Hoosiers Keys To Victory Over Cardinals

Written by: Lydia Knoll (@lydknollFB)

This weekend, Indiana will face in-state foe, Ball State University.  Saturday marks the eighth meeting between the two schools, IU leads the series 4-3, with all three losses coming since 2008. However, the teams have not seen each other since 2012. Coach Kevin Wilson has rebuilt the Indiana team within those four years while Ball State transitions to take on a new head coach, Mike Neu. So what will Indiana have to do to end the three-game Ball State winning streak? Find out below.

Cover KeVonn

In last week’s game against Georgia State, Ball State’s passing was not as successful as expected—only 51.7 percent of passes were completed. However, in the passes that quarterback Riley Neal was able to complete, they consistently landed in the hands of KeVonn Mabon. Mabon caught a total of eight passes in the game last week for 69 yards. Mabon is coming into his redshirt senior season with 1,890 career receiving yards. Last season, Mabon ranked second on the team for both receiving yards (745) and receptions (70), behind Jordan Williams who graduated the program. A lot is expected of him this year, and Indiana will need to be prepared to cover him if they intend to slow the Ball State offense. 

Be Prepared for the Rush

Ball State is notorious for their aggressive rushing. Last week, Ball State rushed 325 yards and four touchdowns, compared to Indiana’s 246 yards and one rushing touchdown. Thankfully, Indiana’s defense stepped up last week to hold FIU to a mere 63 yards, but this week against Ball State is expected to be more of a challenge. After sitting out for last week’s game, the Hoosiers can expect to see Chase Dutra, Ralph Green, and Noel Padmore back in rotation for their defense, all of whom they’ll need in order to take on Ball State’s offense. 

Watch out for Ryan

In order for Indiana to secure a win over Ball State, the offense is going to be key—which means the offensive line needs to watch out for Zack Ryan. In Ball States’ game last weekend, Ryan led the team with nine stops, including two for loss. Ryan is a senior this year, starting his season with 67 tackles. With Indiana’s quarterback, Richard Lagow, starting for only his second time with the Hoosiers, it’s even more crucial that the line holds back Ryan and the Ball State defense in order for Indiana to reach the end zone.

Turn Yards into Points

The Hoosiers came out with a total of 486 yards and only two offensive touchdowns in last Thursday’s game against Florida International. This week the focus needs to be on turning all those yards into touchdowns. Some would say the Hoosiers got lucky last week with two picks that led to touchdowns on the defense. This sort of production can’t be expected regularly from the defense, which means the offense will need to capitalize on the scoring opportunities they have in order to compensate for the unpredictable scoring opportunities of the defense.

With Saturday being the home opener, the energy will be high in Memorial Stadium. As will the pressure on the team due to the in-state rivalry against a team that has won three straight over IU. This game will be a true test of where Indiana stands for the rest of the season. For the first time in four years, these two teams will finally compete against one another in a game that could determine just how far Coach Kevin Wilson’s football program here at Indiana has come since 2012.