Today we move on through the halfway point of the season with games 5-8, which is comprised of the meat of IU’s Big Ten schedule as well as the homecoming game against Northwestern. Here’s the second part of this three part series:
Minnesota
Where/when we’ll play them: Minneapolis, 10/04/2008
Last year’s record: 1-11
Last season result: 40-20, Indiana
Notable players: QB Adam Weber (2,895 yards passing and 24 touchdowns, 617 yards rushing, 5 touchdowns), WR Eric Decker (909 yards receiving, 9 touchdowns), LB Deon Hightower (70 total tackles).
Outlook: Last season the Golden Gophers suffered through an absolutely horrendous season, but they may be poised for a rebound with an astounding recruiting class that has been hailed as the “biggest surprise in the nation” by Jeremy Crabtree of Rivals.com, one that “may be the best ever in school history” according to Tom Lemming of CSTV. The class features four-star Indianapolis quarterback and former IU target
MarQueis Gray, a pair of talented defensive backs in
Keanon Cooper and
Traye Simmons, and a duo of top-tier wide receivers in
Brandon Green and
Vincent Hill, as well as a slew of other potential contributors with great athleticism and speed. Minnesota could be looking at a very different outcome to this season, especially if the freshmen can adjust quickly. This team will be much different from the squad that
Bryan Payton ran all over last year. It will have much more speed and playmaking ability, and it will definitely be more of a challenge than last year’s 1-11 season may suggest.
Cupcake rating:
4/10
Iowa
Where/when we’ll play them: Bloomington, 10/11/2008
Last year’s record: 6-6
Last year’s result: 38-20, Indiana
Notable players: QB Jake Christensen (2,269 yards passing, 17 touchdowns), LB AJ Edds (80 total tackles)
Outlook: The Hawkeyes got gutted by graduation this past year, losing its two leading rushers (
Albert Young,
Damian Sims), leader in interceptions (
Charles Godfrey), leading tackler (
Mike Humpal), and leading pass rusher (
Bryan Mattison). They retain QB
Jake Christensen and bring in a fairly average recruiting class, but they will need players to step into the voids left by their departed playmakers, particularly on offense. Iowa generated only 18.5 points per game last year, compared to opponents’ 18.8. This should be one of the easier conference games on IU’s schedule.
Cupcake rating:
3/10
Illinois
Where/when we’ll play them: Champaign, 10/18/2008
Last year’s record: 9-4
Last year’s result: 14-27, Illinois
Notable players: QB Juice Williams (1,743 yards passing and 13 touchdowns, 755 yards rushing, 7 touchdowns), DE Will Davis (9.5 sacks), WR Arrelious Benn (676 yards receiving, 2 touchdowns).
Outlook: Illinois lost a great player in RB
Rashard Mendenhall, but that shouldn’t stop them from being a football powerhouse again this year. Electric dual threat QB
Juice Williams is still at the helm, the Fighting Illini bring in a good recruiting class that includes DB
Donsay Hardeman, WR
Cordale Scott, and a huge 6’7” 316 lb OL prospect in
Graham Pocic, and there is still plenty of talent on the Illinois roster to fill in the holes. IU has a chance to upset Illinois this year, but it will be a very tough feat against one of the top teams in the Big Ten as well as the nation.
Cupcake rating:
8/10
Northwestern
When/where we’ll play them: Bloomington, 10/25/2008
Last year’s record: 6-6
Last year’s result: 28-31, Northwestern
Notable players: QB CJ Bacher (3,656 yards passing, 19 touchdowns), RB Tyrell Sutton (522 yards rushing, 4 touchdowns), WR Ross Lane (649 yards receiving, 7 touchdowns)
Outlook: Northwestern caught IU by surprise last year, and they will be a threat again this year. QB
CJ Bacher returns after a stellar season, but the Wildcats’ defense, which allowed 31.0 points per game last year, is still very questionable and will be without leading tackler
Adam Kadela. The incoming recruiting class is fairly thin when it comes to talent, with only one defensive player rated at three stars by Rivals.com. Bacher and the offense will give Northwestern a chance to shoot it out it games this year, but the defense should be too much of a liability. If the Hoosiers execute on offense, this should be a W on the schedule for IU.
Cupcake rating:
3.5/10
Although it’s pretty hard to expect a win against Illinois, the Hoosiers should be somewhat favored against the other three teams in this portion of the season. This is by no means a guarantee, every team has the talent to win against IU, but it will be hard for Minnesota, Iowa, and Northwestern to match up against the Kellen Lewis-led offense. I expect the Hoosiers to win 2 out of 3 of those games and come out of this stretch at 2-2, which would ideally leave them at 5-3 two-thirds of the way through the season.
Part 1: http://iuplanet.com/forum/indiana-fo...art-1-3-a.html
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