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Two Months 'Til Opening Day: What Do you Think?

Am not talking about coaches, am talking about a teams chemistry and their capacity to make plays at opportune times to win a game or not. Which leads to winners win and losers lose. Another phrase is at some point in time in a close game " boys somebody is going to give in don't let it be us" Losers give in winners don't
I beg to differ, Euro: That's NOT the way it usually happens at IU.
Phil Dickens brought a 29-11-1 career record to Bloomington and won one-third of his games at IU.
John Pont brought a 20-7-2 career record to Bloomington and won 38 percent of his games at IU.
Bill Mallory brought a 99-151-1 career record to Bloomington and won 46.6 percent of his games at IU.
Gerry DiNardo brought a 53-100-1 career record to Bloomington and won just 23 percent of his games at IU.
Cam Cameron and Kevin Wilson had no career records when they came to IU.
While I believe in Occam's Razor, it might not apply in this particular case.
 
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This team had the talent the last 2 years to get to 6 wins and couldn’t because of a check down offense and bad OC. Its amazing how close we are. Purdue just had the edge the last two years in coaching the offensive side of the ball. Trick plays and Brohm were the difference. Don’t forget a Minny game last year we where we are playing great at half and Debord goes to the most conservative game plan I’ve ever seen in second half and we can’t get it done.
My point is that the right person leading makes a huge difference in game planing and confidence. TA doesnt know offense.
If we are going to get over the hump at IU vs Big Ten East teams we can’t line up conservative. We need a dynamic QB and an attacking mindset. I think we have the guy in Deboer. Penix has the tools to get us there. We must improve special teams and get more organized, coverage needs to be cleaned up and kickoff return has to be a threat somewhat.

I’m tired of hearing our breakout year is next year. It can happen Now. Brohm didn’t say that the last 2 years. This team has the talent to get it done this year. And let’s face it- recruiting momentum needs it this year. I think we can beat Michigan this year at home if we show up. It’s been close for years and it’s time to kick the door down. I’m not a Harbaugh fan.
 
Am not talking about coaches, am talking about a teams chemistry and their capacity to make plays at opportune times to win a game or not. Which leads to winners win and losers lose. Another phrase is at some point in time in a close game " boys somebody is going to give in don't let it be us" Losers give in winners don't
We're going to have to overcome adversity, give 110%, man up, play within ourselves, take it one game at a time, be on the same page, want it more than our opponent, refuse to be denied, remind ourselves that there's no "I" in "team," and remember that, at the end of the day, it is what it is. (Did I miss any?)
 
This team had the talent the last 2 years to get to 6 wins and couldn’t because of a check down offense and bad OC. Its amazing how close we are. Purdue just had the edge the last two years in coaching the offensive side of the ball. Trick plays and Brohm were the difference. Don’t forget a Minny game last year we where we are playing great at half and Debord goes to the most conservative game plan I’ve ever seen in second half and we can’t get it done.
My point is that the right person leading makes a huge difference in game planing and confidence. TA doesnt know offense.
If we are going to get over the hump at IU vs Big Ten East teams we can’t line up conservative. We need a dynamic QB and an attacking mindset. I think we have the guy in Deboer. Penix has the tools to get us there. We must improve special teams and get more organized, coverage needs to be cleaned up and kickoff return has to be a threat somewhat.

I’m tired of hearing our breakout year is next year. It can happen Now. Brohm didn’t say that the last 2 years. This team has the talent to get it done this year. And let’s face it- recruiting momentum needs it this year. I think we can beat Michigan this year at home if we show up. It’s been close for years and it’s time to kick the door down. I’m not a Harbaugh fan.
I think you need to rewatch the Minnesota game we were trailing to the Gophers.
 
I’m tired of hearing our breakout year is next year. It can happen Now. Brohm didn’t say that the last 2 years.
Allen hasn't said it, either. It's just a hunch of some dumb fans like me. With two new coordinators and some lingering questions about the D, it's hard for me to imagine that everything will jell immediately, but who knows? As someone else said in this or another thread, the breakthrough sometimes comes sooner than expected.
 
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I beg to differ, Euro: That's NOT the way it usually happens at IU.
Phil Dickens brought a 29-11-1 career record to Bloomington and won one-third of his games at IU.
John Pont brought a 20-7-2 career record to Bloomington and won 38 percent of his games at IU.
Bill Mallory brought a 99-151-1 career record to Bloomington and won 46.6 percent of his games at IU.
Gerry DiNardo brought a 53-100-1 career record to Bloomington and won just 23 percent of his games at IU.
Cam Cameron and Kevin Wilson had no career records when they came to IU.
While I believe in Occam's Razor, it might not apply in this particular case.
Don't forget Lee Corso, who was 9-1 at Louisville before he came to IU.


Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
Louisville Cardinals
(Missouri Valley Conference) (1969–1972)
1969 Louisville 5–4–1 2–3 T–3rd
1970 Louisville 8–3–1 4–0 1st T Pasadena
1971 Louisville 6–3–1 3–2 5th
1972 Louisville 9–1 4–1 T–1st 16 18
Louisville: 28–11–3 13–6
 
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Am not talking about coaches, am talking about a teams chemistry and their capacity to make plays at opportune times to win a game or not. Which leads to winners win and losers lose. Another phrase is at some point in time in a close game " boys somebody is going to give in don't let it be us" Losers give in winners don't

It doesn’t hurt that the “winners” are usually loaded with five star players, while the losers probably could be offered scholarships to the other team’s programs.
 
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The best supporting example of "This can be the year" instead of "wait until next year", is our very own rival, Purdue. Brohm has gone bowling the last two years, HAMMERED Ohio State, and won two Bucket games amid other victories.

The fact that they've had some VERY ugly losses to bad teams only proves my point further. He is obviously taking very average division one talent and molding it into a formidable unit capable of beating anyone.

The time is now to WIN!! Do you people believe for a second that 40++ year followers/boosters of this program should be told "oh, it's going to be another season ir two before we see results"...that's weak sauce and a built in excuse to lose this year.
 
Do you people believe for a second that 40++ year followers/boosters of this program should be told "oh, it's going to be another season ir two before we see results".
This is a message board. It's simply fan opinions. No one within the IU football program is telling you that you have to wait for results.

I think you'll see results this year, with a six win season and a bowl game. I think you're going to have to wait a year or two for an 8+ win season. I say that because Wilson had underwhelming recruiting classes his last couple of years, and we're only a couple of years in with respect to Allen's significant talent upgrade. Also, as I mentioned earlier, DeBoer and Wommack are in new positions. It's not realistic to expect a huge season this soon.
 
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Not talking about us vs 5 star teams, taking about us vs the 3 star teams like Iowa, Northwestern, Minny, Boilers and even the farting Spartans
It doesn’t hurt that the “winners” are usually loaded with five star players, while the losers probably could be offered scholarships to the other team’s programs.
 
I think you need to rewatch the Minnesota game we were trailing to the Gophers.

Yeah, I'm not sure what Minny game he watched. IU moved the ball well in the first, but overall was very lackluster only scoring FGs. 2nd half started slow, but that was more about mistakes than playcalling. 1st drive is a 3 and out because of 2 dropped passes, 2nd drive was an INT, 3rd drive was moving well until a holding penalty, then IU scored 22 in the 4th.
Far and away biggest issue in that game was defense, which played awful, except for about the first 10 minutes of the 4th quarter.
 
The best supporting example of "This can be the year" instead of "wait until next year", is our very own rival, Purdue. Brohm has gone bowling the last two years, HAMMERED Ohio State, and won two Bucket games amid other victories.

The fact that they've had some VERY ugly losses to bad teams only proves my point further. He is obviously taking very average division one talent and molding it into a formidable unit capable of beating anyone.

The time is now to WIN!! Do you people believe for a second that 40++ year followers/boosters of this program should be told "oh, it's going to be another season ir two before we see results"...that's weak sauce and a built in excuse to lose this year.
That so called weak talent took IU to the wall in 2014 [IU trailing until the final 30 seconds] in the bucket game and 2016 by 2 points. Clearly they had more talent that what you describe compared to IU except Nate's final game the past three years of Wilson's reign.
 
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That so called weak talent took IU to the wall in 2014 [IU trailing until the final 30 seconds] in the bucket game and 2016 by 2 points. Clearly they had more talent that what you describe compared to IU except Nate's final game the past three years of Wilson's reign.
I can't argue with you there...I just hope we can win the Bucket game this year.
 
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The best supporting example of "This can be the year" instead of "wait until next year", is our very own rival, Purdue. Brohm has gone bowling the last two years, HAMMERED Ohio State, and won two Bucket games amid other victories.

The fact that they've had some VERY ugly losses to bad teams only proves my point further. He is obviously taking very average division one talent and molding it into a formidable unit capable of beating anyone.

