Video: Safety Mark Murphy and LB Flo Hardin Preview Rutgers
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The #CrimsonArmy15 Loses Its Leader When Stevens De-Committed
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With Tommy Stevens committed to Penn State Kevin Wilson must keep the 2015 recruiting class intact.
Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
When Decatur Central quarterback Tommy Stevens committed to play football at Indiana University on June fourth, he and several other Indiana recruits, especially Joey Beldon, Simon Stepaniak, and Jacob Robinson, dubbed this class #CrimsonArmy15. Well that army has lost its general and it could mean big trouble in Hoosier land. Not only was Stevens the headliner of the class, he was a vocal leader on twitter and it seemed as if these prospects we already teammates and part of the Indiana football family.
Tommy Stevens announced via Twitter Monday night that he was flipping his commitment from the Hoosiers to play for the Nittany Lions. Stevens stated that “after carefully weighing out my options, my family and I have decided that it is in my best interest to commit to Penn State. I want to thank all of the coaches that have recruited me throughout the whole process. I especially want to thank the Indiana staff.” Stevens added that he “believes that are moving in the right direction and I wish them nothing but the best in the future.” Stevens seemed to be the glue that kept everyone together and losing him to Penn State could be the first of a series of dominos to fall. As of Tuesday afternoon the Hoosier class has 11 hard commits according to 247 Sports. The class is now rated 69th nationally and last in the Big Ten. Coach Kevin Wilson has to be concerned that Stevens leaving could open the floodgates to other recruits de-committing in the near future. The Hoosiers have been snake bit in a year where they have gone 3-6 and lost their top two quarterbacks to injury. Both Nate Sudfeld and back up Chris Covington went down for the year in the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Also playing a factor could be the lack of atmosphere on game days in Memorial Stadium. In five home games in 2014 the Hoosiers are averaging an announced crowd of 41,972, but to anyone who has been to or has watched the games this year can see that the real number is indeed much lower. Stevens was offered by Penn State early this season after they lost a quarterback commit to Notre Dame. He made his official visit to Happy Valley for the Ohio State game in late October.
If one includes the transfers of Tre Roberson and Cam Coffman, the Hoosiers have lost the services of five quarterbacks in the 2014 calendar year. The Hoosiers and their fan base were banking on Stevens to be the guy to bridge from Nate Sudfeld to the future. Stevens will be in blue and white for the next four or five years while Kevin Wilson and his staff are left shuffling for plan B.
Tommy Stevens Decommits and IU is left to Scramble
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The 2014 season is one that the Hoosier fans and coaches will probably want to forget as soon as possible. It started with a gut wrenching loss to Bowling Green, continued with losing quarterback Nate Sudfeld for the year, and now the hits keep coming as David Woods of the Indianapolis Star has reported that quarterback Tommy Stevens has decommitted from the Hoosiers and will head to Happy Valley to play for the Nittany Lions. Stevens later confirmed the report on Twitter. This is about as bad of a body blow to the Hoosier program as any.
Read MoreHighlights: Indiana Hoosiers Players of the Game vs. Penn State
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Read MoreIndiana vs. Penn State: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
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Saturday’s football game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Penn State Nittany Lions was down right ugly. It saw as many punts as points scored, highlighted by a Hoosier offense that was shut out. So before we set our sights on the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers, let’s take a 20/20 look at the Good, the Bad, and the Very Ugly from Saturday’s 13-7 Hoosier loss.
Read MoreVideo: Kevin Wilson's Postgame Press Conference
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Game Wrap and Reaction: Hoosiers Waste Defensive Performance
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The Hoosiers (3-6, 0-5) defense did not deserve their fate today. They had five sacks, forced two turnovers, scored a touchdown, and held Penn State (5-4, 2-4) to under 17 points in the 13-7 loss. The Hoosiers took a 7-0 lead with just under four minutes until half time on a Mark Murphy interception return for a touchdown, only to see Penn State come right back on the next drive to score on a 92-yard Bill Belton run. The Hoosier offense was still nowhere to be found, even though quarterback Zander Diamont was better accounting for 126 total yards. After a quick Indiana three and out to start the second half Penn State took the ensuing drive nine plays and 39 yards to set up a 28-yard Sam Ficken field goal to put the Nittany Lions up 10-7. The score would remain 10-7 until Ficken added another field goal, this one from 28 yards out to push the lead to 13-7 with 55 seconds left. IU would not make it past their 33-yard line on the game’s final drive.
Read MoreThree & Out Defense Week 11: Indiana vs. Penn State
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Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Well the forecast for Saturday’s game has cleared up since the beginning of the week and it should be a great fall day to tailgate and take in some college football in Bloomington. So whether you are prepping your food for tomorrow or just getting around to reading this at your morning tailgate here are the three keys to victory for the Hoosier defense.
1. Don’t Let Penn State Flip the Field- Indiana’s offense and special teams have done no favors for this defense, so the D will have to try and pick up the slack. This means getting off the field via turnover and three and out. The Hoosiers cannot afford to have Penn State flip the field on them and win the field position battle. The Hoosier offense needs as much help as it can get.
2. Stuff The Run- Penn State is averaging just 2.3 yards per carry in 2014. Indiana has been the elixir for teams that have struggled on offense for the better part of two decades. While this defense has been improved, it will have to take away the run and make Penn State one-dimensional. Guys like Ralph Green III, Bobby Richardson, and Darius Latham need to have big games to hold the Lions to under 100 yards. If the Hoosiers can take away the run it will go a long way in making this a competitive ball game.
3. Pressure Hackenberg- This goes along with stopping the run and is also a weakness of this Penn State team. The offensive line has given up a brain rattling 30 sacks so far this season in just eight games. Indiana has the defensive line and linebacker talent to get to Hackenberg and sack him or at the very least force him into some poor throws that will result in interceptions or incompletions. Bandit Nick Mangieri and the defensive line need to win the battle up front and allow the linebackers to fill the gaps on the run or come unblocked when they are blitzing.