Indiana Hoosiers Football:
Head coach: Kevin Wilson
2014 Record: 5-6 overall; 1-7 Big Ten
2014 Bowl: N/A
2015 Returning Starters: 5 offense, 6 defense
Odds to win 2016 CFB Championship: +120000
Odds to win 2015 Big Ten Title: +14000
Regular Season Wins: Over 5 (-105); Under 5 (-125)
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The departure of Tevin Coleman is going to make things tough for the Indiana Hoosiers. While last season could hardly be called a smashing success, losing its best player makes it all the more difficult for a team that snagged only one Big Ten win on the season’s final day against Purdue. Losing QB Nate Sudfield hung a dark cloud over IU’s season and it never really could recover from it.
Instead, at QB the Hoosiers had to go with a fourth-stringer in Zander Diamont, who was responsible for the season’s lone conference victory. Sudfield will be a senior this season, but even if healthy he’s going to have to be a more accurate passer if the Hoosiers are to actually become a threat in a pretty top-heavy Big Ten.
Wilson is now just 14-34 in his time at Indiana and he’s going to have to ramp up the pass attack to give Sudfield some passing options. Adding Marqui Hawkins (formerly of UAB) and Camion Patrick (JUCO) should bolster the attack, while the backfield will get a similar boost from another UAB player in Jordan Howard.
Howard racked up over 1,600 yards at UAB before the Blazers scrapped the program. The OL should be significantly better, which will go a long way towards helping Howard get the holes he needs to balance Sudfield’s arm. Both Jason Spriggs and Dan Feeney will be the crucial nuts in the line, which will also feature two seniors in Ralston Evans and Jake Reed.
The defense is what really might hurt though, and that’s even considering it improved last year. It allowed 84 yards fewer and six points per game fewer, and defensive coordinator Brian Knorr believes he can improve that further still. The Hoosiers went to a 3-4 scheme last season and the front features two guys capable of making things happen in Nate Hoff and Darius Lathum.
Hoff averaged one tackle for loss in his first eight starts. Nick Mangieri is also a promising pass rusher and should help the Hoosiers in blitz attacks.
Even so, the Hoosiers haven’t produced an NFL caliber talent at LB in 27 years, and the hope is that Tegray Scales can start producing the turnovers that the Hoosiers will rely on. The secondary will be without both its cornerbacks from last season, but that may be for the better if Rashard Fant and Donovan Clark are able to adjust to the 3-4 scheme and thrive in the secondary.
Griffin Oakes set a school record with a 58 yard field goal and converted 13 of 18 tries last year. Erich Toth punted 40.7 yards per kick, and he’s going to have to step that up. J-Shun Harris returns both kickoffs and punts, but he didn’t return any for more than 35 yards last year. Special teams remain mediocre, all things considered.
This is really Wilson’s last chance to turn IU around. He’s never won more than five games in a season and that’s exactly the mark 5dimes has the Hoosiers leveled at going into this season as well. A bowl trip would be the fantastic reversal that Indiana needs, but it’s hard to imagine Sudfield’s senior season outclassing his others by that level, nor the offensive attack being entirely rebuilt around two UAB castaways.
The Hoosiers need a strong start to the season with four games in September that are all winnable: Southern Illinois, FIU, Western Kentucky and Wake Forest. If it can arrive at the 4-0 mark before facing conference powerhouse Ohio State the season might be salvaged. Even a soft start didn’t save the Hoosiers last season though, as it won just two games in the final nine weeks of the season after starting out 3-0.