The time is now to WIN!! Do you people believe for a second that 40++ year followers/boosters of this program should be told "oh, it's going to be another season ir two before we see results"...that's weak sauce and a built in excuse to lose this year.
Ha ha that’s funny. Like anything I or you say on this board have anything at all to do with how this team will compete. The program does not tell us anything of the sort so you must be referring to us other posters that do not become so emotional about the team’s prospects.

As for me, being a 50+ year program supporter I have learned that I can enjoy whatever this program does a little more if I do not get my expectations too high. I can therefore really enjoy those few years that expectations are exceeded and not be entirely disappointed when they are the normal old IU.

To each his own though so get excited. I truly hope your high expectations are met because that will be a great year for me too. I just think it is going to take a year or two more and if it does I won’t be on here bad mouthing everyone associated with the team like many with too high expectations will be.
 
Am not talking about coaches, am talking about a teams chemistry and their capacity to make plays at opportune times to win a game or not. Which leads to winners win and losers lose. Another phrase is at some point in time in a close game " boys somebody is going to give in don't let it be us" Losers give in winners don't
So, "winning attitudes" do not flow down from the top. Interesting theory; one that might bear some investigation.
 
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Whoa dont get to deep here big boy! Somebody took my initial comment out of context when posting coaching records before coming to IU. But you do learn things from your players on many occasions.
So, "winning attitudes" do not flow down from the top. Interesting theory; one that might bear some investigation.
 
The best supporting example of "This can be the year" instead of "wait until next year", is our very own rival, Purdue. Brohm has gone bowling the last two years, HAMMERED Ohio State, and won two Bucket games amid other victories.

The fact that they've had some VERY ugly losses to bad teams only proves my point further. He is obviously taking very average division one talent and molding it into a formidable unit capable of beating anyone.

The time is now to WIN!! Do you people believe for a second that 40++ year followers/boosters of this program should be told "oh, it's going to be another season ir two before we see results"...that's weak sauce and a built in excuse to lose this year.

That so called weak talent took IU to the wall in 2014 [IU trailing until the final 30 seconds] in the bucket game and 2016 by 2 points. Clearly they had more talent that what you describe compared to IU except Nate's final game the past three years of Wilson's reign.
Don't forget that Purdue can pretty much pencil in 4 conference wins annually while playing in the West division. Not so for IU in the east. Scheduling imbalance at its worst.
 
Don't forget that Purdue can pretty much pencil in 4 conference wins annually while playing in the West division. Not so for IU in the east. Scheduling imbalance at its worst.
'pencil in 4 conference wins annually while playing in the West division"?

I'm no Purdue fan, but 2 of their six wins last year were against East division? And the other 4 weren't all in the West.

I'm not sticking up for Purdue here, but saying they have 4 automatic conference games because they play in the West division just isn't accurate.
 
'pencil in 4 conference wins annually while playing in the West division"?

I'm no Purdue fan, but 2 of their six wins last year were against East division? And the other 4 weren't all in the West.

I'm not sticking up for Purdue here, but saying they have 4 automatic conference games because they play in the West division just isn't accurate.
I didn't say automatic but instead said pencil in.

I also said conference wins not division wins.

Nit picky? Yeah, probably.

Besides, it's all about the schedule as a whole. If they had to play OSU, UM, PSU, and MSU all in the same year, they wouldn't have the depth to make it through the year and be as dominant in the bucket game. They just wouldn't.
 
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Whoa dont get to deep here big boy! Somebody took my initial comment out of context when posting coaching records before coming to IU. But you do learn things from your players on many occasions.
Fair enough.
 
I didn't say automatic but instead said pencil in.

I also said conference wins not division wins.

Nit picky? Yeah, probably.

Besides, it's all about the schedule as a whole. If they had to play OSU, UM, PSU, and MSU all in the same year, they wouldn't have the depth to make it through the year and be as dominant in the bucket game. They just wouldn't.
Well, they blew out the best team in the conference, which is in the East.

They had enough depth for that game.

I don't see what you're saying about division strength having anything to do with the Bucket game. They've dominated the Bucket series since the beginning, with no divisions. They've also not dominated for the last 6 years, with IU going 4-2 in those years, when there were divisions.
 
