You only have to watch them play to see how good they are. They are a good football team. Even though PSU lost to UCLA they are very talented too. I think their issue was motivation and coaching. No excuse for them to have lost to ucla. They didn’t come ready to play and that probably won’t happen with us because of our ranking. Almost like they treated UCLA like a bye week. PSU is very capable on any given night to play with anyone in the B1G. I do still expect them to lose to OSU though which means even if we do lose to both Oregon and Penn State we are still going to be ahead of PSU 1 game as long as we don’t drop another one somewhere. I hope we can at least split those two games if not win both which is a tall task considering both are on the road.
Oregon may be bigger and faster than us, but we need to be stronger and smarter than them. No mistakes and no excuses. Keep that fast little rb at bay and force them into 3rd and long situations. ST needs to punt out of bounds and kick touchbacks and not let their returners get anything! Cig and the Offense can’t leave points off the board at any time! We need to run the ball effectively and wear their D out while controlling the clock. Do these and we can win!
I did an AI search and #1 and #2 ranked teams have only lost at home four times since 2010. AI can be wrong, but I’m not going to audit it.
These games are extremely difficult. Personally I just want to see us hang with them.
I'm not following the logic, since Oregon is #3.
Miami’s performance saved us from this grim stat, at least in the AP.
@yothn give any defense the ability to jump the snap, and it changes everything. Give one with the speed and athletes that Oregon has, in Autzen… if that very specific part of the game isn’t improved, Oregon will make IU look bad on Saturday. Just like OSU, ND and even Iowa did. Iowa is a decent comp, I think. The week before they played us, Rutgers was pretty easily able to move the ball against them. Against IU, having the crowd and the ability to time snaps…against a MUCH better offense, they were able to get off the field quite a lot more.
Everything you’re saying is nullified if they don’t fix the snap count.
well good think Oregon is ranked #3 then. LolI did an AI search and #1 and #2 ranked teams have only lost at home four times since 2010. AI can be wrong, but I’m not going to audit it.
These games are extremely difficult. Personally I just want to see us hang with them.
I don’t understand why IU can’t figure out how to conceal its snap count on the road. It isn’t rocket science.
Oregon total defense rank is #7 and IU is #5. Oregon SOS is 48 and IUs 70. Both teams rank pretty much next to each other in rushing offense. The key difference is IUs rush defense is top 15 and Oregon is right around 40.@yothn None of this matters much if Cig and staff can't get the line and Mendoza on the same page with an effective silent count. Giving a team like Oregon, with the speed they have, any sort of jump or head start... we won't have a chance to win this game. We'll see similar ineffectiveness in short yardage situations, Mendoza will get hit, we'll turn the ball over.
I do think neutral field, or in Bloomington, Indiana might be as good as any team in the country. But this game is about as far from those situations as a game could possibly get.
So, IF... IU can vary up the snap effectively, I agree with you. It should be a very good game, and IU might be better enough to overcome the energy and crowd. But man, its hard to get the OSU, ND, and even Iowa performances out of my head. Gonna have to see it.
Against a really good defense, I agree with your logic. Oregon D hasn't yet proven to be at that level vs. very mild schedule. If Oregon is preparing for IU to be equal to what we all thought was a good Penn State team, they may find out we are much better than that.
IU will need to run the ball and run the ball well in this game.
Got no worries whether Cignetti gets an undetectable snap count installed during the bye week. Probably had 4 additional figured out before the 4th quarter of the Hawkeye game. With Ponds back IU will be playing press pass D. Haines will offer additional scheme pressure in the front end. No doubt Safeties have been schooled double time during the bye. Cignetti jumps on all scoring opportunities (FG's) in Autzen. Believe IU defense is equal to mallards offense.
Thinking a priority for IU in this Oregon game is to play loose.
In a way, the Penn St. and Texas losses along with all the 1 loss SEC teams nudges that sentiment along in the grander CFP landscape.
Was music to my ears listening to Cignetti's presser today in his answer that he wants his team to be Relaxed and play their game this weekend.
To me, that's 100% the mindset that I want this IU team to have, and one that that gives us the best shot at victory and the statement win to firmly put us in the top 5.
@mrhighlife Under the context that PSU is good. The SOS isn't very meaningful until we get closer to the end of the season when you know what teams are good and which ones aren't.
Oregon total defense rank is #7 and IU is #5. Oregon SOS is 48 and IUs 70. Both teams rank pretty much next to each other in rushing offense. The key difference is IUs rush defense is top 15 and Oregon is right around 40.@yothn None of this matters much if Cig and staff can't get the line and Mendoza on the same page with an effective silent count. Giving a team like Oregon, with the speed they have, any sort of jump or head start... we won't have a chance to win this game. We'll see similar ineffectiveness in short yardage situations, Mendoza will get hit, we'll turn the ball over.
I do think neutral field, or in Bloomington, Indiana might be as good as any team in the country. But this game is about as far from those situations as a game could possibly get.
So, IF... IU can vary up the snap effectively, I agree with you. It should be a very good game, and IU might be better enough to overcome the energy and crowd. But man, its hard to get the OSU, ND, and even Iowa performances out of my head. Gonna have to see it.
Against a really good defense, I agree with your logic. Oregon D hasn't yet proven to be at that level vs. very mild schedule. If Oregon is preparing for IU to be equal to what we all thought was a good Penn State team, they may find out we are much better than that.
IU will need to run the ball and run the ball well in this game.
Where are you seeing IU’s SOS at 70?
@yothn I would like to agree with this but we have really struggled in road games against hostile environments on the offensive side of the ball. Its crazy we dont let Mendoza audible. Its even more baffling how we have one of the worst silent counts in the country, OSU and Iowa had it timed practically from the jump
I think we are more than talented enough to compete (and beat) Oregon, on a neutral or home field I would pick us to win 7/10x. There just needs to be serious adjustments that we have not yet seen from the coaches if we are going to win this game, Autzen gets up to 127 decibels and will be the loudest stadium we have played in yet
Hopefully we can pull it off. A win here will have us ranked somewhere in #1-3 range, which has never happened for a single week in IUFB history.
IMO the key to this game is getting the IU defense off the field; which would also indicate the offense is having some level of success. If the defense is on the field anything like the Iowa game, Oregon will wear IU down and score at will late in the game. I have faith in the IU defense bolstered by the hope that the Oregon OL is not quite at the level of Iowa's line. Kirk ALWAYS builds strong lines (both sides of the ball) at Iowa; hence their ability to control time of possession.
@yothn What are you basing on, that we have better wins... UCLA? I watched part of that PSU v UO game and I thought both teams looked bigger and more athletic than us. I think we've narrowed the gap on these teams (and ND and OSU), but the reality is all of those teams 2nd teams probably have more stars than our starters. I know stars aren't everything, but both PSU and UO looked bigger and faster to me, with UO having the better skill players. I think UCLA was more about PSU just being totally unprepared and not ready to play, but I don't think their players magically got less athletic in a week or 2. I think we have a great shot to beat either team, but we are clearly the underdog this week.
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