Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

The first half of the college football season has flown by. The Hoosiers sit at 4-2 (0-2) at this juncture. It is probably exactly where they should be after six games in terms of their record. So how did the Hoosiers grade out at Hoosier Huddle? Let’s take a look.

Overall Offense: B

After this week’s seven point performance the Hoosiers went from leading the conference in scoring to fourth scoring 31.2 points per game. Still good, but there are plenty of things to be concerned about. One of them in the health of quarterback Nate Sudfeld and running back Jordan Howard. Another issue has been the recent resurfacing of dropped balls by wide receivers.

Quarterback: B+

When healthy senior Nate Sudfeld was rock solid. He sits at fifth in the Big Ten in total passing yards with 1,277 and leads the conference in passing yards per game with 255.4. He has thrown seven touchdowns to only one interception and led the Hoosiers to their first 4-0 start since 1990.

However, Sudfeld has not been able to stay healthy. He missed most of the second half against Ohio State and the did not play in the loss at Penn State due to an ankle injury suffered at Wake Forest. Indiana needs him to be healthy in order to have a successful second half.

Running Backs: B-

Jordan Howard has been an excellent replacement for Tevin Coleman as he has rushed for 709 yards (second best in the conference) and four touchdowns, however he suffered an ankle injury against Ohio State that has forced him to the sideline this past week. When he is in the game, Howard is a ferocious runner who wears out opposing defenses.

The reason the Hoosiers get a B-minus is that after Howard they struggle to find production and lack depth. Number two back Devine Redding is a solid backup, but was ineffective against Penn State and was held to 45 yards on 30 carries against the Buckeyes. On the season he has 314 yards on 108 carries and five touchdowns, but his 2.9 yards per carry is concerning.

Wide Receivers: C+

Junior Ricky Jones has been the bright spot of this position group as he sits at third in the conference is receiving yards with 505 and has reached the end zone three times. Mitchell Paige, 15 catches and 140 yards, has been solid in the slot, while Simmie Cobbs, 22 catches 317 yards, started off hot but has had issues holding onto the ball over the last few games. From there the Hoosier depth at receiver falls off a cliff. Dom Booth has not dressed this season due to an undisclosed injury and back up slot receiver Damon Graham has come up short on several occasions.

The Hoosiers are going to need more production from true freshman Leon Thornton III and Nick Westbrook. This group sure misses the abilities of J-Shun Harris, who was lost to a knee injury in June.

Tight Ends: B

The tight end group has been ok, but was dealt a major blow when Danny Friend was lost with a torn quad muscle. Anthony Corsaro (8 receptions 119 yards) and Michael Cooper (6 receptions 108 yards) have been solid in the passing game. Friend was a terrific blocker and his efforts will be missed. If the Hoosiers want to expand the offense and get bigger plays in the passing game, they will need to get Jordan Fuchs on the field. He needs to be a part of this offense. He should be a match-up nightmare for defenses in the pass game, but has been a liability blocking and would be best used in the slot.

Offensive Line: A-

The strength of this offense heading into the season was going to be the offensive line and they have played pretty well in the first six games. They have opened holes for Jordan Howard and have allowed the second fewest sacks in the conference.

The only aspect the offensive line has to clean up and improve a little big is penalties. Now, they were going against two of the better defensive lines in the country, but they did have some costly penalties in the last two games.

The Huddle

Indiana Hoosiers Midterm Report Card: Offense