It hasn't exactly been an easy off season for the Hoosiers. The last season under Bill Lynch featured yet another year of finishing one win shy of bowl eligibility. What may have clinched the end of the Lynch era were the heartbreaking losses to Michigan (for the second year in a row) Northwestern, and most painfully Iowa, where wide receiver Damarlo Belcher let a game winning touchdown slip through his fingers. Even a victory over arch nemesis Purdue, the only Big Ten victory of the season, could not save the season.
Things seem to have stabilized now though, and Hoosiers fans are now prepared for a brave new world in the Leaders Division of the Big Ten.
The Offense
Ben Chappel was by far the biggest reason for hope in the last two seasons, and he performed admirably as the signal caller under Lynch.
Wilson's offensive guidance, which allowed Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford to win a Heisman trophy, Dusty Kiel, who has the most experience of all the available options, is probably hoping similar magic can be worked on him. The best targets in the Hoosier offense are without a doubt the aforementioned Belcher and up and comer Kofi Hughes, who only had 7 catches in 2010, but seems to be taking to the new offense like a fish to water.
Trea Burgess will have the biggest chunk of the rushing touches this season, but will need to take a big step forward, having only amassed 600 odd yards total in his first two seasons.
With so much up in the air, we will probably have to wait until fall camp breaks to see how this unit will really look.
The Defense
The defense was perhaps the biggest liability for the Hoosiers in 2010, as they gave up 40+ points four times, including the difficult to watch 83-20 affair against Wisconsin.
Senior linebackers Leon Beckum and Jeff Thomas have the experience needed to hopefully stabilize the defense that ranked 102 in points against last year.
The secondary needs to be rebuilt as the Hoosiers lose Richard Coucil and Mitchell Evans and there are simply too many question marks for anyone to be particularly optimistic about how the new replacements will fair against Big Ten level passing this year.
The Schedule
Sep 3 @Ball St. Sep 10 Virginia Sep 17 South Carolina State Sep 24 @North Texas Oct 1 Penn St. Oct 8 Illinois Oct 15 @Wisconsin Oct 22 @Iowa Oct 29 Northwestern Nov 5 @Ohio St. Nov 19 @Michigan St. Nov 26 Purdue
Indiana has scheduled themselves easy non conference slates in the past, and this year seems no different. With Slam dunks likely against Ball State, SC State and North Texas, and one of the least effective ACC teams over the last seven years, UVA.
The Big Ten schedule? Well that one looks rough, given that the four road games will all be near the top of their divisions.
Our Best Guess
This year was going to be a tough one, with or without a new coach at Indiana. Question marks are at many many key positions, and when you throw in a new system well things don't exactly get any easier. Many of the national forecasters are predicting a winless Big Ten season, and that is certainly a possibility, in fact they may not get past the three wins against the non BCS teams. Wilson will likely be a good hire in Bloomington, but he will need more than one offseason to turn things around.
2011 Big Ten Football Preview: Indiana
It hasn't exactly been an easy off season for the Hoosiers. The last season under Bill Lynch featured yet another year of finishing one win shy of bowl eligibility. What may have clinched the end of the Lynch era were the heartbreaking losses to Michigan (for the second year in a row) Northwestern, and most painfully Iowa, where wide receiver Damarlo Belcher let a game winning touchdown slip through his fingers. Even a victory over arch nemesis Purdue, the only Big Ten victory of the season, could not save the season.
So Indiana decided it was best to move on, and hired up and coming offensive coach Kevin Wilson from Oklahoma, and he promptly went on to fill out a staff of similarly up and coming assistants. Things were not so simple though, for one Coach Wilson did not get along easily in his new lodging, and the great Hoosier staff he assembled apparently didn't much care for Bloomington either.
Things seem to have stabilized now though, and Hoosiers fans are now prepared for a brave new world in the Leaders Division of the Big Ten.
The Offense
Ben Chappel was by far the biggest reason for hope in the last two seasons, and he performed admirably as the signal caller under Lynch.
Wilson's offensive guidance, which allowed Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford to win a Heisman trophy, Dusty Kiel, who has the most experience of all the available options, is probably hoping similar magic can be worked on him. The best targets in the Hoosier offense are without a doubt the aforementioned Belcher and up and comer Kofi Hughes, who only had 7 catches in 2010, but seems to be taking to the new offense like a fish to water.
Trea Burgess will have the biggest chunk of the rushing touches this season, but will need to take a big step forward, having only amassed 600 odd yards total in his first two seasons.
With so much up in the air, we will probably have to wait until fall camp breaks to see how this unit will really look.
The Defense
The defense was perhaps the biggest liability for the Hoosiers in 2010, as they gave up 40+ points four times, including the difficult to watch 83-20 affair against Wisconsin.
Senior linebackers Leon Beckum and Jeff Thomas have the experience needed to hopefully stabilize the defense that ranked 102 in points against last year.
The secondary needs to be rebuilt as the Hoosiers lose Richard Coucil and Mitchell Evans and there are simply too many question marks for anyone to be particularly optimistic about how the new replacements will fair against Big Ten level passing this year.
The Schedule
Sep 3 @Ball St.
Sep 10 Virginia
Sep 17 South Carolina State
Sep 24 @North Texas
Oct 1 Penn St.
Oct 8 Illinois
Oct 15 @Wisconsin
Oct 22 @Iowa
Oct 29 Northwestern
Nov 5 @Ohio St.
Nov 19 @Michigan St.
Nov 26 Purdue
Indiana has scheduled themselves easy non conference slates in the past, and this year seems no different. With Slam dunks likely against Ball State, SC State and North Texas, and one of the least effective ACC teams over the last seven years, UVA.
The Big Ten schedule? Well that one looks rough, given that the four road games will all be near the top of their divisions.
Our Best Guess
This year was going to be a tough one, with or without a new coach at Indiana. Question marks are at many many key positions, and when you throw in a new system well things don't exactly get any easier. Many of the national forecasters are predicting a winless Big Ten season, and that is certainly a possibility, in fact they may not get past the three wins against the non BCS teams. Wilson will likely be a good hire in Bloomington, but he will need more than one offseason to turn things around.
0-8 Big Ten, 3-9 Overall.
Jun 27 5:29p by Joe Kutsunis