Hoosiers seek statement victory against SEC’s Missouri
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
Opponent: Missouri Tigers (2-0)
When: 8 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium
The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference fight for the same real estate at the top of the college football mountain, creating a circumstance in which regions clash, compete for bragging rights and pick feuds. Former Ohio State president Gordon Gee once famously insulted SEC fans by suggesting they “learn to read and write.” SEC commissioner Mike Slive isn’t afraid to brag about the “Golden Age” of his conference’s unprecedented seven straight national titles.
In the end, the SEC is not only king, but a ruler who brutally suppresses all challengers. Every year, schools like Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan are just itching to change that. But there are battles at the top, and then there are skirmishes everywhere else, which brings us to Indiana-Missouri, a test of the leagues’ fluffy middles and the only Big Ten-SEC matchup of the regular season.
Not that anyone around the country would care too much about a pair of schools just trying to squeeze out a bowl appearance, but the Hoosiers and Tigers sure would appear to be in position to offer some comment on the state of the conferences, given the fact that Missouri’s done big things in recent years and Indiana’s the program looking to show it’s over the hump.
This isn’t about measuring the Big Ten Network against the SEC’s television contracts with CBS and ESPN. It is simply a game that means a great deal to each side. Missouri won two league games last season and badly wants to be 4-0 entering SEC play. A second home loss would force the Hoosiers to split their conference schedule in order to reach the postseason.
A BCS title game? No. But Saturday’s bout in Bloomington, packed with pressure, will prove something about the depth of the two leagues.
Three players to watch
Henry Josey, RB: Watch him? Trying to catch sight of him is a challenge. The tiny, 5-foot-9 junior is in a crease one moment and out the next, hiding behind offensive linemen who seem twice his size. Coming off reconstructive knee surgery, Josey is a fantastic back who missed all of last season. He averaged 8.1 yards per carry and rushed for 1,168 yards and nine TDs in 2011, when he was All-Big 12. On Nov. 12 that year he tore the anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and patellar tendon in his left knee. So far in his return, Josey is averaging 6.3 yards per rush. As a team the Tigers got just 3.7 yards per carry in 2012 without Josey. He’s fast, quick and agile.
Marcus Murphy, KR: Actually, the Hoosiers might not want you to watch Murphy at all. Expect punter Erich Toth to go for more hang time and for Mitch Ewald to try as hard as possible for touchbacks so the Hoosiers don’t have to corral Murphy. He made the preseason All-SEC team, as voted on by the league’s coaches, and might actually be the best return man in America. Murphy ran back four kicks – three punts and one kickoff – for touchdowns last season, all at least 66 yards in length. He averaged 13.9 yards per punt return.
James Franklin, QB: The senior has rushed for 121 yards this season and has 23 career starts. Franklin had 10 touchdown passes and seven interceptions last season, running for 116 yards and two TDs. In 2011, he had 21 touchdown passes with 11 interceptions, rushing for 981 yards and 15 scores.
Series history
Hoosiers lead 6-2-2 in a regular-season series that includes the years when the Tigers were in the Big Seven and Big Eight. Since the creation of the Big 12 and then joining the SEC last season, Missouri has not faced Indiana. While the Tigers have lost all four games they played at Memorial Stadium – most notably the 58-7 drubbing in 1990 – they tied the only other meeting in Bloomington with a 28-28 stalemate on Sept. 24, 1988.
Familiar faces
Missouri’s offensive coordinator, former Oklahoma State player Josh Henson, is a good friend of Indiana’s defensive coordinator Doug Mallory. Henson coached tight ends at Oklahoma State at the same time Mallory was the secondary coach. Hoosiers quarterback Cameron Coffman is a product of Raymore-Peculiar High, where he was a teammate of Tigers linebacker Andrew Wilson. Coffman’s brother, Chase, played tight end at Missouri from 2005-08. Assistant coaches James Patton, of Indiana, and Dave Steckel, of Missouri, served together as graduate assistants for a year at Miami (Ohio).
Injury report
Missouri lost backup cornerback Ernest Payton for the season with a torn ACL. Wilson was suspended by the NCAA for the first half of the game. Missouri is otherwise very healthy. On the Indiana side, right guard Dan Feeney is out for the season. Left guard Bernard Taylor is questionable.
Trivial
Indiana has pulled off six touchdown drives in less than 60 seconds and another four in under 90 seconds. In 2012, the Hoosiers had 12 touchdown drives under 60 seconds and another 11 that lasted under 90 seconds. But actually, the attack has lost some speed. Indiana is getting a play off every 21.1 seconds, up from last year’s blistering pace of one play every 20.3 seconds.
He said it
“That’s got all the guys jacked up to fight them about it. We thought it was funny. A lot of guys have been laughing about it, but at the same time it kind of lit the fire a little bit.” — Tigers’ Ian Simon, in The Kansas City Star, on a tweet by a Hoosiers fan taunting Missouri starting cornerback Randy Ponder
Outlook
This is a good test for the Hoosiers. Everything is going right for their offense. They’ve scored 150 points in three weeks. If the Hoosiers win this game, they could stretch for a 6-to-7-win season. The Tigers have had a bye week to reflect on their impressive 2-0 start, albeit against so-so competition (Murray State, Toledo). Missouri coaches have had extra time to study the Hoosiers. We’ll see if they found ways to slow the Hoosiers, something that looks about impossible. The Hoosiers are on a roll with Nate Sudfeld at quarterback. He is getting better as a leader and thrower each week. The game should be high scoring. The combination of Josey’s running and Franklin’s passing will make it tough for the Indiana defense. The Tigers have the better defense, but it’s beatable. The styles of offense are similar. The Tigers love playing the spread and getting plays off quickly. Although the Hoosiers are home, the Tigers have the edge.
Follow Chris Goff on Twitter: chrisgoff_ISL.
