Don't forget the IU WR levitating one inch off of the Iowa end zone turf and traveling sideways out of bounds with the ball.
Oh, and the kick was good.
They are getting a little nervous in Ohio.
- Thread starter Rotonda Jim
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Oh, and the kick was good.
That was then and this is now. It’s time to move on. Try to forget about decades of losing Indiana Hoosier football.
I get the fixation on getting to 8+ wins but on a personal level I am excited to bring my family down to see the Cinci game (have had it circled since last season). We won’t bother for a cupcake team and I’m sure we’re aren’t the only ones. It will be one of the top noncon matchups of the early season and I’m guessing will get national TV exposure.
If I were a top recruit I think I would be much more excited to play another highly ranked team on national TV than for the coach to tell me “we scheduled really crappy teams for you to play to make sure you guys can get to a bowl somewhere”!
If I were a top recruit I think I would be much more excited to play another highly ranked team on national TV than for the coach to tell me “we scheduled really crappy teams for you to play to make sure you guys can get to a bowl somewhere”!
When this was owned by Peegs, I was banned for three weeks for uttering such a blasphemy. I contacted him back then and asked him what the heck was going on. He actually got back to me and told me that it was because of being abusive posts, profanity etc. I politely asked him to look at my posts and denied everything at the moderator had accuse me of. He actually did and came back and said look it’s only for three weeks. He was looking after his moderators which I appreciate but his moderators really weren’t looking after him. Very appreciative of his efforts to be fair.
Indeed.
This is a very different message to a team and recruits.
"We are here to play big games"
Tough schedule this year with a bulls eye firmly planted on their backs.
This is a test like few programs have ever seen...going to be fun to watch.
I also think it’s different when you are struggling to get to a number to get bowl eligible. Getting to any bowl game is a huge priority. Once you are consistently hitting that threshold as we are now, I prefer a tougher OOC or two.
I don’t understand this need to play tough competition out of conference. The Hoosiers already play in one the toughest divisions in college football. Even the the bottom of the division Maryland and Rutgers are not gimmes. Then they usually end up playing one or favorites from the other division in crossover games. It is tough playing top level opponents every week. It’s tough mentally and physically on teams especially teams that in the past have not had great depth. That is why not even Alabama plays super tough out of conference schedule and they play one less conference game in a year. We play enough top teams in conference for top recruits to come and see we don’t need to schedule 3 more tough ones out of conference too. Trust me it is better to play a lesser opponent and win than to play a tough one and lose. At the end of the day recruits are looking at win loss record not strength of schedule.
We don’t play 3 tough OOC games. Teams like Cincy, UofL, UK are good geographically. I do agree the P5 should all play the same number of games in conference. But I like the Cincy game particularly this year. CTA doesn’t want to play 3 cupcakes so it won’t change while he’s there.
I've said it multiple times before but I'll say it again...:
It's not a matter of scheduling a sure Win..., it's a matter of scheduling less wear and tear on your Team, while hopefully getting some live game reps for your young guys and your depth...
The reason I say it's not about a sure Win is that with the Transfer Portal those have all but disappeared... A team that's an on paper W right now might very well have brought in 4 or 5 ringers (from SEC squads) two years from now, via the Portal, and be a completely different animal when it comes to the type of challenge their starters present...
It simply comes down to this: each game is the equivalent, in terms of wear and tear on the body, of having been in a car wreck... Would you rather take your chances of injuries while getting hit by a team made up of primarily Fiat 500's or one made up of Armored Chevy Suburbans?
It's a Common Sense choice:
Do I get my team ready for the serious grind of the Big Ten East by playing a team that might allow me to go deep into my roster and give me a chance to evaluate nearly everyone, while presenting less wear and tear on my players....; or..., do I schedule a team that I'll have to be playing my starters against while exposing them to a season ending injury in a relatively meaningless game, well into the 4th quarter???
The correct choice seems obvious to me...
It's not a matter of scheduling a sure Win..., it's a matter of scheduling less wear and tear on your Team, while hopefully getting some live game reps for your young guys and your depth...
The reason I say it's not about a sure Win is that with the Transfer Portal those have all but disappeared... A team that's an on paper W right now might very well have brought in 4 or 5 ringers (from SEC squads) two years from now, via the Portal, and be a completely different animal when it comes to the type of challenge their starters present...
It simply comes down to this: each game is the equivalent, in terms of wear and tear on the body, of having been in a car wreck... Would you rather take your chances of injuries while getting hit by a team made up of primarily Fiat 500's or one made up of Armored Chevy Suburbans?
It's a Common Sense choice:
Do I get my team ready for the serious grind of the Big Ten East by playing a team that might allow me to go deep into my roster and give me a chance to evaluate nearly everyone, while presenting less wear and tear on my players....; or..., do I schedule a team that I'll have to be playing my starters against while exposing them to a season ending injury in a relatively meaningless game, well into the 4th quarter???
The correct choice seems obvious to me...
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So you guys are clearly bummed that we are playing Notre Dame in a few years while I personally can’t wait. To each his own.
Obviously, I personally think it's poor scheduling...
