College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Indiana Hoosiers season with what you need to know.
CFN in 60 Podcast: 2020 Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana preview in 60 seconds
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Indiana Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2019 Record: 8-5 overall, 5-4 in Big Ten
Head Coach: Tom Allen, 4th year, 18-20
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 43
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 64
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 59
NOTE: Obviously, no one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.
5. College Football News Preview 2020: Indiana Hoosiers Offense 3 Things To Know
– The offense quietly started to work really, really well. It might not have been able to keep up enough to overcome the occasional defensive issues, and the firepower wasn’t there to do anything against the Ohio States and Michigans of the world, but at least the attack was able to keep things moving.
The running game needs to be stronger, but the passing attack was the second-best in the Big Ten. With the potential of eight starters returning – along with some parts that missed time last year – the league’s No. 3 offense should be every bit as strong.
CFN in 60 Video: Indiana Hoosiers Preview
– It’s now time for the Michael Penix era to take off. Peyton Ramsey did a nice job last season, but he’s bolting for Northwestern. Former Utah transfer Jack Tuttle is a talent, but as long as Penix is in one piece, this is his gig. The 6-3, 202-pounder threw for 1,394 yards and ten touchdowns with just four picks, but he was knocked out for the season with a shoulder injury.
Top targets Whop Philyor and Ty Fryfogle are back, along with junior TE Peyton Hendershot. However, there’s a wee bit of a depth problem early on after losing longtime veterans Nick Westbrook and Donavan Hale. There’s a whole lot of promising talent coming in – Rashawn Williams and David Baker were terrific gets in the latest recruiting class – but the law firm-sounding tandem of Philyor and Fryfogle will be the main men early on.
– Stevie Scott wasn’t quite the rushing force he was as a freshman, but he was still terrific, following up a 1,137-yard, ten-touchdown season with 845 yards and another ten scores. The problem? No problem – he wasn’t used as much.
Sampson James was in the transfer portal after rushing for 275 yards and three scores as a freshman, but he’s back, and Penix is a dangerous runner who should be third on the team in yards.
The O line was okay. It wasn’t the dominant force of past years, and it could use a star who can blast away, but it’ll be a good group once the interior is figured out. Matthew Bedford and Caleb Jones are big veterans at tackle, and 311-pound senior Harry Crider will play somewhere on the inside.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Indiana Hoosiers Defense 3 Things To Know
4. College Football News Preview 2020: Indiana Hoosiers Defense 3 Things To Know
– The defense couldn’t handle the better offenses, and it struggled too often late in the year, but it was hardly awful. It allowed 352 yards and 32 points per game, was serviceable at getting into the backfield, and it didn’t have any one glaring issue other than not being able to pick off enough passes.
Three starters are expected back in the secondary after going through a youth movement at corner. 220-pound Marcelino Ball is really a linebacker playing a hybrid role, and Devon Matthews is a nice-looking 6-2, 202-pound hitter for one of the other safety gigs.
– Veteran Reakwon Jones is gone from the linebacking corps in the 4-2-5, but leading tackler Micah McFadden is back after making 61 stops. A pair of 227-pounders – junior Cam Jones and sophomore James Miller – are experienced enough to fill in rotate into the other spot.
– The D line needs to be better at getting to the quarterback, but there’s a nice blend of bulk and experience across the front four. 304-pound senior Jerome Johnson tied for the team lead with five sacks coming from his spot on the inside, while 311-pound junior Demarcus Elliott will once again serve as the anchor. Now it’s up to the ends – most likely junior James Head and senior Michael Ziemba – to be far more disruptive.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Top Indiana Hoosiers Players
College Football News Preview 2020: Top Indiana Hoosiers Players
Best Indiana Hoosiers Offensive Player
QB Michael Penix, Soph.
A huge recruit for the program back in 2018, he got banged up last season after hitting 69% of his passes for 1,394 yards and ten touchdowns with four picks, and running for 119 yards and two scores in his seven games.
The 6-3, 218-pound left-hander is back from his shoulder injury and should make the program his over the next three years. With the size, arm, and mobility – and unteachable accuracy – he has superstar potential if he can stay in one piece.
2. RB Stevie Scott, Jr.
3. WR Whop Philyor, Sr.
4. WR Ty Fryfogle, Sr.
5. TE Peyton Hendershot, Jr.
Best Indiana Hoosiers Defensive Player
LB Micah McFadden, Jr.
