Keys To A Hoosier Win Over the Terrapins

Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Ah, victory. Something IU has missed over the past month or so. It’s time for the Hoosiers to get back into the win column. Here is how they do that on Saturday against Maryland.

1. Be The Aggressor

The Hoosiers have gotten off to slow starts the past two weeks and it has doomed the team. Indiana has to come out and be the aggressors on Saturday at home against Maryland. If IU wins the toss I’d like to see them take the ball and put a good drive together. Putting the first score on the board will spark the fans and hopefully the team. Playing passively and deferring to the second half could allow Maryland to put Indiana into an early hole again. It may be silly putting a key to a win based on a 50/50 outcome of a coin toss, but IU needs a fast start whether it is on defense or offense. 

2. Run The Ball and Stop The Run

Basically I could copy and paste this section every week it seems, but that is how you win games in the Big Ten. Dan Feeney is back and he should be in better game shape this week. Indiana has no excuses anymore on why they struggle carrying the ball. It is time to put up or shut up for the running game. Maryland’s run defense is giving up 290.3 yards per game over their last three contests. Indiana SHOULD be able to get something going on the ground this week. The x-factor for the Hoosier defense could be linebacker Chris Covington, who is faster and has been really good this year. 

On the flip side, the Hoosier defense must contain a very, very good Maryland rush offense. They have two running backs that can gash the defense in Lorenzo Harrison III and Ty Johnson. IU has got to set the edge and not allow these backs to break tackles and get outside. Much like a Navy offense, this Maryland offense can shorten the game and limit the number of attempts the opponent’s offense has to score.

3. Convert In The Scoring Zone

The Indiana issues in the red zone have been well publicized this season, but the struggles don’t just start when IU reaches the opponents 20-yard line. The Hoosiers rank 125 out of 128 teams in FBS at finishing drives according to Bill Connelly of SBNation. Indiana is also averaging 3.4 points per trip inside the opponent’s 40-yard line. That is abysmal and needs to change. Yes Griffin Oakes has struggled this year, but he should be back to 100 percent healthy and ready to be used when IU stalls inside the 40-yard line. He is 10-of-15 this year after making 24-of-29 last season. Kevin Wilson has passed up early field goal attempts to go for it on fourth down and hopefully spark the offense. It is time for that strategy to change. IU needs as many points as possible and three is a heck of a lot better than zero.

The Hoosiers have been in the red zone 24 times and have come away with points on just 17 of those trips (10 TDs 7FGs). That means there are seven trips where Indiana has come up with zilch. That is far too many points left on the field for a team that is being held back because of their offensive efficiency.

4. Pull Out All The Stops

It’s game eight of the 2016 season for the Hoosiers and they are fighting for their bowl lives over the next five games. It’s time to throw the kitchen sink at the opponent. They should no longer be saving anything for an opponent down the road. The time to win is now and if that means pulling every trick out of the playbook do it. This is especially important down in the red zone where IU has struggled mightily, but has been relatively successful when running gadget plays. We have seen Mitchell Paige throw a touchdown pass, Tyler Natee run it in from the wildcat, and Nick Westbrook find pay dirt on a wide receiver sweep. If that’s what it takes to get six points, it must be done.