Hoosiers season preview: What to watch for
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
The Indiana Hoosiers kick off a new year on Thursday. Here’s Part I of our season preview:
Five things to know
1. The run defense should be better: One of the Hoosiers’ biggest problems the past three seasons was the run defense. It was shredded on a regular basis. Improving the run defense was Indiana’s top priority in the offseason. The Hoosiers signed four-star recruits Darius Latham and David Kenney for the defensive line with the idea of stopping the run. They are two muscular players who can help set the edges and create penetration. Bobby Richardson has been moved from end to tackle and the coaches like his talent. Guys in the secondary and at linebacker have been trained to close gaps. While the Hoosiers’ run defense won’t become a positive overnight, it shouldn’t be as monstrous a negative as it has been in the past.
2. Bulkier packages will play a major role on offense: For the first time in a while, a fullback will play a meaningful role on this team, which used the pistol formation under Bill Lynch and has run an up-tempo, spread attack under Kevin Wilson. In a quest to diversify their offense, the Hoosiers are adding more size and blocking. Anthony Corsaro will join Ted Bolser in two-tight end sets. Wilson is a huge fan of freshman tight end Danny Friend, who, along with defensive end Mike Replogle, has seen time this spring as an H-back in short-yardage drills. If the Hoosiers find themselves in third-and-short, they could load up and slam it.
3. The receivers are the best unit: The Hoosiers are also talented at quarterback and on the offensive line, but the receiving crew is the strength of the offense and of the team as a whole. In fact, these pass-catchers might be the best in the Big Ten. The top four wideouts are proven. Cody Latimer has NFL potential. He led the team with 805 receiving yards last year. Seniors Kofi Hughes and Duwyce Wilson both have good size, while Shane Wynn has shown reliable speed and quickness.
4. Whoever plays quarterback will have expectations: The Hoosiers want Tre Roberson, Nate Sudfeld or junior Cameron Coffman to become a truly elite quarterback. The Hoosiers really don’t care who rises above, but they want to see at least one maximize their potential. Sudfeld seems to be the best bet. Roberson is talented, but his career was halted by a broken left leg. Coffman is a more experienced quarterback with a tendency to throw interceptions. Sudfeld, meanwhile, has excellent size at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds and could be a long-term solution. Sudfeld has the most ability as a pocket passer.
5. The linebackers might not help: David Cooper is dependable, but the outside linebackers to his left and right may let the Hoosiers down from time to time. In a year or two, the linebacking corps might finally contribute because of the potential in freshmen T.J. Simmons, Marcus Oliver and Clyde Newton. But they are still raw. You’d think upperclassmen Griffen Dahlstrom and Flo Hardin will see most of the snaps beside Cooper, and they are not reliable by any stretch. Seniors Jake Michalek and Steven Funderburk are next in line as short-term fixes.
Freshman Fix
Overview: After missing out on some big fish and struggling to recruit defensive athleticism in recent classes, the Hoosiers received widespread acclaim for striking nicely this year. It does seem Indiana has added some pretty promising parts. The Hoosiers addressed their defensive needs with their most touted freshmen, linemen Darius Latham and David Kenney and safety Antonio Allen. The team also added two fine prospects for the offense, potential future starters Laray Smith at tailback and Danny Friend at tight end.
Projected impact: The Hoosiers are expecting a lot of Latham and Kenney. Both players figure into the immediate rotation, according to defensive line coach Jon Fabris. If the two freshmen can adapt quickly to the college game, Indiana’s defense should be improved. Get used to hearing their names called by announcers. Latham is athletic and already playing some defensive tackle in practice. Kenney will make a difference on passing downs. Allen has looked terrific and should give the unit toughness. Either Smith or Friend – or both – might earn some snaps on an offense seeking to be more unpredictable. Linebacker T.J. Simmons, safety Chase Dutra and defensive back Rashard Fant could all vie for playing time as their careers progress.
Star of the class: Latham is the choice. Allen might force his way into the starting lineup. He is going to be good. But Latham has a chance to do the most damage right off the bat. Don’t be surprised if he gets four or five sacks and becomes a force stopping the run. This tall Indianapolis product might prove to be one of the gems of the Big Ten’s 2013 class.
Players to watch
1. Tevin Coleman: Kevin Wilson plans to give Coleman about half the carries. Can the sophomore from Illinois justify an expanded role?
2. Jacob Bailey: The freshman from Cathedral High School didn’t redshirt last season just to ride the pine again. Will he emerge to replace injured Dan Feeney at right guard?
3. Ralphael Green: The San Antonio product is a new face on a beleaguered defensive line. Several teammates insist Green is ready to impress.
4. Tim Bennett: Defensive coordinator Doug Mallory thinks the run defense has improved with Bennett’s move from safety to corner, where Bennett is not afraid to tackle and hit.
Trends to follow
Running back timeshare: Who cares who starts? It’s about how the playing time is divided. It sounds like Tevin Coleman and Stephen Houston will receive the bulk of the carries, perhaps splitting them evenly, with D’Angelo Roberts scrounging for leftovers again. They also want to get Laray Smith the ball without exposing him too much for fear of fumbles. Kevin Wilson won’t hesitate to ride the hot hand if someone has it going. Smith has proved to Wilson he’s got the best jets on the team. If Houston struggles with consistency again or gets banged up, he could lose touches to Smith and become more of a red zone back.
