Game Day Primer: Indiana vs. Connecticut

Image: Amanda Pavelka Hoosier Huddle

Written by T.J. Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Game 4 Primer – University of Connecticut

What: Indiana (2-1) vs. UConn (1-1)

Where: Memorial Stadium

When: Saturday, September 21 at Noon

How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. You can also listen to the game on the IU Radio Network with the legendary Don Fischer on the call.

Series History: The two schools have met on two occasions, with UConn winning both times. The Huskies won 34-10 in 2003 and were victorious 14-7 in the only meeting in Bloomington in 2006. UConn is now in the American Athletic Conference with Randy Edsall, a coach the Hoosiers battled both at UConn and Maryland, back in charge in Storrs.

What’s at Stake: The Indiana Hoosiers are right where most expected they would be at the quarter mark of the season. They sit at 2-1 with a comfortable win, a dominant win and a loss. The only surprising thing perhaps, is how badly the Hoosiers were blasted by the Ohio State Buckeyes. Indiana needs to rebound on Saturday to stay on track for a bowl berth and to restore some confidence heading into a very difficult trip to East Lansing next week.

BTN Tailgate (IU Release)

The Big Ten Network’s BTN Tailgate Show is coming to Bloomington Saturday morning, and Hoosier fans are invited to join in on the festivities.

From 10 a.m.-Noon Saturday, the Big Ten Network’s Saturday morning college football preview show will air live from outside the west entrance of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Host Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo, Howard Griffith and Michelle McMahon will be on hand to discuss the Hoosiers’ final non-conference game as well as the rest of the action in the Big Ten.

This marks the first time in three years that the BTN Tailgate Show has come to Bloomington.

Hoosier fans are encouraged to come by the free event, which gets underway shortly after the completion of “The Walk.” Fans are also invited to prepare signs for the BTN Tailgate Show, and cars parked in the Orange Lot can plan on being in background of the pregame show.

IU Athletics will be serving free Chick-fil-A while supplies last. In addition, free coffee, music, contests, games and sign making stations will be available along with additional giveaways.

What to Watch For

1.    Get the Running Game Going

IU entered the season with a veteran offensive line and a stable of running backs that had many excited for the potential of the running  game. Through three games, the potential has not been realized and that needs to change if IU is to be successful this season. The Hoosiers are only averaging 3.1 yards per carry and they have struggled to run the ball in between the tackles against both Ball State and Ohio State. UConn has an improved run defense but this is still a game that Indiana needs to be able to exert their will on the line of scrimmage and churn out a quality day for the running backs. Failure to do so could result in a close contest on Saturday and a very murky path forward to six victories in 2019.

2.    Tackling and Takeaways

The Hoosiers had very poor tackling in week one against Ball State. Things looked much better against Eastern Illinois but the issue reared its ugly head again last week against the Buckeyes. Now, UConn does not have J.K. Dobbins or Master Teague so it should be less of an issue against Kevin Mensah and the UConn Huskies but IU has to show improvement in that area. Another area of concern for the defense is the lack of takeaways so far this season. IU has only produced a pair of takeaways and that number needs to increase significantly. This can come from a variety of sources: a more disruptive defensive line, more playmaking from the linebackers, a very talented secondary stepping up and snagging some interceptions. UConn will likely be starting a freshman quarterback from Canada (Jack Zergiotis) so this could be a terrific opportunity to get back into the habit of forcing takeaways.

3.    “Attitude Game”

On The Hoosier Huddle podcast this week, I referred to this game as an “attitude game”. Tom Allen referred to it with different words but the same meaning: “I’m looking forward to how we respond. I’m excited to see what this will make us into,” Allen said this week. “When you have strong leadership, which I believe we do, then adversity only strengthens you. Because it can do one of two things, it can either make or break you.” Losing on a nationally televised game in blowout fashion can demoralize a team or provide a rallying cry to fight for improvement together. Saturday will be a good first test to see how this Indiana Hoosier squad is going to respond and shape the rest of their season.

Keep an eye on the quarterback situation. It is an obvious point but the offense functioned so much better with the vertical passing threat of Michael Penix Jr. Tom Allen expects Penix to be a “game-time decision” this Saturday. If he cannot go, we will see either Peyton Ramsey, who struggled mightily against Ohio State or Jack Tuttle (or a combination of the two).