With a big offense, Hoosiers ‘D’ needs to finish

By Brian Heinemann
For The Herald

The 2009 season was full of missed opportunities and blown leads for the Indiana Hoosiers, who led nine games but won only four, losing three by three points or less.

This year, the buzzword around the Hoosiers is predictable – finish. But will a team that lost two-thirds of its defense and is transitioning to a new 3-4 scheme be able to do that?

“Our theme has been to finish, because we have so many games last year where we were competing and had the lead in the fourth quarter in the Big Ten and didn't finish the job,” Coach Bill Lynch said. “So that certainly has been our theme.”

Lynch said that the Hoosiers were only about 12 plays away from having an “outstanding” season and playing in a good bowl game, something that has motivated the team throughout the offseason.

But even with a nonconference schedule that should lead to four wins, the Hoosiers will be hard-pressed to make a bowl again this year. Finishing is one thing, but two brutal stretches, including back-to-back games with Michigan and Ohio State and a three-game series in November with Iowa, Wisconsin, and Penn State, makes it hard to believe that the Hoosiers can climb very far from the bottom of the Big Ten.

The offense, which ranked ninth in the conference last year due to a weak running game, looks to be much improved. Having a fifth-year senior quarterback in Ben Chappell, along with three gifted wide receivers who combined for almost 200 catches a year ago – Tandon Doss, Damarlo Belcher and Terrance Turner – means they should get better.

“The thing that's good is having a fifth‑year senior quarterback in Ben Chappell; when he talks, they listen,” Lynch said. “And that's much better than having a really good receiving corps with the freshman quarterback where they're all in his ear. They're not going to get in Ben's ear because he's in control of the situation and they know it.”

No matter how much the offense scores, the Hoosiers won’t go anywhere without a significantly improved defense. With eight new starters and the new scheme, the Indiana defense will again be susceptible. 

With their schedule, that means a finish near the bottom of the Big Ten again.

Indiana Hoosiers

Last year: 4-8, 1-7 Big Ten (tied for 10th)

Lettermen returning/lost: 43 returning, 24 lost

Starters returning/lost: offense 8/3, defense 4/7, kickers 2/0.

Key returning starters: Ben Chappell, QB, Sr.; Tandon Doss, WR, Jr.; Tyler Replogle, LB, Sr.

Others to watch: Damarlo Belcher, WR, Jr.; Terrance Turner, WR, Jr.; Jeff Thomas, LB, Sr. (transfer, 104 tackles last year)

By the numbers: 184 - catches between Doss, Belcher and Turner last year, third most in the nation. 268 - completions for Chappell in ’09, a school record. 2 - number of opponents IU plays for the first time ever, Towson and Arkansas State.

Schedule: An easy September, with Towson, Western Kentucky and Akron, is followed by a home tilt with Michigan Oct. 2 and a trip to Ohio State Oct. 9. November sees dates with Iowa Nov. 6, at Wisconsin Nov. 13 and home against Penn State Nov. 20 in one of the toughest stretches any Big Ten team faces.

Reason for optimism: The offense and the nonconference schedule. Indiana’s offense should put up big numbers this year, with sophomore running back Darius Willis coming off an impressive year and having eight starters back. The nonconference schedule should provide four wins.

Reason for pessimism: Inability to finish and a rough late schedule. Indiana couldn’t finish last year, and with two-thirds of the defense gone, that may not be able to be turned around. The November schedule is nasty, and could leave the Hoosiers with a four-game losing streak to close out the season.

Bottom line: The offense is ridiculously talented, with all of their skill position players back, but the defense, already ranked in the lower third of the nation last year, is changing schemes and trying to fill all kinds of voids. Indiana has a realistic chance at making a bowl game, but at least one conference upset will be needed and they can’t falter out of conference.

Tomorrow – No. 8: A transfer adds another spark to Purdue’s offense