While the 6-2, 239-pounder isn’t the splashiest of players from his spot in the middle, he’s always around the ball and he’s become a stat-sheet filler over the last two years. He led the team with 61 stops to go along with two picks and ten tackles for loss, and now he knows what he’s doing.
2. DT Jerome Johnson, Sr.
3. S Marcelino Ball, Sr.
4. DT Demarcus Elliott, Jr.
5. DE Michael Ziemba, Sr.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Indiana Hoosiers Keys To The Season
College Football News Preview 2020: Indiana Hoosiers Keys To The Season
Biggest Key To The Indiana Hoosiers Offense
It was this simple for the Hoosiers, at least last year – run well, win football games. Being able to run for any relatively arbitrary number wouldn’t have mattered in losses to Ohio State and Michigan, but IU was 8-0 last season when it ran for 100 yards, and 0-5 when it didn’t.
How much does 100 rushing yards matter to the Hoosiers? November 3rd, 2012. That was the last time they won when going under the mark, beating Iowa 24-21. They’re 0-23 since then when the ground game doesn’t hit triple-digits.
For a team that finished seventh in the nation in time of possession, run well, rely on your accurate passer to move the chains, control the tempo.
Biggest Key To The Indiana Hoosiers Defense
More big plays would be nice. Helped by an offense that kept the chains moving and stayed on the field, the defense was able to do just enough to stay in most games. There’s enough experience returning, though, to start turning games around.
The pass rush was okay, but hardly anything special, especially in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers failed to generate more than one sack in five of the last nine games, and 14 of the 27 sacks overall came against Ball State, Eastern Illinois, UConn and Rutgers.
Partly because of the lack of steady pressure, the interceptions didn’t come with just seven on the season and three in the first nine games.
Key Indiana Hoosiers Player To A Successful Season
PK Charles Campbell, Soph.
Rutgers transfer Jared Smolar has a big leg and will get his shot at the starting placekicking gig, but it should be Campbell’s to lose.
Campbell hit both of his field goal attempts last season, and now he should be the difference one way or another in at least two games.
It’s his job to try replacing All-Big Ten banger Logan Justus, who had a few problems against Purdue with three misses, but nailed 17 of his other 18 field goal attempts. The other miss, though, was the 52-yarder in the Gator Bowl loss to Tennessee.
Campbell came through with a 41-yarder in the 44-41 win over the Boilermakers.
Key Game To The Indiana Hoosiers Season
Michigan State, Oct. 24
It would be fantastic to take down Wisconsin in Camp Randall in the season opener, but that’s an interdivisional battle that might not matter all that much. The next five games should be relative layups for IU if all goes according to plan, and then comes the fun.
The November road games at Ohio State and Michigan come after facing Penn State. Before all that, Michigan State comes to Bloomington.
The Spartan offense was awful last year, but it managed to go off in the 40-31 win last year. IU has lost the last three in the series and ten of the last 11.
– Indiana Hoosiers Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2019 Indiana Fun Stats
– Time of Possession: Indiana 33:44 – Opponents 26:16
– First Quarter Scoring: Indiana 130 – Opponents 65
– Punt Return Average: Opponents 9.1 yards – Indiana 4.0 yards
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Indiana Hoosiers Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
1. College Football News Preview 2020: Indiana Hoosiers Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
There’s a nice mix of things in place for Indiana football.
There isn’t just experience on offense; there are enough dangerous playmakers to make a whole lot of noise. The offensive line has to stay in one piece and be a bit better, and the interior has to be figured out, but there’s nothing to get into a twist over.
Michael Penix is the type of quarterback who can bring it all together, and he’s got the skill guys around him to make the attack explode. The kicking game will be okay, and the veteran defense should be able to hold serve just enough to be great against a relatively easy early schedule.
It might take a bowl victory to do it, but can IU really win since games for the first time since 1967?
Set The Indiana Hoosiers Regular Season Win Total At … 8
Bet at BetMGM Win Total Line: 7.5
Nine wins overall might be a wee bit ambitious, but going bowling for the second year in a row would be a big deal – it has only happened once since doing it in 1990-1991.
As good and as dangerous as this Hoosier team should be, going on the road to face Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan is a problem. There’s still Penn State to deal with, and there can’t be a mistake against anyone else – like against Michigan State – but getting to eight wins in the regular season isn’t a crazy goal.
WKU, Ball State, at UConn, Maryland, at Rutgers, Illinois, Purdue. Win those seven games – IU should be favored in all of them – and it’ll take just one upset to get to eight.