Everyone talks about how purdue beat ohio state last year and made a big deal about it. They also lost to eastern Michigan a mac team that went 7-6 in 2018 and got blown out by minnesota another 7-6 team and was utterly destroyed by auburn again 7-5 going into the bowl game. Purdue had their best game on the same day ohio state played their worst. In fact I havent seen ohio state play that bad in quite awhile.
 
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Everyone talks about how purdue beat ohio state last year and made a big deal about it. They also lost to eastern Michigan a mac team that went 7-6 in 2018 and got blown out by minnesota another 7-6 team and was utterly destroyed by auburn again 7-5 going into the bowl game. Purdue had their best game on the same day ohio state played their worst. In fact I havent seen ohio state play that bad in quite awhile.
I think the point @td75 is making is that Purdue has the ability to rise up out of their mediocrity and beat a top team, taking advantage of them on a bad day. The question is, when will we do that? When can we finish off an OSU that we lead in the 3rd Quarter? When can we beat a UM we are leading with 10 seconds to go in thr 4th? These two scenarios happened in 2017. In 2018, we played OSU, PSU and UM very tough, but couldn't finish. When will we do the same and rise up out of our mediocrity and beat a top team?

Since 2000, Purdue has beaten Ohio State 5 times and UM 3 times. We haven't beaten either since 1988. When will the next win happen?
 
Bud is spot on, our inability to close out with little time left, is an eventual turnoff to the fanbase.

I didn't know that Purdue owned 8 wins over UM and OSU since 2000. Wow, that's actually mindboggling.
 
I think the point @td75 is making is that Purdue has the ability to rise up out of their mediocrity and beat a top team, taking advantage of them on a bad day. The question is, when will we do that? When can we finish off an OSU that we lead in the 3rd Quarter? When can we beat a UM we are leading with 10 seconds to go in thr 4th? These two scenarios happened in 2017. In 2018, we played OSU, PSU and UM very tough, but couldn't finish. When will we do the same and rise up out of our mediocrity and beat a top team?

Since 2000, Purdue has beaten Ohio State 5 times and UM 3 times. We haven't beaten either since 1988. When will the next win happen?
Great post - well said!
 
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I admit I'm always overly optimistic but I think this is the year IU can win eight games, including a big victory over Michigan or Ohio State.

The biggest question mark for me is the quarterback position. I really like Peyton Ramsey but he's had two years behind center to turn this program around and it hasn't happened. Would love to see Penix get a shot at taking over the offense.

Whatever happens, I'm a big believer in Tom Allen and what he's trying to do to change the culture of Indiana football.
 
My sentiments as well. Love Ramsey but not sure he has the arm for taking IU to promise land. Besides a rocket arm, what I like about Penix too is poise in the pocket. He doesn’t get happy feet. Remember his HS stays were like 61 TD’s to like 7 ints. He is not a turnover machine. Think DeBoer, who I like said I’m coaching QBs too, will make the offense hum this year.

If IU scores points, believe the D has enough to sustain wins. Still saying 7-5!
 
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Cool they beat a big dog but they still havent raised themselves out of mediocrity. They are still 13-13 over the two years with brohm. I'd call that pretty mediocre. My point was yes they beat a team they shouldnt have beat last year but they also lost to teams they shouldnt have lost too. Still very mediocre.
 
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Cool they beat a big dog but they still havent raised themselves out of mediocrity. They are still 13-13 over the two years with brohm. I'd call that pretty mediocre. My point was yes they beat a team they shouldnt have beat last year but they also lost to teams they shouldnt have lost too. Still very mediocre.
Yes. Purdue is mediocre. Obviously. That's fine, but it doesn't nullify @td75 point:

If a mediocre team like Purdue can rise up and beat OSU, why can't IU? We should EXPECT our team to beat OSU or UM at least once in 30 years, right? Or are we perpetually doomed to "wait till next year" before the season has even started?

No. Beating one of OSU or UM should not be a once in a generation event. That is ridiculous.
 
Cool they beat a big dog but they still havent raised themselves out of mediocrity. They are still 13-13 over the two years with brohm. I'd call that pretty mediocre. My point was yes they beat a team they shouldnt have beat last year but they also lost to teams they shouldnt have lost too. Still very mediocre.
That's where IU has fallen short. They usually lose to someone they shouldn't, but never seem to be able to offset that by beating someone they shouldn't.
 
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Yes. Purdue is mediocre. Obviously. That's fine, but it doesn't nullify @td75 point:

If a mediocre team like Purdue can rise up and beat OSU, why can't IU? We should EXPECT our team to beat OSU or UM at least once in 30 years, right? Or are we perpetually doomed to "wait till next year" before the season has even started?

