We're moving into the conference schedule and our next opponent, Northwestern, is up big on Colorado late in the 3rd quarter. Should be a good game Friday night in Bloomington.
After that it's Rutgers on the road. The Scarlet Knights, the team that got pummeled by UMass a few weeks ago, gave #12 USC a game today in Piscataway but ended up losing by 7.
So the competition ramps up, but I'll be disappointed if we're anything less than 5-0 going into Lincoln. We'll need to play better than we did today, though.
Northwestern always seems to be a bit of a tough out.
Really looking forward to the B1G season.
Go Hoosiers!
Unless this team is just going through the motions right now and has another gear or two it can reach then conference play will be unpleasant.
I think they are doing some vanilla stuff. My biggest concern today was the misfires by Hoover. Cannot do that against good teams in conference plays. Have to hit those throws every time.
Right now, we look like a 9-10 win team. Big scheme, 10-2 shouldn't be the end of the world. But obviously Cig has changed the expectations level, so it would be a disappointment.
But I think reminding ourselves that even last years team, at times, didn't look dominant. As much as a 16-0, national champ, can be "up and down", IU kinda was.
ODU game... we looked similar to this years team, maybe worse in that we gave up those 2 long TDs, and this years team has been pretty good not giving up big plays. Then we had a couple dominant cupcake type games. Heading in to the matchup with Illinois, I think an honest IU fan would say they were pretty wary with that matchup. Illinois, at the time, was top 10, tons of talent. Then IU curb stomped them. Very next game though, we played pretty poorly, and were fortunate to escape Iowa City with a win. Any win in Iowa City is a good one, but we weren't all that good in that game. And if Iowa's starting QB doesn't go down, we were in big trouble. Some good wins after that, some dominating performances, then we had another sub par performance at Penn State, and needed all of Fernando's Heisman Heroics, and Omar making the play he did, to beat a really poor PSU team. Then a couple of dominant games. Then a rock fight against OSU. Then some dominant performances. Then another rock fight against Miami.
Last year is the epitome. The gold standard. We might never see it again, at IU, in our lifetimes. And it wasn't always pretty, dominant, football.
So... lets see what Cig, Haines, and Shanahan have them playing like Friday night. I suspect we'll play pretty well.
Iowa was a 3rd and 5 conversion from running the clock out on us and kicking for the win, and that play was there... but the backup misfired on the swing pass. Whew! Close!And if Iowa's starting QB doesn't go down, we were in big trouble
And Penn State, as tough as our defense was all year they got a bit gassed when the offense couldn't handle the rush pressure in the 2nd half. Another super close call.
I think this years offense will be more explosive. Becker looks like he is moving into another gear. Marsh, Shazz, Morris, Turbo, just as good a line. Unless losing Benson was bigger than I thought, plus Coogan, who was great. Still, a very good line at least , if not great. And the secondary looks it will be good by committee. Not worried about them.
Pumped about a big game this Friday!
Hoosiers!
Unless this team is just going through the motions right now and has another gear or two it can reach then conference play will be unpleasant.
Or, they're integrating a lot of new players, after losing a ton of leadership from last year's team. The team is NOT going through the motions, that much I'm confident of. So, you love to tout your prognostication abilities, what do you foresee: 4 losses, 5? Please share what you think our record will be at the end of the regular season?
...If offered, I'd snap up 10-2 any season any time, in the Big Ten. Other than I prefer to see the games...Big scheme, 10-2 shouldn't be the end of the world. ...
I can't see too many fans grumbling about 10-2 and a playoff appearance. 9-3 and missing the playoffs, yeah. Even though depending how it happens I doubt I'd be majorly bummed, but some bummage. LOL
10-2 is possible and makes the playoff, so to me anything better will be gravy. I am optimistic on the chances.
Bingo.Or, they're integrating a lot of new players, after losing a ton of leadership from last year's team.
And they have made progress it looks like.
