IU Opponents Recap: Week Nine

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

I feel as if I could “copy and paste” the previous weeks intro and just insert a new opponent as IU’s season continues on repeat like a broken record. The Indiana Hoosiers lost a heartbreaker to _____ (fill in the blank) by a score of ____ (fill in the blank). The defeat dropped them to ____ and they now host another top ranked opponent. This week’s “fill in the blank” portion: Maryland was the opponent, the score was 42-39 and the Hoosiers are now 3-5 heading into a game against Wisconsin.

Previous Opponents

The Ohio State Buckeyes knocked off the Penn State Nittany Lions with a furious comeback led by their defense and quarterback as JT Barrett lit up the PSU secondary in the second half. The come-from-behind 39-38 victory kept the OSU playoff hopes alive and asserted them as the favorites for the Big Ten East title. If Penn State finishes 11-1, they will be a very interesting case for the Playoff Committee.

Virginia fell to Pittsburgh and the Cavaliers suddenly look like the team everyone thought they’d be heading into the 2017 season.

Georgia Southern fired Tyson Summers but it made no difference as they remained winless.

Charleston Southern fell to Monmouth in a close one and they are now 4-4.

The Michigan State Spartans went to Evanston and fell in a wild contest in triple overtime, 39-31. Brian Lewerke threw for a school record 445 yards with four touchdowns but Northwestern answered every time and eventually came out on top. The win moved the Wildcats to 5-3 and dropped the Spartans to 6-2.

Future Opponents

Wisconsin – 24 at Illinois – 10

The Wisconsin Badgers were far from perfect on Saturday but their record remains unbeaten as they moved to 8-0 heading into Bloomington this Saturday. The Badgers only outgained the Illini 303-286 but they forced three turnovers and held Illinois to just 9 of 31 passing. Jonathan Taylor again led the way for Wisconsin’s ground game but he only had 12 carries (73 yards, 6.1 ypc) and no Badger receiver had more than 37 receiving yards. The highlight of the day was a four yard rushing touchdown for offensive lineman Michael Deiter. Wisconsin will be the third top five opponent for the Hoosiers this season. The loss drops the Illini to 2-6 (0-5) and it would not at all be shocking to see Lovie Smith let go after the season.

Michigan – 35 vs. Rutgers – 14

John O’Korn was pulled from this game after committing two early turnovers as the Maize and Blue struggled with Rutgers through one and a half quarters. Brandon Peters, a highly-touted prospect from Avon, Indiana, entered and immediately jump-started the offense. He led them to two straight scoring drives and ultimately went 10 of 14 for 124 yards with a touchdown. The star of the day was Karan Higdon as he rushed for 158 yards with two scores. Ty Isaac added 109 yards and Michigan pounded out 334 rushing yards total. Rutgers only mustered 195 yards total, with 65 of them coming on one run from Janarion Grant. They are 3-5 (2-3) and look unlikely to be favored in another game this season.

Purdue – 24 vs. Nebraska – 25

Purdue was in firm control against Nebraska before collapsing late and allowing the final 13 points of the game to the Cornhuskers. The defeat dropped the Boilers to 3-5 (1-4) and improved Nebraska to 4-4, keeping their bowl hopes alive. Purdue used David Blough the whole way at QB and he went 16 of 28 for 164 yards with a touchdown but the only encouraging part of their offense was the running game. Richie Worship has emerged their best running back and he had 18 carries for 89 yards as Purdue ground out 199 rushing yards and 5.2 yards per carry. However, their improved defense gave up a shocking 431 passing yards to Tanner Lee including a last-minute touchdown pass that stunned the Ross-Ade Stadium crowd. Purdue now hosts Illinois before traveling to Northwestern and Iowa. It is conceivable that the Old Oaken Bucket features a pair of 5-6 teams battling for the bucket along with bowl eligibility.