This is the week that IU fans have been waiting months for. No.9 Illinois comes to town to a sold out Merchants Bank Field in prime time. This is a pivot point game for both teams and could illuminate a path to the College Football Playoff. IU will raise the Victory Flag this week if…
Win the Line of Scrimmage
Whoever wins the line of scrimmage on Saturday will win the game. The Hoosiers offensive line has paved the way for over 300 yards per game and nearly seven yards per carry. They have only allowed one sack and just nine tackles for loss. On the flip side, Illinois’ defensive line has held opponents to under three yards a carry and have gotten 10 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. IU’s line will have to play well to contain a good Illini front seven.
One of the areas that looks like Illinois has been struggling is along the offensive line. What looked like a strength coming into the season has been shockingly unproductive. The Illini have allowed nine sacks and 20 tackles for loss. For a unit that returned five starters, that’s a concern. The Indiana defense feasted on inferior opponents, but have not faced a Power Four opponent yet. The Hoosiers need to unleash Mikail Kamara and get good play up the middle from Tyrique Tucker and Hosea Wheeler in the run game to be really stout.
Win the Turnover Battle
The Illini have yet to turn the ball over this season. It is a major reason why Illinois blew out Duke on the road as they forced five Blue Devil turnovers. They have put the ball on the ground just once as well. Illinois quarterback Luke Altmeyer does not throw the ball into harm’s way much either.
For Indiana, they fumbled the ball away once and put another on the ground last week. Fernando Mendoza has yet to throw an interception, but again has not played a defense like Illinois yet. Turnovers create major swings in the game and one on Saturday night can either ignite or deflate the Hoosier crowd.
Start Fast
The crowd in Bloomington will be buzzing on Saturday. Heck, there’s been a buzz surrounding this game for months. The Hoosiers need to start fast and work this crowd into a frenzy. Illinois will want to take the fans out of the game with an early score. The easiest way to get the crowd fired up and stay in the game is with big plays on both sides of the ball. A long pass on offense or a sack or turnover on defense early will blow the top off Memorial Stadium.