No. Beating one of OSU or UM should not be a once in a generation event. That is ridiculous.
Eff the past. Eff Purdue. Eff the whining. Tom Allen, Mike Hart et al. are recruiting at IU's highest level since recruiting rankings began. The years of embarrassingly bad defenses are over. The administration continues to demonstrate a commitment to IU football like I haven't seen in my lifetime. It's less than two months until opening day, and this team has a legitimate shot at a bowl season - - with perhaps much more in the not too distant future. Go Hoosiers!
 
Yes. Purdue is mediocre. Obviously. That's fine, but it doesn't nullify @td75 point:

If a mediocre team like Purdue can rise up and beat OSU, why can't IU? We should EXPECT our team to beat OSU or UM at least once in 30 years, right? Or are we perpetually doomed to "wait till next year" before the season has even started?

No. Beating one of OSU or UM should not be a once in a generation event. That is ridiculous.

Ohio State has finished in the top 10 a total of 14 times since 2002. During the same period of time the Hoosiers have had a winning record one season in which they were 7-6. And during the same stretch the Hoosiers won two or fewer conference games 13 times.

And yet every preseason people are perplexed why the. Hoosiers lose to Ohio State. And many of the same call for the coach to be fired if the Hoosiers don’t go to a bowl game. Recently the Hoosiers have played Ohio State to the end and the game is been close. People should be focused more on playing competitive football and less on wins and losses against top 10 programs.
 
If our talented young players breakout this year to compliment our older players, that have been good in the past, this could be the year that a lot of the bad memories start to disappear. I hope our OC can pull off the magic he has shown at each school he has coached. People concerned about our new OC and DC are missing the success they have had at those positions at previous schools. I am confident both will do well as they come from situations with lesser talent needing to do well against better teams which they did. IU won't really be a different situation for either of them.
 
Ohio State has finished in the top 10 a total of 14 times since 2002. During the same period of time the Hoosiers have had a winning record one season in which they were 7-6. And during the same stretch the Hoosiers won two or fewer conference games 13 times.

And yet every preseason people are perplexed why the. Hoosiers lose to Ohio State. And many of the same call for the coach to be fired if the Hoosiers don’t go to a bowl game. Recently the Hoosiers have played Ohio State to the end and the game is been close. People should be focused more on playing competitive football and less on wins and losses against top 10 programs.
No one is demanding wins over OSU and Michigan. We should however expect to win our fair share against Purdue, Maryland, Minnesota, etc.

Winning half of our toss up games gets us to a bowl nearly every season.
 
No one is demanding wins over OSU and Michigan. We should however expect to win our fair share against Purdue, Maryland, Minnesota, etc.

Winning half of our toss up games gets us to a bowl nearly every season.
You are right but with the coaches in the B1G now it is going to be a brutal schedule in the next couple of years. The only ? I see are Illinois and Maryland but both are starting to get higher rated athletes. If our new OC does as well as he has in other jobs and the 2020 class turns out well IU will be very hard to defeat just as PU once Brohm gets his recruits in and Minnesota keeps bringing in better athletes. There will be no easy games in the B1G soon for any team.
 
With the automatic 3 wins with the soft non con schedule you would hope it would come to fruition.
No one is demanding wins over OSU and Michigan. We should however expect to win our fair share against Purdue, Maryland, Minnesota, etc.

Winning half of our toss up games gets us to a bowl nearly every season.
 
You are right but with the coaches in the B1G now it is going to be a brutal schedule in the next couple of years. The only ? I see are Illinois and Maryland but both are starting to get higher rated athletes. If our new OC does as well as he has in other jobs and the 2020 class turns out well IU will be very hard to defeat just as PU once Brohm gets his recruits in and Minnesota keeps bringing in better athletes. There will be no easy games in the B1G soon for any team.
Agree. It’s not getting any easier. If Allen can’t get it done soon we need to find someone who can.
 
You are right but with the coaches in the B1G now it is going to be a brutal schedule in the next couple of years. The only ? I see are Illinois and Maryland but both are starting to get higher rated athletes. If our new OC does as well as he has in other jobs and the 2020 class turns out well IU will be very hard to defeat just as PU once Brohm gets his recruits in and Minnesota keeps bringing in better athletes. There will be no easy games in the B1G soon for any team.
There are no easy games in BIG already
 
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