Hoosiers Head to Charlottesville for Pivotal Challenge Against Virginia
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Indiana's offense will look to become more balanced against Virginia Image: Sammy Jacobs (HoosierHuddle.com)
Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
After so much build-up and anticipation being placed upon IU’s primetime opener last Thursday night against the Buckeyes, the Hoosiers now face the scary proposition of a near must-win road game being contested in ACC country. The 0-1 Hoosiers travel to Charlottesville, Virginia to take on the 1-0 Virginia Cavaliers, knowing that starting the season 0-2 would present them with a very steep climb to reach bowl eligibility.
The Cavaliers began their 2017 campaign with a comfortable 28-10 victory over William and Mary, an FCS-opponent, and Tom Allen came away impressed by a couple of things.
“I tell you, they do and have always done – as a defensive coach, I’ve always watched Brigham Young (current UVA head coach Bronco Mendenhall coached at BYU for a decade) teams play and how they play defense and they are so aggressive and well-coached, very disciplined and very multiple in the looks they give, especially in the back end. Just all sorts of different combinations and exotic pressures. Their head coach is kind of the one orchestrating that.”
Allen was also impressed by quarterback Kurt Benkert. The senior from Florida was 27-39 for 262 yards with three touchdowns against the Tribe and Allen knows IU will need to get pressure.
“You know, he’s a really good quarterback, very accurate. Big thing, you know, with quarterbacks like him, pressure is a big deal. You know, everybody’s a little different at that position when they have pressure. Also, being able to disrupt the timing of the routes. They are getting the ball out pretty quick in their system and what they do. I’m sure that will continue and that’s what they are going to try to do. Just being able to disrupt timing and disrupt his rhythm is a key.”
The Hoosiers received some injury news before preparation for Virginia got underway. The positive news is that projected starting right tackle Brandon Knight is expected to return this Saturday after missing the Ohio State game with a foot injury. The negative news is that for the second straight season, the Hoosiers lost an important receiver very early in the season as they announced Nick Westbrook tore his ACL on the opening kickoff of the Ohio State contest. Guys like Taysir Mack, Whop Philyor and Ty Fryfogle will be required to play larger roles than expected.
The return of Knight is important as IU knows they have to find a way to be a better running team than what they were against Ohio State. The Hoosiers won’t be facing a defensive line of the caliber of the Buckeyes again this season but the Cavaliers did hold William & Mary to only 4.1 yards per carry and they won’t be easy to push around. The Hoosiers only gained one first down via the run and they became a one-dimensional attack that was eventually too easy for the Buckeyes to diagnose. A repeat against the Cavaliers would spell trouble for IU.
The Hoosiers know they can’t afford to start the season 0-2. That kind of start, with games looming against teams like Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin, would leave virtually no margin for error. The Hoosiers head to Charlottesville for a pivotal early contest that could set the tone for the season. IU is approaching each game as a “one-game season” and the reality is the Hoosiers cannot afford to exit this Saturday with a second-straight “0-1” week.