Hoosier Huddle Mailbag: Open Week Edition

Welcome to the Hoosier Huddle Mailbag. We haven't done one of these is a very long time, but with this being an open weekend, it was time to see what questions Hoosier Nation had for us about Indiana Football. So sit back, put your feet up, and enjoy the ride.

We'll start with three questions from Keith Smith:

1. Bigger Urban Legend- Camion Patrick or Sasquatch?

Keith, there are lots of similarities between Sasquatch and Camion Patrick, but let's start with what makes an urban legend what it is. An urban legend  is usually a secondhand story, alleged to be true and just plausible enough to be believed, Sasquatch, or Big Foot, is a creature that has eluded the eye of a steadily held camera. Could they actually exist? Yes, but that is a better question for my colleague Pete Diprimio, who is the resident Big Foot expert on the IU beat. Much like Sasquatch, Camion Patrick has been rumored to be the best player on the Indiana Football team, but the evidence is fleeting. I will have to give the title to Sasquatch though, because unlike the big hairy fella, Camion Patrick is rumored to be seen on the practice fields in Bloomington, nearing a return.

2. Which IU running back is most likely to be cast as a Marvel movie charactor-- Tyler Natee or Camion Patrick?

I'll let our Marvel and comic book expert Nick Holmes take care of this one.

Camion Patrick’s Marvel character was difficult to select at first, but the more I thought about it, there was one superhero that made a lot of sense, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s War Machine (James Rhodes), played by Don Cheadle. During Iron Man 2, Cheadle refers to himself as the “Big Gun.”  Many believe that Patrick has the potential to become a “Big Gun” for the Hoosiers offense. Second, one of the biggest complaints about War Machine in the movies is that we do not see the character nearly enough, that he should be in on more of the action with Iron Man. Well, the same obviously goes for Patrick, to the extreme, because we have not seen him at all, but are waiting anxiously to see what he can do for the Hoosiers. Third, War Machine is effective in the air and on the ground. Again, Patrick fits this description as he is able to split out at wide receiver and affect the passing game or line up at running back, further impacting the team’s rushing attack. Finally, spoiler alert, like Rhodes who was injured during Captain America: Civil War, Patrick is also coming off of an injury.
 
Selecting a superhero that encompasses Tyler Natee’s abilities was slightly easier, but I did struggle between a fairly obscure X-Men character and another character with much more notoriety. When it came time to select, I went with the character both Sammy and I agreed on, the Juggernaut. When he has a full head of steam there are few if any that can slow him down. And the same goes for Natee, when he gets his 280-pound body moving, there aren’t going to be too many players who are going to want to go head to head with this locomotive. I can almost see Natee lowering his shoulder and just bulldozing through defender after defender, in a similar fashion that the Juggernaut did to the X-Men in the 1990’s cartoon. Oh the memories of being a 90’s kid.

3.  Over/under on IU getting ranked in the top 25 by the end of the year?

I don't know what you mean by over/under on IU being ranked in the top-25 by the end of the year. Is it that IU will finish the season ranked or just be ranked at some point during the season? However, I can probably tell you what has to happen for IU to crack the list. First Indiana has to beat Wake Forest handily and knock-off Michigan State to open Big Ten play. IU will also need FIU, Ball State, and Wake to win games down the road. If the Hoosiers start 4-0 in semi-convincing fashion they may start getting votes in the Top-25. A good showing against Ohio State in the Shoe and a win the next week against Nebraska would put the Hoosiers at 5-1 (2-1) with two very good wins along with a win over an improved Wake Forest team. This should be enough to crack the Top-25 as they head to Evanston to face Northwestern.

Our next question comes from Jack Williams (@hisson83) via Twitter: Are T.J. Simmons and Clyde Newton going to spend their entire senior year on the sidelines?

Jack, this is a great question, and I can go into more depth here than on Twitter. Let's start with T.J. Simmons. He has played a lot of football for IU in the last three years and has played well. However, the biggest knock on Simmons's game is that he is slow in space. With Tom Allen's new scheme the linebackers have to be able to move quickly in space and cover tight ends and backs on passing routes. However, as Big Ten play starts Simmons may see the field more as the Hoosiers face more power run offenses. I could see Simmons playing against Wake Forest next week as well.

As far as Clyde Newton goes, he has moved to running back and coach McCollough was very high on him coming out of camp. He played sparingly against FIU and Ball State. Much like Simmons, I believe there is a niche for Newton on offense, especially with the Hoosiers performance on third downs and in the red zone so far this season. 

Next up we have a question from Jake Carl: Is the offensive line under performing?

Thanks for the question, Jake. The short answer has to be yes, they are underperforming. The Hoosiers came into the year with one of the better offensive lines in the Big Ten even with losing guys like Jason Spriggs and Jake Reed. However, their performance has been down right awful. So far this season Indiana is last in the conference in sacks allowed with six. IU only allowed 13 sacks all of last season. They are also tied for ninth in tackles for losses allowed (11 for 52 yards). It may take some time for this unit to gel, remember that they are starting a true freshman in Coy Cronk at left tackle. If Dan Feeney cannot shake his concussion it could cause a lot of issues, but if he is back (which it seems like he will be) the veterans on the line will make it a point to step up their performance.

This question comes from Brian Tonsoni: What are your thoughts on what Camion Patrick adds to the offense as either a wide receiver or running back?

The biggest quality Camion Patrick will add to this offense is the ability to score from anywhere on the field. He is a mixture of former Hoosiers Tevin Coleman and Jordan Howard. He has the speed to blow by people and the power to run them open.

Thanks for the questions and enjoy a Saturday watching other games from around the country. We will be in full force as the Hoosiers get ready to host Wake Forest on Sept. 24 at 3:30pm.