|
WR
James Hardy |
|
|
2006
Statistics |
Terry
Hoeppner
1947-2007 |
Coach:
Bill Lynch
1st
year |
2006
Record: 5-7 |
|
WESTERN
MICHIGAN |
WON
39-20 |
at
Ball State |
WON
24-23 |
SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS |
LOST
28-35 |
CONNECTICUT |
LOST
7-14 |
WISCONSIN |
LOST
17-52 |
at
Illinois |
WON
34-32 |
IOWA |
WON
31-28 |
at
Ohio State |
LOST
3-44 |
MICHIGAN
STATE |
WON
46-21 |
at
Minnesota |
LOST
26-63 |
MICHIGAN |
LOST
3-34 |
at
Purdue |
LOST
19-28 |
|
2006
Final Rankings
AP-UR, Coaches-UR, BCS-UR
|
2007
Outlook |
The
tragic loss of the man who reestablished
Indiana football as a respected program
is truly a loss for all of college football,
but it won’t have the negative impact
some might imagine on preparing for this
campaign. New boss Bill Lynch was a direct
disciple of Terry Hoeppner and also was
the man who oversaw his offense, so Lynch’s
permanent elevation (acting head coach since
last year) to top spot – and the sequential
promotion of passing game coordinator Matt
Canada to OC – should keep production
strong without skipping a beat. Lynch literally
inherits a re-motivated Hoosier squad, one
that Hoeppner jump started in 2005 with
simple practices like “the walk”
and getting his guys to “defend the
rock”. It was these kinds of rallying
cries that earned IU three conference wins
in ’06 for the first time since 2001.
The offensive momentum from last season
carries over nicely with every major piece
of their puzzle returning into this pass-first
spread system. Then-freshman QB Kellen Lewis
took the league by storm, leading the Hoosiers
in both passing and rushing. The unfortunate
fact – one that also carries over
– is that the offense was the lone
reason this team won five games…they
basically had to outscore foes (duh, isn’t
that how you win a game, sir?) because the
defense rarely stopped them from scoring
(oh, OK…that’s bad). Allowing
394 points marks the third worst defensive
showing in the school’s 108 year football
history. Nearly the entire defense also
returns, and with the same two co-coordinators
running the show, hopefully Lynch can establish
some new, successful traditions on that
side of the ball. Without much improvement
there this time, look for Joe Palcic and
Brian George to vacate so all of this offensive
(and defensive) talent doesn’t waste
its time. IU will know when it has actually
turned a corner (so to speak) when they
beat the lesser teams that they should beat
– Indiana lost to three teams below
.500 in ’06, and losing to I-AA Southern
Illinois (9-4) proves they aren’t
consistent enough, even with their efficient
offense, to win when they should. Needless
to say, this season is dedicated (directly
or indirectly) to the memories of Terry
Hoeppner, and watching the teams’
motivated efforts should be inspirational,
to say the least. The schedule is favorable
for defensive developments to slowly take
hold, but too often, an easy beginning can
lead to artificially inflated delusions
of grandeur, which then bring a team crashing
right back to reality as worthy foes expose
their real skill level(s). But any year
both Michigan and Ohio State are not on
the docket is a year that Indiana can possibly
win two more games (the last time they beat
Ohio State, 41-7, was 1988, and ’87
was the last time they beat Michigan, 14-10…also
beat OSU in ’87, 31-10). Hopefully,
Indiana can use their extra motivation to
establish some semblance of D…otherwise,
it looks like another year of nearly weekly
struggles that will have Cream-and-Crimson
fans mumbling to themselves about coulda-woulda-shoulda
until September 2008.
Projected
2007 record: 6-6
|
|
INDIANA
*POWER RATINGS |
Offense |
Defense |
QB
- 4 |
DL
- 2.5 |
RB
- 3 |
LB
- 3 |
WR
- 3.5 |
DB
- 2.5 |
OL
- 3 |
.. |
|
RETURNING
LEADERS |
Passing:
Kellen Lewis, 190-346-7, 14 TD
Rushing: Kellen Lewis, 124 att.,
441 yds., 5 TD
Receiving: James Hardy, 51 rec.,
722 yds., 10 TD
Scoring: Austin Starr, 12-15 FG,
28-32 PAT, 64 pts.
Punting: None
Kicking: Austin Starr, 12-15 FG,
28-32 PAT, 64 pts.
Tackles: Tracy Porter, 59 tot., 51
solo
Sacks: Brian Faires, 2 sacks
Interceptions: Tracy Porter, 4 for
53 yds.