Greg Heban’s leadership: If 91 tackles from a safety leads the team, your defense is in trouble. But Heban was a top defender in 2012 by adding three interceptions, a sack, seven tackles for loss and eight passes defensed. He might not pile up those numbers again, but he should continue as a stabilizing presence on the back line. Heban switched from baseball to football in the middle of college. He’s comfortable now, and opposing ball carriers have to evade Tim Bennett, too, instead of just worrying about Heban as a tackler in the secondary.
Healthy Duwyce Wilson: The star-crossed wide receiver still posted 230 yards despite playing through a sports hernia that needed offseason surgery to repair the injury. He missed the final three weeks of the 2011 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. How good can he be if his body cooperates? Wilson is a talented dude who could start for many programs around the nation. For a fifth-year senior who’s never played a complete season at full strength, Wilson already has fair career numbers – 72 catches, 935 yards and seven touchdowns. Wilson has played through pain and been an extremely positive teammate for such a tough luck performer, perhaps drawing on the experience of being raised by deaf parents. Wilson is critical depth. Fellow backups Isaiah Roundtree and Ricky Jones have potential, but they aren’t close in height.
Can Hoosiers handle hype? We saw the Hoosiers go from longshot Rose Bowl contender to postseason non-qualifier in 2012, just when a rare buzz started to build in Bloomington. This is yet another young team, especially on defense, but the Hoosiers insist they’ve learned from that late-season train wreck. They were outscored 163-71 over the final three weeks. The loss of grounded veterans like Will Matte and Adam Replogle is not encouraging. But other players like Shane Wynn have developed as leaders.
Icing leads: The Hoosiers lost twice as often as they won despite ranking second in the Big Ten in yards last season partly because of their struggles to run clock and put teams away. Indiana’s yards per carry with a lead of 14 points or less (3.15) ranked near the bottom of Division I-A. The Hoosiers must become more of a power offense when they’re trying to finish games. There is no way they should have more throws (142) than runs (125) on possessions with a lead of 14 or less. Fullback Matt Zakrzewski must prove his worth to his offensive coordinator; it’s on Seth Littrell to insert Zakrzewski more on late drives with a lead. Houston was an overall touchdown machine, second in the Big Ten in terms of scores to only Montee Ball last season, believe it or not. He and the other backs did fairly well in red zone situations. Now the rushing attack has to be a difference-maker when Indiana tries to play keep-away.
Turnover differential: Quarterback Cameron Coffman struggled protecting the ball and threw 11 interceptions last season. The signal caller has to do better. Indiana’s defense spent all spring and summer emphasizing taking the ball away – for good reason. The Hoosiers ranked dead last in the conference in forced turnovers (13). The hope is that replacing the departed Antonio Marshall with Bennett, a converted safety with much better tackling ability on the edge, will help stop the run and give Doug Mallory more third-and-long opportunities to scheme for aggression. Indiana was a minus-3 in turnover margin last year. It should help that the offensive line is more experienced.
Promising offensive line: Speaking of the hogs, that unit should be one of the team’s best. Right guard, which is up in the air after Dan Feeney was lost for the season, is the only spot of concern. Feeney will be missed. There is reason for optimism about the other four starters, three of whom are returners, all of whom have significant experience. Left tackle Jason Spriggs earned honorable mention all-Big Ten honors last season, and Kevin Wilson believes he is as good as any NFL player Wilson coached. Left guard Bernard Taylor, right tackle Peyton Eckert and center Collin Rahrig were all part of a line that allowed 17.0 sacks last season, second-fewest in the Big Ten.
Looking for a star: Receiver Cody Latimer went from non-factor to second-team all-Big Ten in one season. Middle linebacker David Cooper, then a first-year starter, was arguably the Hoosiers’ top player on defense last season. Those two could be big centerpieces of the Hoosiers’ program for the next two seasons. The test will be continuing to push and make developmental strides after breaking out as sophomores.
Quarterback carousel: Kevin Wilson said using multiple quarterbacks was an option under consideration because Coffman, Tre Roberson and Nate Sudfeld all have different strengths. Littrell actually posited that the starter could vary from week to week based on which of the three matches up best with the opponent. So this could be a wild ride as the game’s most important position remains publicly unresolved days before the season kicks off. What the Hoosiers would like to do is hit better than 61.5 percent of their passes. For perspective, there were 25 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision last season that completed at least 65 percent. Will the coaching staff try to mix and match or eventually settle on one quarterback and groom his rhythm?
Being special on special teams: Indiana worked a lot of starters into the units of special teams coordinator James Patton. While seeing Latimer run down the seam on a chaotic kickoff should give fans pause, it’s worth noting that this ploy is meant to aid a defense that needs all the help it can get. Field position is big. Elsewhere, junior Mitch Ewald is a very good kicker. He gets a lot of touchbacks on kickoffs. Coleman and Shane Wynn are dangerous returners. Special teams may be a strength.
