Last season was one of triumph in the face of adversity for the Indiana Hoosiers.
On June 19 of last year, head coach Terry Hoeppner passed away from complications from brain cancer. In the aftermath of the crushing loss of their teacher and mentor, Indiana had their best season since 1993, finishing 7-5 in the regular season, beating in-state rival Purdue, and making their first postseason appearance since that 1993 season when they went 8-4 and played in the Independence Bowl.
The season ended on a disappointing note with a loss to Oklahoma State in the Insight.com Bowl, but the terrific season saw interim head coach Bill Lynch get the interim removed from his title and receive a long-term contract.
This season, Indiana some key players to replace, but with one of the country’s top dual-threat quarterbacks in Kellen Lewis and a defensive leader in DE Greg Middleton, can the Hoosiers follow up their success with another bowl season?
Indiana Hoosiers
Coach: Bill Lynch (7-6 record, 2nd year at Indiana)
2007 Record: 7-6 (3-5 Big Ten), lost to Oklahoma State in the Insight.com Bowl
Starters Returning: 14 (6 offense, 7 defense, kicker)
Key Returnees: QB Kellen Lewis, RB Marcus Thigpen, WR Ray Fisher, WR Andrew Means, LT Rodger Saffold, LG Pete Saxon, DE Greg Middleton, DE Jammie Kirlew, DT Greg Johnson, LB Will Patterson, LB Geno Johnson, S Austin Thomas, S Nick Polk
Key Losses: WR James Hardy, RG John Sandberg, DT Joe Kremer, LB Adam McClurg, CB Tracy Porter, CB Leslie Majors
2008 Schedule
8/30 vs. Western Kentucky
9/6 vs. Murray State
9/20 vs. Ball State
9/27 vs. Michigan State
10/4 at Minnesota
10/11 vs. Iowa
10/18 at Illinois
10/25 vs. Northwestern
11/1 vs. Central Michigan
11/8 vs. Wisconsin
11/15 at Penn State
11/22 at Purdue
Key Game: 9/27 vs. Michigan State - The Spartans are expected to be pretty good this season, so it’ll be important for the Hoosiers’ hopes of having a successful Big Ten campaign to hold serve at home in their conference opener. Indiana should be 3-0 heading into this one, and with two more winnable games in front of them at Minnesota and against Iowa, a 6-0 start heading into their game in Champaign is well within reach if they get past MSU.
2008 Outlook
If you need a little excitement in your life, I would recommend that you watch this team this season, because they should be a lot of fun to watch, especially on offense.
Even though it may have been inevitable, Indiana fans no doubt breathed a sigh of relief when Lewis was reinstated this summer after being indefinitely suspended in the spring.
Now, Lynch is saying right now that there’s an open competition for the starting QB role between Lewis and sophomore and pocket passer Ben Chappell, who was the #1 guy in spring practice with Lewis suspended. With all due respect to Chappell, who could take the reins and flourish, I like Indiana’s offense much better with Lewis, and he should be starting under center when the Hoosiers take on Western Kentucky.
Lewis, who would’ve been in the top five or six of my top dual-threat quarterbacks list had he not been suspended at the time I wrote it, may be as important to his team’s success as any player in the country. Last season, as a redshirt sophomore, Lewis threw for a school-record 3,043 yards and 28 touchdowns (with only 10 interceptions), and more than that, he was the team’s leading rusher with 736 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Lewis’ favorite receiver the last two seasons has been James Hardy, who jumped ship a year early after dominating Big Ten defenses for three seasons and was subsequently drafted in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. Even with Hardy now in the pros, Lewis won’t be starved for targets, as Fisher (52 catches, 482 yards, 4 TD) and Means (48 catches, 559 yards) are back and ready to produce big numbers.
Having depth in the running game behind Lewis is simply an added bonus, and the Hoosiers have that in starting RB Marcus Thigpen (568 yards rushing, 181 yards receiving, 3 TD) and his backup, junior Bryan Paxton (381 yards, 4 TD). Incoming freshman Darius Willis should also see some carries right off of the bat.
The offensive line loses three starters in Sandberg, center Ben Wyss, and right tackle Charlie Emerson, but the left side of the line is secure with returning starters Saffold and Saxon.
As explosive as the offense will be, they won’t have to win games all on their own, thanks to a defense that stands to be very good, provided the two new starting corners aren’t a drop-off.
Last season’s defense made a lot of plays, forcing 31 turnovers and registering 42 sacks, but the numbers weren’t as good as they could’ve been, as they gave up a lot of yards (403.4 yards per game, 159.7 on the ground, 243.7 through the air) and a lot of points (28.5 per game).
But, with seven returning starters, the defense has potential to see a lot of improvement in those areas and still make just as many - or more - plays.
It all starts on a very talented front line, which returns the team’s top three sack leaders, led by last year’s national leader in sacks, Middleton, who racked up 16 sacks in 2007. Opposite from Middleton, the left end duo of Kirlew (57 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks) and Ryan Marando (20 tackles, 6 TFL, 5 sacks) will get plenty of opportunities to make quarterbacks get up close and personal with the ground.
The back of the front seven should also be strong, with the return of two of three starting linebackers. Patterson had a stellar 2007 season with 104 tackles, 8 TFL, 2 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries, and he’s joined by returning strong-side starter Johnson, who had 58 tackles last season. McClurg will be missed, but Matt Mayberry had 42 tackles in significant action last season.
Just how smoothly things go in the defensive backfield will determine just how good Indiana’s defense will be in 2008. Porter, who was drafted in the second round by the New Orleans Saints, picked off 16 passes in four seasons, and he was a threat to make big plays happen anytime the ball was in his hands, whether by way of interception, fumble recovery, or kick return. He got plenty of attention, and rightfully so, but Leslie Majors started in each of his four seasons, just as Porter did.
Taking over for Porter and Majors will be fifth-year senior Chris Phillips at one spot, and at the other spot, it’ll likely come down to redshirt sophomore Adrian Burks, redshirt freshman Donnell Jones, and redshirt junior Bruce Hampton. Phillips has the potential to be the playmaker that Porter was, as he picked off three passes and forced three fumbles in a reserve role last season, and has interception returns for touchdowns in each of the last two seasons. Opposite him are three unproven commodities, but Jones might have the most potential of the bunch.
The secondary does have a solid foundation, however, with the safety duo of Thomas and Polk. Thomas led the team in tackles last season with 112, and Polk made the switch from wide receiver before last season and promptly had a productive campaign, finishing with 74 tackles and two interceptions.
Special teams is also set, though the Hoosiers will be breaking in a new punter in redshirt freshman Chris Hagerup. Starr is one of the top kickers in the country, and last season, he made 21 of 23 field goals, including an impressive 11 of 12 from 40 yards-plus. The return game could account for a couple of extra touchdowns, with Thigpen and Bailey returning kicks, and Fisher penciled in to return punts.
With eight home games and only four trips on the road (all in conference), Indiana has a favorable schedule already, but having to avoid both Ohio State and Michigan, and getting to play Wisconsin at home give the Hoosiers a slate that could easily see them surpass their win total from last season. With an explosive offense and a talent-laden defense, Indiana is a team to watch out for in 2008.