I'd much rather win the Big Ten Championship than beat ND... (and I don't like ND)... Playing a team made up of the type of depth of talent that an ND type of team has should Always be left off the table until the Bowl game, in my opinion...
Let me ask you this...: If we beat Norte Dame but lose a key player to season ending injury that ultimately trashes not only their season but costs us a possible Big Ten Championship..., was it worth the trade off...???
In my way of thinking..., it's not...
I'd be excited to see Notre Dame, Kentucky, or a similar rival in a future Bowl game... I Never want to see those types of teams on our out of conference schedule... (and that's coming from a guy who would absolutely love to see us beat both ND & Ky)...
The out of conference schedule should Always be made up of teams that give us the best chance of preparing our TEAM for winning a Big Ten Championship..., and if that becomes unattainable, getting to a Bowl game... All other considerations should take a very distant second..., in my opinion...
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Yeah, well I live in the South so I'm fully aware of how shitty they are down here and I've had interactions with Tuberville, so it was personal. He's a dick.
I’m not saying your points aren’t valid (although I think the possible outcomes are not as binary as you are presenting them to be) I’m just saying there are valid points to be had on both sides of the debate but I don’t PERSONALLY get excited about beating up on directional schools like I do a big game with ranking/bowl game implications and a large TV audience. That is speaking less from a logic viewpoint and more from a pure enjoyment standpoint.
Just FYI, Cincy game is at noon on ESPN/ABC.
Let's pound em. I can't wait to see what Deland has in store. We were really good on the ground in his previous stint. Go Hoosiers!
Just for reference, but people do understand that Sheridan is still the play caller on offense. Deland is still just the running backs coach on game days. He doesn't have the authority to override Sheridan on what we run.
Can't hide talent. I'm confident in Sheridan. I'm anxious to see the O with full practices under their belt. Last year was so weird. Hoping this is the offensive baseline year. I have trouble putting too much stock in last year. Getting really excited. With my sons at Bama now, I'm sneaking in a game in T-town too. That will be interesting. Go Hoosiers!
Hopefully everyone has the ability to give input but Sheridan needs to get the offense turned around for his sake.
I'm sure coaches will give input, but on game day, it's Sheridan who is running the show on offense.
CTA said that last year was pretty vanilla when it came to the run game. They didn't do much scheme because they didn't have the practice time and spring was cut short.
This year, we should see some creativity out of this bunch.
Totally agree Baller. Your reference to CTA is my reference for comments above as well. Nice post.
I trust coach Allen and expect to see more from the offense this year. Our offense needs to be have more imagination and it will help to have receivers catch the ball better than last season.
Teams with imaginative offenses always seem to have offensive lines that control the line of scrimmage.
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This is an excellent read, with embedded videos, on IU's big-play defense.
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...fense-has-elevated-the-entire-indiana-program
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...fense-has-elevated-the-entire-indiana-program
I agree! Very thorough and well written by someone who clearly knows football. It breaks down exactly how Wommack and Allen were successful in doing more with less, especially when it comes to the pass rush, and shows how creative that defense was last year.
Although it could have been by design, I think CTA & Wommack did an outstanding job of ID'ing what their personnel could do last season, adjusting, & leaning into it. Ziemba not getting around end to the QB? No sweat, cover his run fit & athletic enough to drop to cover the flat on a pass. Sio not having success with the bull rush through the Guard? Cool, have him slice across to occupy the C & G and send Micah in on a delay blitz.
Although they got plenty of pub last season, I think the key to the whole defense was the DBs being able to cover in space while we're rushing 6 or 7. In addition to FANTASTIC run support & tackling by Mullen & Taylor.
After years of IU fans screaming about the cupcake pre season...
I didn't fully grasp how mediocre our D-line was until the end of the season when I looked at all of the highlights. Jerome Johnson was a force in the middle, but if we had just run a standard 4-3 defense, the sack numbers would have been pathetic. The fact that we were able to send in guys like Micah and occasionally even DB's and not get burned with deep balls to wide open recievers shows how well all of IU's corners executed, Jaylin Williams and Reece Taylor deserve more love, w/o them providing depth as the 2nd and 3rd best CB's in the secondary QB's could have just chucked up deep balls when they saw a blitz and IU would have gotten burned.
I guess I should add, as much as I bag on the DL last season with the pure front 4 pass rush, they do deserve praise for doing (I think) a good job against the run. I felt like they held their ground pretty well, particularly between the tackles.
They where very successful coming off the slot too. A lot of times the QB never saw it coming. Williams was fantastic at it.
Agree about the creativity, coupled with more and more guys with experience and talent to execute the chaos defense. With two All-Americans (McFadden and Mullen), some key transfers (including Ryder Anderson from Ole Miss), the return of McCrary-Ball (after missing all of last season with an ACL), and a ton of returning production, this defense - - which led the conference in picks and sacks last season - - should be really good.
"Chaos defense" is the most apt description of that unit.
The best way to maximize their scheme this year is for the offense to become more consistent. If they can put together some good drives, get points on the board in more regular intervals without relying on turnovers & a short field, and get the other team playing from behind more often.... = more pass plays by the other team and get real aggressive confusing other QBs.
I think DiNardo’s loss to Penn state has been canceled out.
