Hoosiers chasing third consecutive bowl bid
Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel ranked all 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country entering the 2017 season. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 130 to our projected No. 1 team.
Indiana Tom Allen (0-0, first season; 0-1 entering overall)
6-7, 4-5 in the Big Ten Conference, fourth in the East Division
Indiana opened the 2016 season with victories in three of its first four games, including an overtime win against Michigan State. The Hoosiers hit a bump in the road and lost their next three games before bouncing back with wins over Maryland and Rutgers. It was a short-lived surge, with Indiana dropping two of its remaining three games. A 26-24 thriller over in-state rival Purdue earned the program back-toback bowl appearances for the first time since the 1990 and ’91 seasons. However, accusations of player mistreatment in the program forced coach Kevin Wilson out and defensive coordinator Tom Allen was promoted to fulltime status after the team’s 26-24 loss to Utah in the Foster Farms Bowl. 2
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RB Devine Redding, WR Ricky Jones, WR Mitchell Paige, DL Ralph Green III, DL Patrick Dougherty, LB Marcus Oliver
QB Richard Lagow, WR Nick Westbrook, TE Danny Friend, LB Tegray Scales, DB Marcelino Ball, DB Jonathan Crawford, DB Tony Fields
Wilson’s forte was offense and he transformed the Hoosiers into one of the top offensive teams in the Big Ten during the past few seasons. QB Richard Lagow finished second in the Big Ten in passing offense (259 yards per game) and was the second consecutive Hoosiers signalcaller to pass for at least 3,000 yards in a season. His 17 interceptions, however, were the second-most by a starter in the league behind Purdue’s David Blough. New offensive coordinator Mike DeBord will work with Lagow to eliminate the costly mistakes.
Indiana showed remarkable improvement on defenseunder Allen, whose aggressive style helped the Hoosiers give up 10 fewer points and 130 fewer yards per game during the 2016 season.
The unit returns nine starters from last season, including a pair of all-conference selections in CB Rashard Fant and LB Tegray Scales. Scales led the Big Ten in tackles (126) and joins DB Marcelino Ball as key components of Allen’s 4-2-5 scheme. For the second consecutive year, Fant led the Big Ten in passes defended (17) while finishing tied for the team lead in interceptions (3).
Indiana has produced a different 1,000-yard rusher each of the past three seasons, including Devine Redding (1,122 yards) in 2016. Redding’s departure leaves the Hoosiers looking for another strong rusher.
The biggest issue facing the ground game likely will be an inexperienced offensive line. Indiana must replace starters at three positions, including center.
The Hoosiers finished last in the Big Ten in turnover margin (-6), with the team turning the ball over 20 times in the final two months of the season. Lagow was responsible for 13 of those late season miscues.
Indiana appears to be on the right track after earning back-to-back bowl bids for the first time in more than two decades. Allen is no stranger to the Hoosier state, coaching at high school powerhouse Ben Davis and later at Wabash College. The pieces are there for another run at a bowl game, but the Hoosiers will have to survive a tough schedule that features matchups with Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan in the first six weeks.