Countdown to 2018 IUFB Kickoff: 100 Days

Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

It’s that time of year again, Memorial Day Weekend is right around the corner and just down the road is the 2018 college football season. We are now just 100 days from the start of the Indiana Hoosiers 2018 campaign. IU opens up in Miami against the Florida International Golden Panthers. This is the second time in three seasons that the Hoosiers will open the season at FIU, a 34-13 win in 2016. We are once again doing our 100-day countdown to kickoff. Over the next 100 days we will take our readers through the entire IUFB roster and introduce you to the players who will be trying to get Tom Allen and the Hoosiers back to a bowl game. To get your feet wet we will take a look at the top 10 things we are going to watch for in the 2018 season.

1. Can the Hoosiers Bounce Back After a Disappointing 2017 season?

The Hoosiers finished the 2017 season at 5-7 (2-7) capped off by 31-24 loss in the Old Oaken Bucket game in which they just looked defeated and worn out. Their modest bowl streak ended at two and they entered the off-season with more questions than answers.

Tom Allen and crew are tasked with winning back a fan base who grew tired of his ‘Breakthrough’ mantra, getting the Hoosiers back into the postseason and to start to string together top-50 recruiting classes. All that started in spring practice and resumes when the Hoosiers get back on the field this summer for fall practice.

2. With Reinforcements in tow Can the Offense Take a Big Step Forward?

The Hoosiers offense never hit on all cylinders in 2017 and much of that was due to sub-par offensive line play and inconsistency at the quarterback position. One of the priorities this past off-season was for the Hoosiers to pick up a couple graduate transfers to help the offense get back on track. The Hoosiers did just that as they picked up former Miami (FL) center Nick Linder and former Arizona quarterback Branden Dawkins. Both have experience and most importantly talent to come in and contribute right away. If both of these players can live up to their potential, the Hoosiers will have a chance to make some noise in 2018.

3. IU has the Chance to Get Out of the Gate Quickly

The Hoosiers have a really good chance to start the season well. Their first six games are very manageable. The open the season at Florida International and even though they were a bowl team a year ago, the Golden Panthers are near the bottom of the FBS in returning production. After that road trip, the Hoosiers have three straight home contests starting with Virginia. The Cavaliers are also coming off a bowl appearance but will also have to replace playmakers at every level. Following Virginia, the Hoosiers host a Ball State squad that won two games in 2017 before closing the home stand against a strong Michigan State team in the Spittoon Game. The last third of the first six games feature trips to Rutgers and Ohio State. It should not be out of the question for IU to go 4-2 or even 5-1, before heading the more difficult back end of their schedule.

4. Hoosiers Host Both Trophy Games in 2018

Hoosier fans will get a chance to see two trophy games in Memorial Stadium this season as IU hosts Michigan State (Old Brass Spittoon) on September 22nd and Purdue (Old Oaken Bucket) on November 24th. The Hoosiers beat Michigan State in the Spartans last trip to Bloomington and have a three-game home winning streak against the Boilermakers.

5. Can the Defense Replace Star Power with Quality Depth

One of the biggest questions facing Tom Allen and the defensive staff have to find an answer to is how they replace the star power of Tegray Scales, Chris Covington, Richard Fant, Tony Fields and Chase Dutra.

Good news for Hoosier fans, Allen’s cupboard is not bare. The Hoosiers will have new (and young faces) all over the defense. The secondary is as talented as it has been in the last 30 years. The linebacker corps showed promise in the spring as senior Mike McGinnis and redshirt junior Reakwon Jones had strong sessions and youngsters Mo Burnam and Thomas Allen showed flashes. IU will have two incoming freshmen who can make an impact in James Miller and Cam Jones.

6. Best Secondary (on paper) at IU in a Long Time

While the Hoosiers lose three big contributors in the secondary as Rashard Fant, Chase Dutra and Tony Fields are all chasing their NFL dreams. However, safety Jonathan Crawford leads a group that features Andre Brown, A’Shon Riggins, Marcelino Ball along with a couple true sophomores in Raheem Layne and LaDamanion Hunt. IU will also welcome a pair of redshirt freshmen who have turned heads in Bryant Fitzgerald and Juwan Burgess. The incoming freshmen aren’t too shabby either as Jaylin Williams and Devon Matthews could find their way onto the field and Noah Pierre and Elijah Rodgers will lengthen the depth.

7. Nick Westbrook and Marcelino Ball Will be Healthy

IU was dealt a tough break in 2017 when wide receiver Nick Westbrook was lost for the year after the opening kickoff and then Marcelino Ball was done for the year after game three. Both are back and should be ready to play. If both can have the impacts they did in 2016, it’ll be fun to watch.

8. What Will IU Do With Mike Penix?

Early enrollee quarterback Mike Penix made quite the impression this spring as he shot up the depth start to split reps with Peyton Ramsey. That situation is complicated enough, but then Allen brought in graduate transfer quarterback Branden Dawkins. Dawkins is presumably going to win the starting job ahead of Ramsey and Penix, so the question is: Does IU redshirt Mike Penix? There are cases to be made on both sides, but redshirting the true freshman may make more sense, than burning a year so he can get a few reps before competing for the starting job in 2019.

9. A Completed Stadium

After seeing the construction zone that was the south end of Memorial Stadium for all of the 2017 season, Hoosier fans will see a completed, closed-in Memorial Stadium when the Hoosiers host Virginia in the home opener on September 8th. The structure will finally complete the bowl of Memorial Stadium and provide Hoosier fans with new views while enjoying the game.

10. Can the Hoosiers Re-Claim the Old Oaken Bucket?

We talked about this game in our 2018 schedule breakdown and the feelings haven’t changed. The Old Oaken Bucket Game is and always will be the most important game on the schedule for the Hoosiers and this year’s contest is especially vital. The Hoosiers host the Boilermakers a year after having their bowl hopes dashed in West Lafayette. Hopefully, the IU players and coaches remember the feeling they had when Purdue players rushed the IU bench to take back the Bucket and fans stormed the field to celebrate their first win over the Hoosiers since 2012. If Purdue continues the uptick under Brohm you can bet that the Boilermaker faithful will head south to invade Memorial Stadium. After the showing at Ross-Ade Stadium last season, the challenge has been given to Hoosier Nation to show up after drawing a “listed” 43,000-plus in 2016 when the Hoosiers needed a win to secure a Foster Farms Bowl berth.

These are the 10 things I am looking forward to in 2018, I encourage fans to put what they are looking forward to in the comments section. Come back each day as we countdown the 100 days until kickoff with profiles on the 2018 Indiana Hoosiers football team.

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