Hoosier Huddle Game Day Primer: Indiana Hoosiers at Florida International Golden Panthers
/
Image: Sammy Jacobs Hoosier Huddle
Written By T.J. Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
Week 1 Primer
What: Indiana Hoosiers at Florida International Panthers
When: Saturday, September 1 at 7:00 pm
Where: Riccardo Silva Stadium in Miami, Florida
How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. You can also listen to the game on the IU Radio Network with the legendary Don Fischer on the call.
What’s at Stake: After missing a bowl game in Tom Allen’s first season as head coach, the Indiana Hoosiers enter 2018 with big need to return to the postseason. With four likely top 15 opponents on the schedule, the Hoosiers cannot afford to slip up in any of their non-conference contests. Florida International will be a stiff test as Butch Davis has recruited well and the Panthers went bowling in 2017.
Hoosier Huddle Game Day Bingo! Presented by Vintage Brands
Vintage Brand is an online retailer specializing in authentic sports art for the modern fan. We have a collection of over 10,000 sporting tickets, programs and schedules that have been digitally produced and rendered on a number of every day products.
Our goal is to help Hoosier fans relive their favorite sports memories while highlighting some of the great artwork and photography distributed over the decades.
A Few Things to Look For
1. Changing of the Guard
Indiana has seen a whole lot of change since the season-ending defeat to the Purdue Boilermakers last November. A new strength and conditioning program, under the direction of Dave Ballou and Dr. Tim Rhea, has produced impressive results that will be seen on-field for the first time. A number of players, including Nile Sykes, Marcelino Ball, Nick Westbrook, Peyton Ramsey, Cole Gest and J-Shun Harris are returning from injuries. Exciting newcomers like Stevie Scott, Ronnie Walker, Jaylin Williams, Miles Marshall, Reece Taylor, Cam Jones and redshirt freshman Bryant Fitzgerald (and more) will make their debuts. Indiana can’t afford to be a “deer in headlights” or take much time to shake any off-season rust and everyone must be ready to contribute early or IU will find themselves in trouble on opening night.
2. Establish the Running Game
The Hoosiers have made a big deal about improving on the running game. The players and coaches know that failure to do so will result in a losing season. There are high hopes around the offensive line as veterans Coy Cronk, Wes Martin, Simon Stepaniak, Hunter Littlejohn and Brandon Knight all return and are joined by Delroy Baker, Caleb Jones, Mackenzie Nworah, Harry Crider and graduate transfer Nick Linder. Coaches feel the line has made significant improvement and the unit can now be a strength for the Hoosiers. Expected starting tailback Morgan Ellison is gone so this will be our first look at how the carries are distributed. Cole Gest has reportedly had a terrific offseason and the redshirt sophomore is expected to be the starter. True freshmen Stevie Scott, Ronnie Walker and even Reece Taylor, redshirt freshman Craig Nelson and veterans Ricky Brookins and Mike Majette, will likely all see work as well. The Panthers lost seven of their top nine tacklers a season ago but the defensive front will be considered the strength for this squad. They won’t be a pushover up front and a strong rushing performance would be encouraging for the Hoosiers.
3. Can IU’s Defense Remain a Strength?
Despite the losses of Tegray Scales, Chris Covington, Nate Hoff and Rashard Fant, I have faith in Tom Allen and Mark Hagen’s ability to still produce a strong defense at Indiana. Part of that belief comes in the talent the Hoosiers return, part of it comes from the talent that has been brought in and part of it comes from seeing how good Allen and Hagen are as defensive coaches. Taking on the Panthers of Florida International is a good opening contest for this defense. FIU has to replace more than 5,000 yards of total offense, including starting quarterback Alex McGough, top rusher Alex Gardner and top receiver Thomas Owens. While they do have some incoming and returning talent, including graduate transfer quarterback James Morgan, running back Napoleon Maxwell and explosive receiver Tony Gaiter IV, I wouldn’t expect a huge offensive output from FIU. This game will be our first look at this new look defense. Things to look for include: who is lined up next to Jacob Robinson at defensive tackle and how deep does the line rotation go? Are Willis and Roof the starting linebackers and how many linebackers can be played before we see a big drop-off? Which of the very young talents in the secondary are in line to see lots of time in 2018 and are they ready for the spotlight?
4. Quarterback Battle
This is the obvious one and there’s no denying the play of the quarterbacks will be a huge factor in determining how this season goes. Peyton Ramsey, the redshirt sophomore from Ohio, was named the starting quarterback last week and he will get the first shot at leading the attack on Saturday night. It is believed that true freshman Michael Penix came very close to winning the starting job and he is expected to get some work during this contest. Will we see anyone else behind center in special “run” packages? We’ve read and heard about Peyton Ramsey’s improved arm strength, Saturday night is the first time for him to prove it against an opponent.
College football is a unique sport for many reasons. One of those reasons is that there are only 12 games which means every week has huge implications, both positive and negative. This game will not be easy but it is one the Indiana Hoosiers simply must find a way to win.
What the Sharps are Saying
The Hoosiers were expecting a softball in their opener at FIU, which sits 114th in the S&P rankings. However, with leading rusher Morgan Ellison suspended indefinitely, points could be hard to come by, even against a defense as suspect as the Panthers'; remember, IU averaged just 21.6 points in six road games last year, compared to 25.5 at home. According to some of the best sports betting sites the spread for the game is currently Hoosiers -10.5 with the over/under at 57.0. With Ellison suspended, and last year's leading receiver (Simmie Cobbs) in the NFL, there's a good chance that Tom Allen employs a conservative game plan, relying on his stout defense to win the battle for field position against the rebuilding Panthers. That makes the under a safer bet than the double-digit spread.
Game Previews