@openwheel I said in an earlier post that losing Ponds may end up being the difference in a natty season, and one that we end up losing some of the close toss up games. He locked down the boundary side of the field, AND made numerous game altering huge plays. So far, we haven't shown that we have really any guys on defense that are going to go change the flow of the game, individually.
We're talented, maybe more so than last year overall. We're solid. Our staff will ensure of that. But this team appears to lack game changers on the defensive side of the ball. Maybe they'll counter that with multiple game changers on offense like Becker, Marsh, Richard, etc... But I worry that in Hoover, we'll have someone more like Rourke was. High end, for sure. He'll make a ton of incredible throws, we'll beat some teams because of his arm and accuracy. But he likely isn't going to go get first downs with his legs, like Fernando did. That's what made him great.
But... a disclaimer to all of the above... I had similar concerns last year heading in to the Illinois game. We're really good. We'll see if we're CFP contending good here soon.
Ferrell and Sharpe are not chopped liver and and another year experienced. Baldwin looks like a player. They say Zachman is coming around. Gandy is experienced and isn't bad.
No Ponds, big loss, no Aiden, big loss. But strong by committee. We'll get our share of turnovers.
Good posts about what last season was actually like. It wasn’t obvious that team was gonna do what it did.
Teams evolve over the season. And there is a luck factor. Last year they kept getting better and we got a few breaks. We just don’t know what the improvement trajectory will be this year and what our luck might be.
It’s quite likely not gonna be as good as last year. No duh.
We’ll see. The range of possible outcomes is wide.
@openwheel Oh we're still very talented, and have solid depth at nearly all positions. And they'll all develop as the year goes on, I'm sure. Just haven't yet seen the sacks, the picks, the special teams plays, that highlighted last year's run. And Ponds provided more than his fair share of those game changing type plays. I think his ability to play man in the boundary, and essentially shut that quarter of the field completely down, allowing the other 10 guys to play more zone, and gamble and ball hawk more, is a really, really big difference and factor for this team.
So far, that's playing out with them giving up more sustained drives, against the 2 teams we've played that have a pulse... less TFL's, less turnovers... but they are stepping up very well when the ball gets to IU's side of the field.
I'm glad Northwestern is good. I'm looking forward to seeing how the players and staff adjust and react to a quality B10 opponent!!
We're talented, maybe more so than last year overall.
I've tried to stop using that term:"more talented player". Cig has redefined "talent" in college football for me. I think it is an insult to our guys, who were just really good football players, period. I've started saying teams with 40+ blue chips are more athletic, but I don't think any roster was more talented than ours last year. De facto proof.
@openwheel Oh we're still very talented, and have solid depth at nearly all positions. And they'll all develop as the year goes on, I'm sure. Just haven't yet seen the sacks, the picks, the special teams plays, that highlighted last year's run. And Ponds provided more than his fair share of those game changing type plays. I think his ability to play man in the boundary, and essentially shut that quarter of the field completely down, allowing the other 10 guys to play more zone, and gamble and ball hawk more, is a really, really big difference and factor for this team.
So far, that's playing out with them giving up more sustained drives, against the 2 teams we've played that have a pulse... less TFL's, less turnovers... but they are stepping up very well when the ball gets to IU's side of the field.
I'm glad Northwestern is good. I'm looking forward to seeing how the players and staff adjust and react to a quality B10 opponent!!
Overly pessimistic, in my view. Gandy looks very similar to 1st half of the year Sharpe from '25. We don't yet know what Harris can do. Sharpe looked outstanding in the Spring game and on Saturday. Not Ponds, but pretty darn good. The DL should overall be better than last year, especially if Dailey returns.....but if he doesn't D.N. is now experienced and able, and the KSU guys will improve as the year goes along. Baldwin really hasn't gotten it going yet.
As far as special plays.....Bone Jone's int was nice, plus we had a 70 yard KO return plus tons of QB pressures last game.
On offense, Turbo's a threat, the OL is better (remember, Benson was hurt most of the year), and the WRs are better.