IU Will Raise the Victory Flag Against Illinois If…

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

The Hoosiers got to raise the Victory Flag last week after defeating the Wisconsin Badgers 20-14. This week the Hoosiers look to keep the flag flying and their bowl hopes alive with a win against the Illinois Fighting Illini. Here is what the Hoosiers need to do to keep the good vibes flowing in Bloomington.

1. Contain Johnny Newton

Illinois defensive lineman Johnny Newton is a game wrecker. If he is not making plays in the backfield he is demanding double teams that free up teammates on the outside to make those havoc plays. Newton leads Illinois in tackles for loss (5.5) and sacks (4.5).

The Hoosiers struggled mightily on the offensive line when tackle Kahlil Benson went down in the second half against Wisconsin. If Benson is out Saturday, IU will have to find an answer for Newton. Sales filled in for Benson. If the Hoosiers cannot generate offense they will not come away with a win.

2. Continue to Build off of the Positive Momentum

Indiana has played their two best games of the year over the last two weeks and that momentum needs to continue. While it was a good performance against Penn State, IU was even better against Wisconsin and came away with the win. There were still mistakes, but the back breaking errors were limited to a minimum and that success finally had something tangible to hold on to. That reward is paying off in terms of energy and enthusiasm in practice. Another positive performance sets up the final two weeks to be extremely fun for Hoosier football fans.

3. Put Four Quarters Together on Offense

For the IU offense it has been tough to put a consistently good  performance together for four quarters. They had a great second half against Louisville and showed flashes of success in the first half and sporadically in the second half against Penn State, Wisconsin and Rutgers. The Hoosiers need to be able to move the ball better and put points up in the second half to win on the road. Nobody will confuse Illinois with Penn State, Michigan or Ohio State, but their defense has a chance to keep them in the game if IU’s offense goes into hiding in the second half again.