Eagles and the Option Soar Into Bloomington

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

After an unplanned week off due to Hurricane Irma, the Indiana Hoosiers will take the field on Saturday afternoon to battle an unfamiliar opponent, Georgia Southern and their triple option attack. The two foes have never met and the Eagles triple option attack has scared or knocked off many Power 5 programs in the past so the extra week of preparation may end up being a bit of a blessing in disguise for the 1-1 Hoosiers.

“We started working in the spring when we knew we were playing them (Georgia Southern),” Tom Allen told the media. “They run out of the shotgun which is different than some, but it creates similar challenges. You can’t do it in just a couple of days. So we’ve been working on them in the spring and then a little bit in fall camp. You know, with the creative bye week, we have a chance to get some extra reps against that style last week, as well, it was good.”

While Hoosier fans may be understandably scarred by seeing past IU teams take on option attacks with disastrous results, this is not a typical IU defense and Georgia Southern has yet to prove to be a typically dangerous offensive side. The Eagles are 0-2 after a whooping at the hands of Mississippi State and a humbling loss to New Hampshire. Tyson Summers’ squad have also had two weeks to prepare though so the Hoosiers will need to be ready for a rejuvenated and desperate Georgia Southern ready to try anything possible to get on track.

The largest pieces of interest in this game surround IU’s defense against the option and how the Indiana offense will look. The last time we saw the Hoosiers against an option attack was during the Kevin Wilson era as the Hoosiers fell at home to Navy and had a disastrous time against the Midshipmen’s triple option. While the Eagles aren’t the same level of threat, IU fans can be understandably scarred by the memory and anxious to see how this version of the defense handles the unique attack. Tom Allen and the Hoosiers have devoted a chunk of each week of practice all offseason to prepare for this contest so the players won’t be caught off-guard by anything, it will simply be a matter of execution and discipline. The Eagles are led by freshman quarterback Shai Werts. Werts has 54 carries thus far and the ball will be in his hands for the majority of GSU’s offensive snaps. Their top running back is L.A. Ramsby, a graduate of the same high school as IU’s Tegray Scales. IU’s defense has high expectations for itself but the option is a different kind of beast and it’s always interesting to see how defenses deal with it. If GSU can get into an offensive rhythm that converts on third and short situations, they’ll control the clock and the Hoosiers could easily get frustrated and drug into a “closer than expected” contest on a day that is expected to be hot and muggy in Bloomington.

Fans will be equally interested in the Hoosiers offense as the quarterback competition between Richard Lagow and Peyton Ramsey took a surprising twist in Charlottesville on September 9. After a rough start for Lagow, Ramsey was inserted to try and spark the Hoosiers. He did that and more, promptly scoring on three straight drives and making it impossible for the coaches to take him out. Lagow ended up finishing the day on the sideline, cheering on Ramsey as the redshirt freshman from Ohio led the Hoosiers to the victory over Virginia. Tom Allen has been forceful in his declaration that Lagow will be the starter and Ramsey will continue to play each game and that the amount of snaps for each will be determined by “game flow”. This is a tricky situation to handle for a first-year coach and how it plays out each game will be critical to IU’s offensive success.

Both quarterbacks appear to be pleased with their place within the squad and they don’t feel there is anything but support from the other as they each try to help the program win.

"We're very supportive of each other," Ramsey says. "We have a great relationship. We talk each other through plays, through concepts, through different things. What we're seeing out there.
 
"We'll continue to support each other, compete every day in practice and earn opportunities to play and make plays every Saturday."

"(Making it work) is easy because we don't care who gets the credit at all. It's simple. It's the whole philosophy that Coach Allen has instilled in us, Lagow said. “It doesn't matter if Peyton plays 95 snaps and I come in for one play to take a knee at the end of the game. If we win, cool. I'm just as happy. Ask any of my teammates or coaches, I was by far happier after the Virginia game because we won than I was after the Ohio State game. Personal performance aside, winning makes everything better."

The Hoosiers offense will get a boost on Saturday as veteran offensive lineman Brandon Knight will make his season debut after suffering a foot injury that kept him out of the first two games. Knight will slide into the starting lineup and his presence should help IU’s young line improve across the board. How that impacts the running game and pass protection will be something to watch for on Saturday. Temperatures are expected to climb into the 90s on Saturday afternoon in Bloomington so the depth and conditioning of both sides will be tested. The Hoosiers will be wearing special uniforms to honor the late Terry Hoeppner and they’ll be hoping to take care of business against the Georgia Southern Eagles and improve to 2-1 on the young 2017 season.