Hoosiers seek more rough-and-tumble identity
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Kevin Wilson really doesn’t know what type of season will emerge from seven months of hard work.
But at least he and his coaching staff have a plan to revive Indiana Hoosiers football. After going 5-19 in Wilson’s first two seasons, the cream and crimson are thinking more about black and blue. In a conference of smashmouth running and hard hitting, Wilson wants the Hoosiers to look more like a traditional Big Ten outfit.
-If you don’t have a physical presence in college football, it’s hard to be good in college football,” Wilson said Monday during the team’s media night. -And it’s impossible to be good in this league. Running the ball and defense – those are the two things our program doesn’t do well yet – are attitude more than scheme and players. Moving forward we’ll see if we’re more mature.”
The Hoosiers are already bigger. Collin Rahrig, expected to start at center, added 10 pounds. Left tackle Jason Spriggs weighs nearly 30 pounds more than he did as a true freshman in 2012. It’s all part of Wilson’s mandate for the five offensive linemen to average 300 pounds – after two seasons, Wilson says, without even one blocker who weighed that much.
-It’s hard to maintain 300 pounds,” right guard Dan Feeney said. -We’re going to do it, no doubt.”
They better. Indiana ranked second in the Big Ten in 2012 by averaging 442 yards of offense per game – but only 130.8 of those yards came on the ground. When the Hoosiers needed to run, they were too often stifled. At Penn State in November, rushers got 24 yards on 26 attempts, and the Nittany Lions pulled away for a 45-22 win. In a 31-27 home loss to Michigan State, Indiana managed 35 yards on 19 carries and failed to milk clock on late drives with a lead.
-You wish we would have established a little more of a run game in some of those games,” run game coordinator Greg Frey said. -It could have helped us maybe. Good offenses are able to run the ball. It’s tried and true in the history of a game. This year is a new year.”
The Hoosiers certainly think so. They aren’t setting goals. They’re not aiming for high win totals or even the school’s second bowl appearance since 1994. But four practices in, this preseason camp feels different.
-Everybody’s starting to buy in now,” slot receiver Shane Wynn said. -Everyone’s starting to trust each and every one. We definitely have a lot of depth in our room now. We’re concentrating on just bringing things together, being a better team and getting a couple more wins.”
Defense, so long a weakness of the program, will largely decide whether Indiana reaches the six victories necessary to compete in the postseason. The Hoosiers allowed 463.5 yards per game last season, nearly 50 yards more than any other Big Ten school and almost 200 more than Michigan State, the league’s top-ranked D.
-We’re developing,” defensive coordinator Doug Mallory said. -I like the direction we’re going. I don’t spend time harping on what’s happened around here in the past. There are a lot of positives we’re building on. We’ve got a great incoming class that in time, as long as they keep developing, are going to be very good defensive players.”
Wilson, who like Mallory raves about the freshmen, is tackling the problem schematically with a two-pronged aim: more takeaways and stopping the run.
-The bulk of our league is still so run-oriented we need the bodies that can stop the run,” Wilson said. -That’s still where I don’t think we had it right. (Co-defensive coordinator) William Inge is a good coach. We’re doing a lot to simplify.”
And even more to mimic their bruising, battering Big Ten brethren. It’s why the physical Tim Bennett is moving from safety to cornerback. It’s why Wilson wants more hits on the quarterback from his defensive ends. And it’s why an aggressive freshman like T.J. Simmons is challenging for immediate playing time at linebacker.
-We need (David) Cooper and Jacarri (Alexander) and (Flo) Hardin to start playing like Big Ten players that play linebacker in this league,” said Wilson, issuing a not-so-subtle challenge to the incumbents at one position, but tracing a theme for an entire unit. -It’s been too easy to start on defense.”
No longer. Competition – from the ongoing three-way battle to be starting signal caller all the way down to Ricky Jones’ skirmish with Nick Stoner for sixth receiver – is the buzzword for the entire roster. Frey said Indiana’s offensive line, despite returning all but standout snapper Will Matte, could feature different starters at different positions throughout the season. Wilson believes true freshman Antonio Allen is creeping up on starting safeties Mark Murphy and Greg Heban, two veterans.
The clear message: No laurels shall be rested upon, lest your spot be taken.
Which brings it back to running the ball and playing better defense – initiatives Wilson says begin with the brain and not the biceps.
-There’s a mindset because those two things are physical and combative,” Wilson said. -You’re willing yourself that you’re going to do something.”
Slowly but surely, by adding some old-school to their up-tempo culture, so are the Hoosiers.
-Our (offensive) stats look pretty good,” said Wilson, who’s leaned heavily on the pass. -Our third-down conversions are horrible. Our ability to score points when we get to the 35-yard line is horrible. The other stats look good but don’t relate to points, and points relate to wins. The run game will give us wins.”
And about that defense?
-This group can be pretty decent,” Wilson said.
A former offensive coordinator in the offensively dominant Big 12, Wilson has the Hoosiers going back to Big Ten basics, hoping what comes out of that will be a smashing breakthrough.
