Hooisers' Opponent Recap: Week 2

Written By T.J. Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Wake Forest – 24 – Duke – 14

After a week one victory over Tulane that saw the Wake Forest offense struggle to generate any kind of attack, there were doubts over whether or not the Demon Deacons were capable of improving on 2015’s disappointing season. They rolled into Durham and knocked off the Blue Devils in a mild 24-14 upset. Duke could have pulled away in the first half but they turned the ball over three times and missed a pair of makable field goals. Kendall Hinton didn’t start the game for Wake Forest but the dual-threat sophomore took over for John Wolford and played every significant snap in the final 35 minutes of the game. He led the Demon Deacons on all four of their scoring drives, went 6-11 for 133 yards and ran for 63 yards on 11 carries. It appears the Hoosiers should expect to see Hinton for the majority of the game when the two sides square off on September 14. 

The Wake Forest defense held Duke to only 37 rushing yards (after playing very well in the opener against Tulane) on 30 carries. However, that number is slightly deceiving as the Blue Devils curiously only gave 11 carries to their running backs while 19 carries were credited to quarterback Daniel Jones. Wake’s run defense is very good and it will be a stiff test for the Hoosiers rushing attack but IU’s run game is much different than what Duke offered. Jones did manage to throw for 332 yards but it was the three turnovers and pair of missed field goals that ultimately doomed Duke. Wake Forest is now 2-0 and, barring a monumental screw-up next week against Delaware, they’ll come into Bloomington at 3-0. 

Michigan State – BYE

The Spartans had the week off. We’ll learn a lot more about them this week as they take on the 1-1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend at 7:30 on NBC.

Ohio State – 48 – Tulsa – 3

After a sluggish start against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, and an extended halftime due to lightning, the Ohio State Buckeyes rolled over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, 48-3. Tulsa only managed 185 yards of offense and the Buckeyes forced them into six turnovers. Much attention will be paid to OSU’s offense (which wasn’t amazing on Saturday), but the defense has yet to surrender a touchdown and suffocated Tulsa’s normally strong attack after doing the same to Bowling Green in week one. J.T. Barrett threw for 149 yards and ran for 55 yards with two touchdowns and Curtis Samuel added 78 rushing yards and 62 receiving yards to pace the Buckeyes attack. Mike Weber had 92 yards and a touchdown. The Buckeyes now travel to Norman to play the 1-1 Oklahoma Sooners in a primetime battle.

Nebraska – 52 – Wyoming – 17

The Huskers got a tough battle for the better part of three quarters from a former Nebraska defensive coordinator (Craig Bohl) that is now trying to resuscitate the Wyoming program. However, Cowboys QB Josh Allen threw five interceptions and the Huskers pulled away with a 28-0 fourth quarter for a 52-17 stomping. Tommy Armstrong was 20-34 for 377 yards and three touchdowns (with one INT) as both Alonzo Moore and Jordan Westerkamp exceeded 100 receiving yards. Of concern for Nebraska, they ran the ball 43 times for only 138 yards, an average of 3.2 yards per carry. Nebraska is 2-0 with a pair of blowout victories but we’ll know a whole lot more about their Big Ten West title credentials after this Saturday afternoon’s clash with the Oregon Ducks. A victory in that contest (in Lincoln at 3:30 on ABC) would likely see the Cornhuskers enter Bloomington on October 15 at 5-0.

Northwestern – 7 – Illinois State – 9

Not even the most ardent of Northwestern pessimists could have envisioned a 0-2 start coming for the Wildcats. In week one, they were shocked by the Western Michigan Broncos. This past Saturday, a 33-yard field goal as time expired from kicker Sean Slattery knocked off the offensively challenged Wildcats, 9-7. After winning ten games in 2015, Northwestern is 0-2. The Illinois State Redbirds out gained the Wildcats 372-277 and had the ball for nearly nine more minutes than their Big Ten West foe. The game wouldn’t have been that close if not for a missed extra point, nine Illinois State penalties for 89 yards and a pair of turnovers. Clayton Thorson was only 17-41 for 191 yards and the rushing attack sputtered to only 86 yards on 31 carries. Justin Jackson was held to only 39 yards before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter with a “lower body injury”. No further details are available but an extended absence would further cripple the Wildcats offense. 

The defense doesn’t look nearly as dominant as it was last season and the offense appears to have barely improved. If they don’t right the ship fairly quickly, the Hoosiers will travel to Evanston as favorites.

Maryland – 41 – Florida International – 14

An early injury to Golden Panthers quarterback Alex McGough cost FIU any chance they may have had in winning this week two matchup as Maryland strolled to a 41-14 win last Friday night. Quarterback Perry Hills was 13-18 for 210 yards and three touchdowns and the Terrapins ran for 239 yards on 45 carries. D.J. Moore was the big-play receiver, gaining 147 yards on six catches with two touchdowns while the trio of Trey Edmunds, Lorenzo Harrison and Perry Hills each went over 50 yards rushing. 

