Photo Gallery: Indiana 52 Eastern Illinois 0
/ Hoosier HuddleAll Photos from Amanda Pavelka HoosierHuddle.com
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All Photos from Amanda Pavelka HoosierHuddle.com
Written by Nathan Comp
Though the performance came against a largely inferior opponent in Eastern Illinois, there were few negatives to take away from Indiana’s largest margin of victory in Memorial Stadium history. The defense had many questions that needed to be answered after week one’s showing against Ball State and today many were answered positively.
Read MoreWritten by T.J. Inman
After a season-opening victory over Ball State that was closer than expected, the Indiana Hoosiers made sure the home opener was a much more comfortable affair. The Hoosiers scored on their opening possession and never looked back, opening up a 21-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and walloping Eastern Illinois 52-0 in the first meeting ever between the two schools. Indiana was dominant in every phase, out gaining their FCS opposition 555-116 and allowing only five first downs to the Panthers. Indiana was able to get playing time for a majority of the players that dressed and still do whatever they wanted on a sun-splashed afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
Read MoreWritten by T.J. Inman
What: Indiana (1-0) vs. Eastern Illinois (0-1)
Where: Memorial Stadium
When: Saturday, September 7 at 3:30
How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. You can also listen to the game on the IU Radio Network with the legendary Don Fischer on the call.
Series History: This is the first meeting between the two programs.
What’s at Stake: The primary goal for the Indiana Hoosiers in 2019 is to reach a bowl game. That means the Hoosiers need six victories and they must avoid any bad losses. To write the obvious, losing to Eastern Illinois would be a bad loss. EIU has a first-year head coach and they are an FCS program that has struggled to find much success in the past couple of seasons. After the actual outcome, the most important thing for the Hoosiers is to correct the errors and issues from week one as they prepare for the Ohio State Buckeyes on September 14.
Read MoreWritten by Amanda Pavelka (@amandapavelka3)
While the odds are against Indiana going into Saturday’s home game, it is not to say defeating Ohio State is impossible. Breaking the 26-game losing streak to the Buckeyes is hands down the Hoosiers’ toughest task of the 2019 season. A few key things will have to be in order for Hoosiers to be successful.
Create turnovers and take them to the bank
Saturday’s turnover-less matchup ended the country’s longest streak Indiana boasted, recording at least one takeaway in 19 consecutive games until last Saturday’s matchup against Eastern Illinois. In a game where every possession counts, the Hoosiers are going to have to find a way to create turnovers— and capitalize off them.
Play 60 minutes of hard football with no mental mistakes
I’ve heard this goal from many mouths of IU players and coaching staff throughout the year, and Indiana has no choice but to achieve just that if they want to come out on top Saturday. Ohio State’s depth and talent is far too great for Indiana to let up on.
Indiana can look back at last year’s matchup against Ohio State to learn what went wrong against a squad that will mostly be returning for Saturday’s matchup. Going into halftime last year, Indiana was trailing No. 3 Ohio State 28-20. They came out lifeless in the second half and the Buckeyes ran them out of the Horseshoe 49-26.
Special teams continue to take care of business
Special teams has been stunning so far this season— especially Logan Justus. The Indiana-native kicker continues to be a crucial key in IU’s offense, and with a perfect 4-4 for field goals and 8-8 for extra point kicks, the Hoosiers feel like they can rely on him to get the job done.
A failed two-point conversion and missed field goal not only failed to get points on the board, but slowed momentum in last year’s matchup. Overall, special teams continues to be a strong position group for the Hoosiers, so they just have to continue to take care of business on that end.
Target OSU’s playmakers
Shutting down junior running back J.K. Dobbins and sophomore quarterback Justin Fields is at the top of the Hoosiers’ defensive to-do list Saturday. Indiana can’t afford to enable OSU’s playmakers to do what they do best— disappear into the end zone.
Defensively the Hoosiers struggled with missed tackles, posting 25 against Ball State. Last Saturday they cut missed tackles down to nine, but with much faster and stronger players coming to town this week, IU defense needs to be on their A-game. Consider Saturday IU defense’s truest test.
Feed the fans
The Memorial Stadium crowd will be electric without a doubt and it’s things like interceptions, missed field goals and extra points that can be a real downer. Minimizing mistakes is more than missed points on the scoreboard— it is energy out the door.
They need to take advantage of thousands of Hoosier fans expected to pack the Rock on Saturday and fight the hard fight for a full 60 minutes. If the Hoosiers play intense, the crowd should be intense. The crowd and the team will need each other Saturday.
Written by Amanda Pavelka (@AmandaPavelka3)
Much like Indiana’s season-opening game against Ball State, a victory is expected against Eastern Illinois in the Hoosiers’ home-opener on Saturday. It is not a just a win that makes the team successful, though. Here are keys to a satisfactory victory against the Eastern Illinois Panthers.
Don’t sleep on defense
Indiana’s defense had a rather lackluster performance against the Cardinals— with a disappointing 25 missed tackles. Along with unacceptable penalties, this lost the Hoosiers yardage in a game that allowed for it. Every yard counts, and against their Big Ten opponents, the Hoosiers cannot afford misses they did last Saturday. Consider Saturday’s matchup another live tackle practice— one they need to take seriously as their battles only get tougher.
Catch the football
Pass catching was a struggle last Saturday—too many missed catches held the Hoosiers back from their potential in Mike Penix’s first game as starting quarterback. What could have been a blowout ended up a 10-point victory, and against EIU, the receivers will be expected to minimize mistakes.
Ramp up the run game
Running backs seemed nonexistent in the first half against Ball State. Stevie Scott stepped it up in the second half, but Mike Penix led the Hoosier rushing game. That’s unacceptable going forward. There is too much talent at that position for them to be silent on the stats sheet.
Gain bench experience
Coaching staff pinpointed problems with tackling, receiving, and the running game between the postgame press conference and Monday’s meeting with the media. If they did their job, the Hoosiers should establish dominance early on enough to rotate through the roster. Nearly every man should have a chance to see the field on Saturday.
Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
This week’s matchup to watch isn’t one position against another or one star against another star, it’s an aspect of the game versus a group of players.
Read MoreWritten by Andrew Walker
With the Hoosiers grabbing the win at Lucas Oil Stadium last Saturday against Ball State, the focus now shifts to Eastern Illinois. The Panthers come into Bloomington having lost their first game against Chattanooga 24-10. With Indiana 1-0 and EIU 0-1, let’s take a look inside the numbers for both teams.
Read MoreWritten by Amanda Pavelka
There were both hiccups and flashes of good things in Indiana’s season-opener on Saturday, one of the most remarkable performances in their 34-24 victory coming from tight end Peyton Hendershot.
Kalen DeBoer came to Bloomington to develop a competitive Big Ten offense, and the first look at his newly-implemented system at IU was displayed in their first matchup against Ball State. Part of his game plan he explained in fall camp was to include tight ends more in a mission to stretch the field. As a starter at tight end, Hendershot was a key component in that.
Read MoreCo-hosts Sammy Jacobs and T.J. Inman take a quick look back at Indiana's 34-24 win over the Ball State Cardinals. Then they'll preview Indiana's home opener against Eastern Illinois. They'll look at matchups to watch, keys to the game and what the Hoosiers need to do to please the restless fan base.
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