IU Opponents' Recap- Week Five

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

The Hoosiers had a woeful first quarter and dug themselves a hole that was simply too big to climb out of. Despite a terrific defensive effort, IU fell at Penn State and dropped to 2-2 (0-2) as they head into a matchup against Charleston Southern. Several IU opponents were in action on Saturday, read on to see how they each did.

Previous Opponents

Ohio State – 56 vs. Rutgers - 0

The Buckeyes were absolutely dominant over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, controlling the contest from the outset and waltzing to a shutout victory. Rutgers is now 1-4 with their lone win coming against an FCS opponent. The Buckeyes are 4-1 heading into an interesting game against Maryland. Of note, Rutgers only threw for 92 yards while Ohio State was able to air it out for 342 yards, including completions of 70 and 46 yards. Rutgers certainly seems like the worst team in the Big Ten once again and I do believe it’s time to question whether or not Chris Ash is capable of getting them on the road to respectability.

Future Opponents

Charleston Southern – 58 vs. Mississippi Valley State - 7

The Buccaneers improved to 2-2 and notched their second straight blowout victory as the hammered the Delta Devils 58-7. The game was scoreless after one quarter and tied at seven with 1:42 remaining the first half but Charleston Southern outscored the Delta Devils 35-0 in the third quarter to sail away for the win. They outgained Mississippi Valley State 460-294 despite running 22 fewer plays. The Buccaneers leaned on their running game, churning out 359 rushing yards on 42 carries while only completing two passes on the afternoon.

Michigan State – 17 vs. Iowa - 10

The Michigan State Spartans improved to 3-1 on the season, knocking off Iowa (3-2) in a game that was exactly as you probably imagined it would be. Yards were hard to come by and neither team seemed all that interested in doing anything the least bit adventurous offensively. Credit must go to the defenses though as they suffocated the running games and controlled the trenches. MSU’s rushing defense was particularly impressive as they held Iowa to only 19 yards on 25 rushes. The Spartans managed 88 rushing yards on 40 carries (2.2 yards per carry) and quarterback Brian Lewerke found Felton Davis III for a pair of first quarter touchdown receptions that ultimately proved to be enough to give Michigan State the home victory. Felton Davis III was the best offensive weapon for either side, catching nine passes for 114 yards. I think it is clear the MSU defense is better than anyone anticipated they would be but their offense remains a major question mark. They take on the Michigan Wolverines in a primetime clash this week.

Maryland – 31 at Minnesota – 24

While it may not seem like it at first glance, this was one of the more impressive victories of the weekend as the Maryland Terrapins went to Minneapolis with their fourth-string quarterback and walked away with a 31-24 victory. In truth, they thoroughly deserved the win and were the better team for the majority of the contest. Max Bortenschlager was adequate, completing 18 of 28 passes for 154 yards with two touchdowns. Most importantly, he avoided making a costly mistake and didn’t have any turnovers. Ty Johnson was mostly bottled up pretty well by Minnesota but he broke through for a 34-yard touchdown run with just over a minute remaining that broke the 24-24 tie and put the Terrapins ahead for good. The trio of Johnson, Lorenzo Harrison and wideout D.J. Moore is a handful and Maryland’s defense appears stout enough to provide some resistance against decent opponents. That is a noteworthy change, particularly against the run, an area they were dreadful in last season. If the Terrapins can continue to play like this, the Hoosiers will definitely be underdogs when they visit College Park.

Illinois – 6 vs. Nebraska – 28

The first taste of “Friday Night Lights” did not go well for the Illinois Fighting Illini as they were waxed by the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Champagne. Chayce Crouch went the distance but only completed 9 of 15 passes for 99 yards with one interception and the Illini were held to only 93 yards on the ground. In short, it was a dismal offensive performance. Nebraska’s Tanner Lee was efficient, throwing for 246 yards with three touchdowns. Devine Ozigbo added 106 yards rushing and Nebraska outgained the Illini 411-199. Illinois is a bad team, there is no way around it. As things stand right now, the Hoosiers should be heavily favored against the Illini and I would be quite surprised if Illinois won more than one more than game this season (they host Rutgers on the 14th of October).