2013 Preview: Week 11: Illinois Fighting Illini

/
2013 Preview: Week 11: Illinois Fighting Illini

For the first time since non-conference play we are breaking down a game that should basically be a lock for the Hoosiers heading into the season. The Illini were an abomination last season, going winless in Big Ten play. Head Coach Tim Beckman is already on the hot seat in Champaign, which led to changes throughout the coaching staff during the offseason.

The history of this series is not quite as rosy for the Hoosiers however. These two programs have met on the gridiron 70 total times dating all the way back to 1899. However, of late the matchup has been a dead heat as the two teams have split the last ten meetings.

Find out more about this years match-up against the Illini after the jump! 

 

Read More

Throwback Thursday: Week 10 Iowa Hawkeyes

/
Throwback Thursday: Week 10 Iowa Hawkeyes

A Throwback Thursday that is actually on a Thursday! Welcome to our review of the Hoosiers battle against the Iowa Hawkeyes that could let Indiana control its own destiny to the Big Ten Championship Game.  Despite a weather delay of over an hour and temperatures that never got out of the 30s the Hoosiers and Hawkeyes provided a great game in a rare late afternoon start at The Rock.

Opponent: Iowa Hawkeyes

Location: Saturday November 3rd  /3:30pm/ Memorial Stadium/ (Bloomington, Indiana) 

Why They Played:  The Hoosiers and Hawkeyes met as part of a divisional crossover matchup.  Indiana has had some recent success against the Hawkeyes scoring wins in back-to-back years in 2006 and 2007 while also coming a dropped touchdown pass away from another victory in 2010.  Iowa leads the all-time series 27-42-4.

Read More

2013 Preview: Indiana Hoosier Bowl Predictions

/
2013 Preview: Indiana Hoosier Bowl Predictions

While we are just 15 days away from the start of the college football season, the goal on the other hand lies four months ahead. The 2013 season is the first time in a long time that the Indiana program has any expectations whatsoever heading into the season. The coaching staff, players and fans all know that is the case and there is a general sense of optimism concerning the program.

Interestingly enough, the national media has agreed with the sentiment of the Hoosier faithful, and have jumped onto the bandwagon with both feet. As I am sure many of you have, I have scoured through the websites and magazines alike in the hope of finding good news regarding winter travels based around Indiana football. Much to my delight, and I am sure many of yours, just about every publication out there has the Indiana Hoosiers going bowling at the conclusion of the season. Yes, that is correct, the Hoosiers are predicted to “Play 13” in 2013.

So I figured what better way to get your juices flowing on “hump-day” just over two weeks away from kick-off than to look at the success projected by the national media outlets.

Read More

Throwback Thursday: Week 9: Illinois Fighting Illini

/
Throwback Thursday: Week 9: Illinois Fighting Illini

Welcome back as we finally have another win to review in our Throwback Series.  This is one of the weirder games when it comes to breaking down the statistics.  Illinois lead in almost every major category, yet lost the game by 14 points.  This was a crazy game filled with lots of twists and turns as the Hoosiers pulled their starting quarterback in favor of a true freshman in the first quarter and led the Hoosier comeback.

Read More

Hoosiers Lose Two More Players Monday

/
Hoosiers Lose Two More Players Monday

The Indiana Hoosiers were hit with more bad news after practice on Monday as Kevin Wilson announced that freshman tight end Evan Jansen has quit the program and the junior college transfer defensive tackle Chris Cormier has under gone a knee scope.  While the Hoosiers have enough depth at the tight end position to cover up the loss of Jansen, who was a big recruit out of Cincinnati, losing Cormier is a very big concern.

Read More

Big Ten Network Rolls into Bloomington to Take a Look at The Hoosiers

/
Big Ten Network Rolls into Bloomington to Take a Look at The Hoosiers

Football is finally in the air! As we slowly countdown the days until kickoff the Big Ten Network is airing their annual season preview show, starting with the Indiana Hoosiers.  The show gives viewers an insider look at practice while also discussing the strengths, weaknesses, and the expectations for the 2013 Indiana Hoosiers.  We are here to decipher what is false hype, coach speak, and just plain old politics from what the actual expectations for Hoosier football are for the upcoming season.

