“Biggest Home Opener in Program History”: Hoosiers Host Buckeyes to Open 2017 Season

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

There are no ways to downplay the story-lines heading into the August 31 season-opener for the Indiana Hoosiers. Instead, head coach Tom Allen and IU Athletics Director Fred Glass have chosen to welcome the mammoth weight of this contest against the #2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.

“Biggest opening game in Indiana University football history, and we are embracing it as such,” Glass told the media on Monday.

Tom Allen has said very similar things throughout the offseason.

“There’s a lot of anticipation for next Thursday from the players, coaches and everyone that’s involved,” Tom Allen said on Friday at his press conference. “The opportunity this is going to create. Having College GameDay here, this is the biggest home opener in the history of our program. I’ve said that many times but it is what it is.”

There is no doubt the Hoosiers are happy to be sharing the spotlight with the powerhouse Ohio State Buckeyes.

“I understand that interest in Ohio State is part of it, but we’ve earned that attention by being in the eastern division of the Big Ten,” Glass said.

The story-lines and events surrounding the game are overwhelming. Former head coach Kevin Wilson will be making his debut as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator the same night that Indiana native Tom Allen coaches his first home game as an FBS head coach. Lee Corso is being honored after the first quarter with the Bill Orwig Award, the highest honor Indiana bestows to a non-alumnus. ESPN is giving the game, its first primetime telecast of the 2017 season, special attention by having a “MegaCast”, something they have only done for College Football Playoff games previously. The popular pre-game show, “College GameDay” will be in town and broadcasting from the south end zone beginning at 6:00 pm.  Famous anthem singer and IU Music School alumnus Jim Cornelison is singing the national anthem and Memorial Stadium is expected to be sold out. To paraphrase Ron Burgundy, this game “is kind of a big deal”.

All of the extracurricular events surrounding the game are terrific but they won’t mean much once the ball is kicked off and the two teams officially open up their 2017 seasons. Once the game gets underway, the Indiana Hoosiers will have their hands full. Ohio State enters at #2 in the inaugural college football polls and they are a prohibitive favorite to beat the Hoosiers handily (they are at least a three touchdown favorite in most listings) and eventually make the College Football Playoff.

The Buckeyes have many strengths. They will field one of the most talented defensive fronts in the country and IU’s offensive line, a unit that is facing some question marks heading into the season, will need to have a great night to give the Hoosiers offense a chance. Ohio State will throw four potential All-Big Ten players at the Cream and Crimson in Tyquan Lewis, Nick Bosa, Sam Hubbard and Dre’Mont Jones plus a number of high-quality depth pieces. Standing up to the Buckeyes line and not allowing them to take over the contest will be a massive key to keep an eye on.

If the offensive line can hold their own, it will be up to Richard Lagow to show the improvements he has made and IU’s stellar receivers to take advantage of a rebuilt Ohio State secondary that is heavy on talent but thin on experience. Indiana’s Richard Lagow has stepped up as a leader during the offseason and he spent a lot of time studying how he can improve his decision-making to cut down on turnovers. Lagow has been named a game captain and the opener is the chance to show the progress he has made. He’ll be throwing to a wide receiver group that includes Simmie Cobbs, Nick Westbrook and surprise starter Donavan Hale along with tight end Ian Thomas. Those receivers will need to consistently win their individual battles against the inexperienced OSU secondary.

This game will not make or break the 2017 season for the Hoosiers. A loss does not doom them to a losing campaign and a victory does not guarantee them a double-digit win total. However, the fan interest and attention that a good performance could bring to the program moving forward cannot be understated. The only certain thing is the college football world will have its eyes on Bloomington on the night of August 31 and that’s something that has rarely been written. As the Hoosiers kick off the Tom Allen era, they hope to seize that opportunity and begin their “breakthrough” with a bang.