Kickoff returns: Marcus Thigpen,
24 ret., 30.1 avg., 3 TD
Punt returns: Tracy Porter, 12 ret.,
18.6 avg., 1 TD
|
|
|
|
RB
Marcus Thigpen
|
|
|
OFFENSE
- 9
|
----RETURNING
STARTERS----
|
DEFENSE
- 10
|
|
KEY
LOSSES
|
OFFENSE:
Jahkeen Gilmore-WR, Matt O'Neal-TE, Justin
Frye-OL, Chris Mangiero-OL |
DEFENSE:
Kenny
Kendal-DE, Troy Grosfield-SS, Will Meyers-FS,
Tyson Beattie-P, Josh Bailey-LB (transferred) |
|
|
2007
OFFENSE
|
The
innovative spread Coach Hoeppner introduced will
continue. That means new OC Matt Canada, who was
and remains the passing game coordinator, makes
an easy transition (Coach Lynch moves up from
OC). More passes than runs will again be seen,
and why not – Lynch and Canada coached up
RS frosh Kellen Lewis to one of the school’s
best freshman seasons ever, and his progress throughout
spring indicates he has matured/progressed nicely.
This guy is one of a handful of dual-threats who
led his given team in both rushing and passing.
Lewis gets everyone back but his center and tight
end, so expect a HUGE sophomore season. As a matter
of fact, all of the talent position starters who
return were underclassmen last year, so the emergence
of this offense is imminent. Lewis has one knock
– he is a bit small (177lbs) to carry it
100+ times in the Big Ten. But at 6’1, he
can see over his linemen and clearly purvey the
Hoosiers’ receivers. Without his sack yardage,
he is good for five yards a carry, and the way
this offense spreads foes out, he will find many
holes through which to run. So will Marcus Thigpen,
a shifty runner who is surprisingly strong between
the tackles. He and backup Demetrius McCray have
decent hands in the flat, but they seem undersized
as extra blockers for Lewis in their one-back
schemes. Freshman Trea Burgess has the size-speed
combination desired for a single back, and as
the top rusher in the Cream-and-Crimson (spring)
game, we think he will see lots of reps. Lynch’s
other secret weapon is fullback Josiah Sears,
a worthy runner who is money in the bank with
only five lost yards on 40 carries (second on
the team with four rushing TDs). The James &
James Receiving Show – all-conference 6’7
Hardy and Detroit product Bailey – will
keep getting open to help Lewis. Someone has to
become the deep threat without Gilmore to do such.
The depth at receiver is three deep for their
three-receiver sets, truly, so finding role players
won’t be a problem. Expect an expanded role
from Ray Fisher, who should be more than a short-passing
outlet, and look out for newbie Terrance Turner
after his great final spring scrimmage. One thing
that could really spice things up is if they started
using the Hoosier tight ends (at all), for not
a single pass was completed to one all of 2006…not
one! That is a mistake with an offensive scheme
that thrives on creating/exploiting matchup problems.
The solution this spring was converted-QB Blake
Powers, though, Nick Sexton gets the initial starting
nod and is an even bigger target. Expect an expanded
role in production from this unit. The line is
set except, as stated, at center. Ben Wyss, a
walk-on senior, was found with the first-team
all spring, and he is prototypically athletic
like the rest of his brethren on the line. The
inside has girth with Saxon, Sandberg, Thomas
and Love, but more has to be seen if IU is to
avoid again finishing 89th in rushing (3.5 yards
per carry is also not going to get this team over
.500). But the key lineman is Rodger Saffold –
as a true freshman last year, Saffold did better
in run blocking than pass protection. He has bulked
up a bit, but freshman James “Big Brew”
Brewer really has the girth and footwork to supplant
Saffold if he isn’t playing his best. The
maturation of this offense due to better line
play will be the key for all of the talent position
players to excel to their potentials, too. We
foresee this happening, and the easy early foes
will allow the warm-up time needed before the
tougher ones ensue.
|
|
QB
Kellen Lewis
|
|
|
INDIANA
2007 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold |
OFFENSE |
QB |
Kellen
Lewis-So (6-1, 177) |
Ben
Chappell-Fr (6-3, 215) |
RB |
Marcus
Thigpen-Jr (5-9, 182) |
Demetrius
McCray-So (5-11, 189) |
WR |
James
Hardy-Jr (6-7, 216) |
Terrance
Turner-Fr (6-3, 200) |
WR |
James
Bailey-Jr (6-2, 205) |
Brandon
Walker-Roby-Jr (5-11, 182) |
WR |
Andrew
Means-So (6-0, 209) |
Ray
Fisher-So (5-9, 176) |
TE |
Nick
Sexton-Sr (6-5, 258) |
Blake
Powers-Sr (6-4, 224) |
OT |
Rodger
Saffold-So (6-5, 275) |
James
Brewer-Fr (6-8, 325) |
OG |
Pete
Saxon-So (6-6, 310) |
Kyle
Thomas-Jr (6-4, 290) |
C |
Ben
Wyss-Sr (6-1, 280) |
Alex
Perry-Fr (6-7, 250) |
OG |
John
Sandberg-Sr (6-2, 290) |
Kenny
Love-Jr (6-2, 290) |
OT |
Charlie
Emerson-Sr (6-5, 266) |
Mike
Stark-Fr (6-7, 285) |
K |
Austin
Starr-Jr (6-2, 199) |
Nick
Ford-So (5-9, 170) |
|
|
2007
DEFENSE
|
The
troubles that plagued this defense in its last
campaign are what cost IU any chances at finishing
in bowl contention. Only one foe last year was
held under 20 points and only six were held under
30 (4-2 in those games). Then, starting with the
Southern Illinois game, five out of six teams
piled up 200+ rushing yards. The back seven allowed
opponents to complete 61.6% of their pass attempt
and attain 29 scores through the air, so returning
11 legitimate starters and the same co-coordinators
seems a mixed blessing. The line loses top sack
man Kendal (four); this area was so lacking that
IU finished 111th with just 14 total sacks. Big
tackle Greg Brown proved much in his sophomore
season last year, and he will soon demand double-teams.
