Outback Bowl Primer

Who: #11 Indiana Hoosiers (6-1) vs. Ole Miss Rebels (4-5)

Where: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida

When: Saturday, January 2 at 12:30 pm on ABC

Odds: -8 Indiana provided by legal Indiana Sports Betting

Series History: The 35th edition of the Outback Bowl will be the first meeting between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Indiana Hoosiers.

What’s at Stake: While the Indiana Hoosiers are undoubtedly disappointed to be overlooked for the New Year’s Six bowls, the Outback Bowl is a terrific opportunity for the program. IU has not won a bowl game since the Copper Bowl triumph in 1991 and the Outback Bowl represents another chance to get a bowl victory, something Tom Allen recognizes as critically important for the growth of the program. In addition to trying to check off that milestone, the Hoosiers are getting national exposure in January for the second straight season and are getting to play in Florida, home for many of their players and a recruiting hotbed for the program. A victory likely lands IU in the top ten of the final college football poll of the season.

Things to Watch

1. IU’s Defense Must Slow Down an Explosive Attack

The Rebels enter the Outback Bowl after finishing the regular season third in the country in total offense, gaining 562.4 yards per game. They averaged 40.7 points per game and threw for nearly 350 yards per contest. IU’s cause will be aided by the absence of top targets Elijah Moore and Kenny Yeboah as well as injuries to Braylon Sanders and Jerrion Ealy. The latter two suffered ankle injuries in the loss to LSU and they are unlikely to play. Despite those absences, quarterback Matt Corral is probably the second-best quarterback the Hoosiers will face this season and it will be a real challenge to contain the Rebels. IU has been as good as anyone in the country at taking the ball away and Corral did throw 14 interceptions so there should be opportunities for the Hoosiers to make some plays.

2. Second Start for Tuttle

While it seems like an eternity ago, Jack Tuttle has actually made only one start in his collegiate career. That came in the Hoosiers last regular season game, a 14-6 win at Wisconsin. The game plan for that contest was clear, IU wanted to grind out a victory by not putting much on Tuttle’s plate, avoiding mistakes and trusting that the defense would lock Wisconsin down. That plan worked as Tuttle made a pair of key throws in the red zone to get IU’s two scores. He’ll need to do more against Ole Miss as the Rebels are going to put up some points. Ole Miss does not have a good defense. In fact, this could be the worst defense the Hoosiers have seen this season. Tuttle and the Hoosiers have had a while to prepare for this game so we should get a more clear picture of the what the redshirt sophomore is capable of this Saturday in Tampa.

3. Rest versus Rust

The Old Oaken Bucket Game was cancelled twice and IU was selected for a January 2 bowl game. IU’s last game was on December 5 so it will be nearly a full month since they took the field in Madison by the time the Outback Bowl kicks off. The Hoosiers dealt with a Covid-19 outbreak, got passed up for a New Year’s Six opportunity, had National Signing Day, celebrated Christmas and New Year’s…all while preparing for the chance to finally win a bowl game. Tom Allen was very confident that his Hoosiers would be ready to play. Whether they are sharp after the month-long layoff is another question entirely. Look early for penalties, missed tackles (something that would be disastrous against the Rebels offense), blown assignments…the types of mental mistakes you see early in each season. If IU can avoid those errors early and settle into the game, they should be in great shape to get their first bowl victory since 1990.

JULIET GAHAN’S PREGAME VIDEO