After struggling to run the ball against IU’s defense, FIU managed 202 rushing yards on 40 carries (5.1 yards per carry) including 109 yards and a touchdown for Alex Gardner. The Terrapins were in control early and coasted to the victory and they look significantly more competent under new coach DJ Durkin. That being said, not having McGough was a big blow to FIU and their week one opponent (Howard) was steamrolled by Rutgers. Plus, the stats in this game were closer than IU’s stats the Golden Panthers in week one. There’s a long-time between now and October 29 but, as things currently stand, the Hoosiers are Terrapins look pretty even.

Rutgers – 52 – Howard – 14

The Howard Bison are not an opponent that’s going to tell us anything about the quality of Rutgers. That being said, the Scarlet Knights overcame a very slow start, in which they trailed 14-0, to steamroll the Bison 52-14. Janarion Grant had six carries for 106 yards and two scores to lead a rushing attack that produced 375 yards on 53 carries. Chris Laviano wasn’t impressive at all but Rutgers had 512 yards to Howard’s 253. The Scarlet Knights were waxed by Washington in their opener and then blew out Howard in week two. They play New Mexico before opening Big Ten play against Iowa.

Penn State – 39 – Pittsburgh – 42

This was, by far, the most exciting game of the day in the conference as the Pitt Panthers hung on to knock off Penn State in front of an electric crowd at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. The Nittany Lions moved the ball through the air as Trace McSorley threw for 332 yards and a touchdown despite an overwhelmed offensive line. The new offense of offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead was far more enjoyable to watch than previous iterations of PSU’s “attack” but they were unable to get Saquon Barkley going. He ran for four touchdowns but only managed 85 yards on the ground. Once again, he was the only player the coaches trusted to receive any significant carries as no other player had more than one. The downside for Penn State was that their defense looks to have taken a significant step back. Pittsburgh ran all over them, rushing for 341 yards on 56 carries and hurting the Nittany Lions repeatedly on sweeps to the outside and halfback runs up the gut. James Conner had 22 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown and Quadree Henderson added 58 yards. Nathan Peterman only threw the ball 15 times for 91 yards but he tossed three touchdowns. Penn State’s offense looks improved but the defense has clearly regressed. If the offensive line can’t do a more adequate job of blocking for McSorley or opening up some holes for Saquon Barkley, those two will continue to take a beating. They take on Temple before heading to Ann Arbor to meet the Wolverines.

Michigan – 51 – UCF – 14

The Michigan Wolverines were hoping to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff and, through two weeks, they’ve done nothing to suggest that’s not a distinct possibility. They rolled the UCF Knights at the Big House, 51-14. Wilton Speight impressed yet again, throwing a surprising 37 times for 312 yards and four touchdowns (two each to Amara Darboh and Jake Butt). Meanwhile, the Knights only completed six passes for a miserable 56 yards passing. One concern for Michigan may be a lack of rushing production. UCF ran 46 times for 275 yards (6 yards per carry), a stat that is buoyed by an 87 yard run for Adrian Killins, while Michigan only managed 119 yards on 41 carries (2.9 yards per carry). 

Jim Harbaugh appears to have once again forged a strong passing game but their playoff chances will likely come down to whether or not they can improve the rushing attack. For now though, they’ll continue to bludgeon opponents. Next up is a stronger test in the 2-0 Colorado Buffaloes.

Purdue – 20 – Cincinnati – 38

Many were impressed with the Purdue Boilermakers and the supposed improvements they had made after a week one victory over Eastern Kentucky. Purdue fans were cautiously optimistic that they could mount a bowl charge in the relatively weak Big Ten West. Cincinnati was very poor in week one against UT-Martin and the line on this game had creeped down to only six points with many analysts calling for an outright Purdue victory. Then the game started and Purdue reminded us why they’ve struggled so much under Darrell Hazell. The Boilers moved the ball well, amassing 401 passing yards and 504 yards of offense (although much of the passing yardage was in “garbage time”) but they missed a chip shot field goal and David Blough threw a mind-boggling five interceptions. Bearcat quarterback Hayden Moore had 250 yards passing and Cincy ran for 262 yards on 46 carries (5.7 yards per carry). Once again, the duo of Domonique Young (136 yards and a touchdown) and DeAngelo Yancey (113 yards and a touchdown) were impressive but no team can survive five interceptions, particularly with a poor defense. If Purdue is to win any Big Ten games (they play Nevada next week and should win handily) this season, they’ll need to stop repeatedly blasting themselves in the foot.