The expectations for the Hoosiers are as high as they have ever been in the last decade for this team.  Big Ten Network analyst and former Hoosier head coach Gerry Dinardo claims that this team “could absolutely be the best Indiana team since they went to a bowl game in 2007.”  While that does not say very much about the 2013 squad analyst Howard Griffith added that the Hoosiers “have a chance to do some special things.”  Hold on a second, is this really happening? Someone is buying into the Hoosiers being good on the football field? As bizarre as this may sound, yes many people are pegging the Hoosiers as the surprise team in the Big Ten.  Current Hoosier head coach Kevin Wilson is not quite buying into the external expectations for his team saying, “I don’t know if we get a lot of credit, so we try and stroke the chip on our shoulder.” Although this may be seen as Wilson just playing dumb with the media, it is a smart maneuver for the Hoosiers.  He knows they were not good last year even though the team showed improvement, and he wants his team to play with the same “we don’t get any respect” edge that many successful underdogs implore.  Wilson is even less transparent about what defines success for this team, stating “we don’t talk about a game, or a number of wins, or a bowl game.  You can be a bowl team at 6-6 and lose that game and end (the season) with a losing record.” I don’t by into the thinking of this team can be deemed a success without going to a bowl game.  It is the third season under Wilson and it is time for this team to make tangible improvements, have something to put in the trophy case in Bloomington.

Read More

2013 Preview: Week 10: Minnesota Gophers

/
2013 Preview: Week 10: Minnesota Gophers

The season hasn’t even started, yet we’re already nearing the end of the year as far as our previews are concerned. Today we take a look at Week 10, yes that’s right we have already hit double digits and that’s not the most exciting news of the week, it also happens to be homecoming!

Yes, that’s right, the yearly tradition where alumni from around the Hoosier state and the rest of the world come back to Bloomington to revel in the memories of their colligate days. Ok, so maybe I am glorifying it a tad, however there are festivities galore from alumni tailgates to Greek Life parties.

Oh yea…. there is also a football game!

Like I did in week five, I decided against previewing the bye on the schedule in week nine. I am sure there will be some quality Madden tournaments between the players, and maybe even a steak dinner or two, especially if the Hoosiers did well in their tough three game stretch heading into the off week. However, this is a site where we talk football, no matter how good that porterhouse might be.

The Golden Gophers coming to town represents another program that has the upper hand on the Hoosiers historically. While Indiana has a losing record against every Big Ten program, except for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Minnesota is one of the four teams that the Hoosiers win over 40-percent of their games against.

The two schools have played 66 times dating back to 1906, but have not met on the gridiron since back in 2008 due to conference scheduling rotations.  Of those 66 matchups the Hoosiers have walked away victorious 26 times.

Before the season starts, to many fans, this game is a ho-hum week on the schedule. However, the 67th edition of this game will feature two teams heading into the season on the rise, and by the time Week Ten rolls around, this match-up could have some fire to it.

Read More

2013 Preview: Week 8: Michigan Wolverines

/
2013 Preview: Week 8: Michigan Wolverines

Welcome back to our series previewing the 2013 Indiana football schedule week-by-week. Last time we got together we took a look at the Hoosiers first road trip, which also happened to be the Old Brass Spittoon Game. This week Indiana again heads to the Mitten State, but instead of East Lansing, they will find themselves in Ann Arbor.

Let the audible groans commence.

The series between Indiana and Michigan is a long-standing, yet one-sided match-up. The two schools first met on the gridiron back in 1900, and have played 61 times since the turn of the century. Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, they have won just nine of the contests with their last victory coming way back in 1987. In fact Indiana’s victory that year marked the only time they had topped the Wolverines since 1967.

However, this game is not played in the history books, but instead on the field. So lets take a look forward at this years match-up between Michigan and Indiana.

Read More

10 Questions on the 2013 Indiana Hoosiers: Part 2

/
10 Questions on the 2013 Indiana Hoosiers: Part 2

Last week we continued our look ahead at the 2013 season by asking the first set of questions regarding the Hoosiers entering the season. Today we will be taking a look at the five most pressing questions hovering over the program as camp opens up.

5. Will all of those yards on offense actually lead to points on the board in 2013?

We all know that Indiana has had a dynamic offense; it has been the case for quite some time. Even before the days of Kevin Wilson roaming the sidelines the Hoosiers had no trouble moving the ball up and down the field. However, last year there was a big problem…Points!

Read More