Foul Balls College Football Preview - Indiana Hoosiers
With the college football season just round the corner, Foul Balls has decided it's about time we busted out our college football previews. Each weekday we will break down a team from the Big Ten Conference and tell you all the important things you need to know about them. After we're done covering the Big Ten, we'll move on to Notre Dame and other Chicago area schools. We'll be going from worst to first, and today it's the Indiana Hoosiers' turn.
2006 Record - 5-7, 3-5 6th Big Ten
2007 Projection - 6-6
Most Important Player - James Hardy is going to be a huge key for the Hoosiers if they plan on ending their bowl drought. Hardy just about has all you can ask for at the receiver position. He's fast, has good hands, and he's huge. Seriously, the kid is 6'7 and 220 pounds. Hardy's performance on the field will be a big help to quarterback Kellen Lewis and his gamebreaking ability could help the Hoosiers pull of a couple of upsets this season.
Players to watch for on offense - Kellen Lewis (pictured) is the Hoosiers' quarterback and at 6'1 and only 177 pounds, he's drawn a lot of comparisons to former Indiana QB Antwaan Randle El. The one key difference? Lewis is the better passer. The Hoosiers also have Marcus Thigpen, who is tiny, but it doesn't matter how big you are if nobody can catch you. Thigpen has very good speed and he's shifty enough to make tacklers miss and explode for long runs. Aside from the giant Hardy, the Hoosiers also have quality receivers in James Bailey, Andrew Means, and Blake Powers, recently converted from quarterback, at tight end. The offensive line is a concern, though the late Terry Hoeppner did bring in Rodger Saffold at tackle and Pete Saxon at guard last season, and both appear to be very stong. Other than those two, the Hoosier line is a bit iffy.
Players to watch for on defense - The Hoosiers rely on the two-deep defense that can be called either the Tampa-2 or just Cover-2. They're young but their athleticism is improving. Up front Greg Brown will be able to plug gaps at tackle and anchor the line, but their isn't a real strong pass rush threat. Something that could put a lot of pressure on a the secondary. At corner the Hoosiers feature Tracy Porter and Leslie Majors, who together are one of the better corner tandems in the Big Ten. Safey is a bit weak. Nick Polk has moved from receiver to free safety so there will probably be an adjustment period for him. Austin Thomas is the strong safety, and he's a bit of a liability in pass coverage. Linebacker is this team's strength. Geno Johnson and Adam McClurg are both solid, and sophomore Will Patterson could be something special to watch.
Impact Freshmen - If Ben Wyss struggles at the center position, the Hoosiers won't be afraid to turn to Alex Perry. If Perry steps in and can help the offensive line get stronger, it will make a world of difference for the Indiana offense.
Possible Upset - 11/17 vs. Purdue. The Hoosiers last game of the season will be at home against their in-state rival Purdue. It may come down to a win in this game sending Indiana to a bowl game.
Coaching - With the unfortunate passing of Terry Hoeppner due to a brain tumor, former offensive coordinator Bill Lynch takes over as head coach of the Hoosiers. It won't be an easy task for Lynch to keep this team together in the aftermath, but he's always been like an assistant head coach at Indiana anyway. I think Lynch will be able to keep the program heading in the direction that Hoeppner had started.
Bowl Expectations - The words "bowl expectations" and "Indiana football" don't often go together in the same sentence. In fact, at 13 years and counting, the Hoosiers currently own the longest bowl drought in the conference. This year, though, things may be looking up. Indiana is lucky enough to skip both Michigan and Ohio State on the schedule this season, and that never hurts. The X-factor will be how this team responds to the loss of their former coach Terry Hoeppner. There's no way to know how they'll deal with his death. They could use it as motivation and rally around it or they could collapse on themselves. The only thing I do know is that there is actually hope in Bloomington with the football program, and it's all thanks to Terry Hoeppner.
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