Now 300+lbs, Joe Kremer has to step up in his
final campaign after a pretty mundane career or
Kevin Burrus will find himself starting next to
twin brother Keith. DE Keith impressed as a RS
frosh, but he will have to make more big plays
(no TFLs or sacks) if this unit is to advance
its results (and he is to hold off surging classmate
Greg Middleton). Jammie Kirlew also stood out
in many ways in his freshman year, and with senior
backup Brian Faires also a proven contributor,
the bodies are in place for this line to be better.
Senior Adam McClurg has a stout build with the
needed mobility to roam the middle effectively,
but only 58 total tackles is a smallish number
for an effective MLB. BUCK Will Patterson had
a promising true freshman campaign and looks like
the best Hoosier LB in coverage. Strongsider Geno
Johnson is also decent against the run, but, like
McClurg, he has to be more thorough in all facets.
Two of the three sophs who serve as backups have
worthy experience; Carrington bumping over from
offense is merely a filler move until he proves
he deserves the switch (from RB). The need for
these starters to stay healthy is obvious for
the corps to even have the chance to hit on all
cylinders. The secondary boasts Tracy Porter,
the best player on this side of the ball. Overall,
the corners are the defense’s best unit,
with Majors and Phillips also competent when left
alone against the Big Ten’s best receivers.
Of the three, only Porter is a true shot-down
type. But what does it say about the safeties
that possible starter Brandon Mosely had to be
replaced by a wideout? He and starter Austin Thomas
looked like the first-team pair, but Nick Polk
was tapped in the late part of spring for his
athleticism and the team’s needs in the
deep middle. Kleinsmith is adequate depth, but
this area looks like a liability unless massive
progress is made by October. The entire defense
is still suspect until they prove over the course
of several games - against decent foes - that
they have come together and can stop foes at critical
times.
|
|
CB
Tracy Porter
|
|
|
INDIANA
2007 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold |
DEFENSE |
DE |
Jammie
Kirlew-So (6-3, 250) |
Brian
Faires-Sr (6-3, 257) |
DT |
Greg
Brown-Jr (6-2, 303) |
Emile
Bass-So (6-3, 288) |
NT |
Joe
Kremer-Sr (6-2, 295) |
Kevin
Burrus-So (6-2, 308) |
DE |
Keith
Burrus-So (6-2, 269) |
Greg
Middleton-So (6-3, 260) |
SLB |
Geno
Johnson-Jr (6-2, 210) |
Mandela
Roberts-So (6-0, 220) |
MLB |
Adam
McClurg-Sr (6-0, 230) |
Matt
Mayberry-So (6-2, 211) |
BUCK |
Will
Patterson-So (6-1, 222) |
Justin
Carrington-So (6-0, 204) |
CB |
Leslie
Majors-Sr (5-9, 170) |
Chris
Phillips-Jr (6-0, 185) |
CB |
Tracy
Porter-Sr (5-11, 181) |
Bruce
Hampton-So (5-10, 184) |
SS |
Austin
Thomas-So (6-2, 210) |
J.T.
Owens-So (6-0, 185) |
FS |
Nick
Polk-So (6-0, 200) |
Joe
Kleinsmith-Jr (5-11, 190) |
P |
Chris
Hagerup-Fr (6-5, 205) |
Michael
Hines-Sr (5-11, 194) |
|
|
|
2007
SPECIAL TEAMS
|
Kicker
Austin Starr only missed three of his 15 tries as the
Hoosier placekicker, so he is pretty set when three
points are needed. But the punters competing for the
opening there have disappointed so far. Chris Hagerup
did better as spring progressed, but the freshman is
under a lot of pressure when field position battles
are crucial and results will often suffer, accordingly.
The returners are great, but, though Thigpen is the
nation’s best (30+ average per and three TDs last
year on KRs), constantly running back kicks really is
a risk. Tracy Porter is just as good on PRs –
he would have led the entire nation, too, but his 12
returns weren’t enough to make the official rankings.
|
|
|
|
|