Spring Position Battles: Kickoff Return

Spring Position Battles: Kickoff Return

Welcome to the final installment of Spring Position Battles, we are looking at the often over looked battle at the kick and punt return positions. Middle of the pack teams like the Indiana Hoosiers need every advantage they can get and a lot of the time that comes via very good special teams. Some of IU’s most memorable wins have come because of a kickoff return for a score. Lance Bennett sparked the Hoosiers’ upset of Oregon on the road in 2004 with a long kickoff return touchdown and Marcus Thigpen initiated come backs in 2006 against Illinois and Ball State with big plays on special teams. Under head coach Kevin Wilson the Hoosiers have had their share of explosive special teamers with Shane Wynn and Tevin Coleman, but in 2014 it was an area that was lacking.

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Five Players to Watch on the Hoosier Offense in 2014

Five Players to Watch on the Hoosier Offense in 2014

There will be a mixture of new and old faces when the Indiana Hoosier offense takes the field against the Indiana State Sycamores on Saturday afternoon. Here are five players that fans should keep an eye out for during this game and throughout the season.

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Media Day Wrap Up

Media Day Wrap Up

Football season is almost here! The 2014 season unofficially kicked off today at Big Ten Media Days where coaches and players from each school talked to the media and previewed the upcoming season. The topics ranged from actual football questions to where Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini’s cat is staying (he was napping in the hotel room), but let’s get down to what we are all here to read about; coach Kevin Wilson’s comments about the 2014 season. 

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2014 Season Preview: Running Backs

2014 Season Preview: Running Backs

As fall camp draws closer and regular season college football crawls ever so near, we will to preview every position group on the 2014 Indiana Hoosier football team. First up are the Hoosier running backs.

 

The 2013 Indiana offense got its reputation as a pass heavy attack, however they did average over 200 yards a game on the ground. This season, with the departures of four major pass catchers, the Hoosiers could become even more reliant on the run. This is not a bad thing either. The Hoosiers have a bevy or talented running backs headlined by junior Tevin Coleman, but there is talent behind him in D’Angelo Roberts and the speedy Laray Smith. Let’s get down to each individual to see what he brings to the Hoosier backfield.

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Indiana Football Stock Market Report: Week One: Indiana State

Indiana Football Stock Market Report: Week One: Indiana State

Welcome to the inaugural Indiana Stock Market Report. While the Hoosier brand is not one of the gold standards in college football, we feel as if it is one that you can buy low on at the start of the season and see it pay out strong by the end of the season. With a diversified portfolio ranging from platinum level offense to a penny stock defense, we feel Indiana football should be a strong “buy” throughout the fall and winter months. This is largely due to the diversified portfolio, which we have developed for you, our savvy Hoosier Stock Market investor.

In 2012 the Indiana Hoosiers were a below average team, who displayed flashes of potential. I believe the most frustrating thing for IU fans was to watch competent offensive performances be completely wasted by a defense that was barley MAC-worthy.

While the Hoosiers were able to pull out a victory in week one, we saw much of the same in their home opener on Thursday night. A monstrous offensive output, combined with a lackluster defensive performance. While not the same team as last year, there were still plenty of reasons to be concerned moving forward.

Even though we saw a 38-point victory, while witnessing some very encouraging things, we also saw some things that could go from that didn’t look great, to holy crap that’s a big freakin’ problem, in the coming weeks.

Your Stock Market Report of Very Little Defensive Effort Follows:

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2013 Recruiting Redux: Talent for the Future

2013 Recruiting Redux: Talent for the Future

As already discussed in our first edition of Recruiting Redux, the 2013 Hoosier recruiting class is the most talented to walk on the campus in at least a decade, and very possibly of all-time.  One of the things that may have drawn them to Bloomington was Kevin Wilson’s penchant for playing the best players regardless of seniority. 

While the head coach has shown that to be true during his first two years at the helm, 2013 might be a bit of a different story.  No so much in that he won’t play the man who can do the job best, but because there are finally less spots to fight for in the lineup.  Indiana returns somewhere between 16 and 20 starters depending on varying definitions of the word, but nevertheless it’s a hefty quantity.  This being the case it will be hard for many of the true freshman to make an immediate impact anywhere outside of special teams.


Last week we featured five Immediate Impact players that could break into the rotation their first year in Bloomington.  However, just because a player fails to see the field during his freshman season it doesn’t mean he is less talented than the players who are, as there are varying factors involved.  The key influence the majority of the time is positional depth.  While positions such as defensive tackle are ripe for the picking, the same cannot be said for spots like wide receiver or offensive line.  This week we are taking a look at the most talented players who will be contributors down the road for Indiana football.

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