their first drive, IU failed to keep Maryland from marching down the field. We gave Maryland a big assist by getting 3 holding/ pass interference calls that gave Maryland substantial yardage. Overall, IU had 11 penalties for 105 yards. Those are free yards that we have stop giving away. Looking mediocre in the 1st half, the defense finally tightened up in the 2nd half, with Reese Taylor intercepting the ball to kill Maryland's last drive. (Kerry, I agree the ball was underthrown, but I still think Reese was great on the interception.)
Michael Penix left the game early in the 2nd quarter with an undisclosed injury. Peyton Ramsey came in and performed admirably. I think IU is fortunate that they have 2 capable back up quarterbacks. I remember watching the Hoosiers warm up for a home game (I think it was in 2014) The quarterbacks were throwing short down and outs to the receivers. I told Jack that there was one quarterback out there who couldn't hit the side of barn. I said I hope he never has to play. Well, guess what. Nate Sudfeld got hurt in that game. Tre Roberson was hurt, and Alexander Diamont (who definitely couldn't hit the side of a barn) played the rest of the game. That season we went 4 and 8 (1 and 7 in the Big 10) with Diamont our starting quarterback. I think I'm correct about it being the 2014 season.
Kerry has sent me a couple of emails expressing cautious optimism for the season and disappointment with the Maryland game. I will say this about the Hoosiers. In the games we were expected to win, they were resounding wins. Starting with a 34/24 win over Ball State, 52 zip against Eastern Illinois, 30 zip over Connecticut, a 3 point loss to Michigan State and a win over Maryland, I am pretty pleased with how the Hoosiers are playing. The games against Ball State, Eastern Illinois and Connecticut allowed a lot of freshmen to get into the game - gaining experience. Keep in mind, in years past, we probably would have squeaked by Eastern Illinois and Connecticut. Ball State and Maryland could have gone either way. I'm seeing a better team with more depth. We continue to play through the 4th quarter - where we used to lose games because of lack of depth. And as I said before, a win on the road is a good win. Look at the Wisconsin- Illinois game. Any team in the Big 10 is capable of beating most of the other teams on a good day. Bottom line, we exist in a touch division in a tough conference.
Are we perfect? No. The front line is cobbled together with left tackle Coy Cronk out for the season and center Hunter Littlejohn out until who knows when. Our left guard, Harry Crider, had to move over to center and our starting right guard had to move over to left guard. Can't remember who has moved into the right guard slot. Nevertheless, I did not see any letdown on the front line.
The defense continues to make mistakes, but is improving. Our defensive line is average, especially against the run. For the season so far, we have not been able to shut down the running game. Maryland was able to stay in the game with penalties by IU and a long run by their 2nd string running back for a touchdown. Going forward, I think our defense is still going to give up big plays. That's why we need to put points on the board.
Kerry pointed out one area for concern - the ability of Michael Penix to hold up against the Big 10 schedule. He's a lot like I was in college - tall and skinny (knowing that people shrink as they get older, I extrapolated my current height of 5'8" and figure I was about 6'2" in college). Penix was injured last year and was redshirted. He injured his non-throwing arm earlier this season. Against Maryland, he left the game early with an undisclosed injury. Unlike my football days at Klondike High School, Penix has a hard time holding up to 320 lb defensive linemen driving him into the ground. Supposedly a game time decision if he starts against Nebraska.
If we beat Nebraska, I see a possible 8-5 season. I think this will be our signature win.
Darryl
