As we enter into the Big T1e1n Season, we’re giving tBBC readers the chance to gain insight into the teams and fans that the Buckeyes will be matching up with on Saturday. John from the great IU site The Crimson Quarry was gracious enough to give us feedback on the rambling questions we came up with- he’s popular today!. Here you go!
Being a traditional basketball school, is there an ongoing sense during football season that you are just getting through the fall in anticipation of basketball season, or does football stand in its own right at Indiana? Does opening up so successfully change that?
I can’t speak for all IU fans. Unquestionably, basketball is the favored sport among IU fans, and many more people live and die with the basketball program than with the football program. Personally, I’ve been a big IU football fan since my freshman year of 1992, and football season generally holds my interest until the end. I’m not sure that this season’s beginning has all that much impact. In recent years, against weak non-conference schedules, it hasn’t been unusual for IU to have a strong start. For whatever reason, IU has been able to turn the tide, a little, in attendance without improving much on the field. Last week’s Michigan game, which drew 53,000, was the first 50K+ crowd at IU, other than for games against OSU and Purdue, since 1992. I don’t have a great explanation for why. Marketing? An unexplained influx in school spirit? The Big Ten Network increasing the ability to watch all non-conference games and road games? The success of the Colts increasing the popularity of football in the state? I don’t know, but fan interest is improving, and I hope like hell the team can find some Big Ten wins to keep the momentum going.
How good will Indiana have to be this year in order for Bill Lynch to keep his job? Has he already saved it with such a spectacular start to the season (3-0 through first three)?
Hey, I know we’ve been bad for a long time, but “spectacular”? We’re not so bad that we think beating Towson, Akron, and Western Kentucky (and then losing to a Michigan team that still strikes me as 4-4 in the Big Ten material) is a major accomplishment. I have no idea what Lynch has to do to keep his job. Athletic director Fred Glass has been unfailingly supportive of Lynch in public, he’s never been an AD before, and he’s never conducted a major coaching search, so no one really knows what to think. I suspect, based on nothing but speculation, that finishing 6-6 or better (which would require a win against Arkansas State and at least two Big Ten wins) would save his job for much the same reason that being bowl-eligible in 2007 guaranteed him a long-term deal. Bowl appearances have been so rare for IU that I can’t imagine that IU would fire a coach in the midst of bowl preparations. My guess is that 6-6 would keep him on the hot seat for next year, while 7-5 or better might buy him an extension.
What new players in the starting lineup this year should we keep an eye on? Is there anyone who’s going to get talked up in the future?
This is a tricky question. None of the new defensive starters have distinguished themselves, almost all of the offensive skill position guys are returning starters, and I’m not competent to evaluate line play. One guy to watch, among the embarrassment of riches on offense, is redshirt freshman tight end Ted Bolser. Bolser wasn’t even on the week one depth chart, but he caught four TD passes in IU’s first three games. On defense, junior college transfers Lenyatta Kiles and Andre Kates, both DBs, haven’t started every game but did play more against Michigan.
What did you learn about the Hoosiers from the Michigan game last week? What do you see as the best/worst case scenarios for this year’s Hoosier team?
Well, we learned that the offense isn’t going to crumple against Big Ten competition, although Michigan certainly doesn’t have anything approaching an average Big Ten defense. We learned that the warning signs from the non-con season about IU’s defense were well-taken, and that this defense may be not just bad, but “Cam Cameron era bad.” I think the best case, rosiest scenario for IU is 8-4 (4-4). That would require a 4-0 non-conference record, wins against Illinois, Northwestern, and Purdue, and one upset in the four games against OSU, Iowa, Penn State, and Wisconsin. If IU’s offense continues its high level of play then it’s possible the defense could have a game or two with some fortuitious turnovers. The worst case, I’m sad to say, is 4-8/0-8. I don’t think that it will happen, but there is no Big Ten game on the schedule that IU can’t lose. We don’t play Minnesota. Illinois isn’t very good, but IU has only one win in Champaign in the last 30 seasons. Purdue looks pretty bad right now, but they will have eight weeks to regroup with a new quarterback. That’s a road game, too. I really don’t know. After a disastrous 2008, IU was more competitive in 2009 but still ended up 1-7 in the conference. I’m not yet sold on the ability of this team or coaching staff to close out close games. Under Lynch, IU now is 2-6 in Big Ten games decided by one possession (8 or fewer points). IU’s offense is good enough to keep the team in games, but they have to find a way to close.
What do you see as Indiana’s strengths and how do you think the Hoosiers need to utilize those to win the game in Columbus?
Anyone who saw the IU-Michigan game knows that the obvious strength of this team is its passing offense. I always wondered if the coaching staff, which even before Kellen Lewis was thrown off the team had decided Ben Chappell would be the starter in 2009, wasn’t a little overconfident in Ben. Consider me won over. He has steadily improved from 2008 (when he split time with Lewis) to present, and is now playing with a lot of confidence and precision. Also, he has some unusually talented (by IU standards) wide receivers, including Tandon Doss, Terrance Turner, Damarlo Belcher, and Duwyce Wilson. Ohio State will be, by far, the best defense IU has played this season, but I don’t think the formula will change. IU has to employ different looks, take advantage of the wide range of receiving threats, and find a way to establish the run (something that yielded mixed results against Michigan).
What are your thoughts on Big Ten expansion and how it might change Indiana’s place in the conference?
I don’t have any strong opinion on how it affects IU. I have no illusions. I realize that football is the driving force behind expansion, but if the conference does expand again, it would be nice if we could add a team that doesn’t drag down the league’s basketball reputation (as Nebraska and Penn State have). The divisions are fairly well-balanced. I’m not thrilled about the protected “rivalry” against Michigan State, but it had to be someone. The only negative is that for a team like IU to make a miracle run to Rose Bowl (IU in 1967, NU in 1995, Purdue in 2000, etc.), the stars have to align. Generally it requires one or more of the traditional powers to be down and requires getting lucky with the home-road mix on the schedule. Under the divisional setup, even such a dream season would require playing a neutral-site game against the other division’s champion. The setup is probably good for the conference overall and good for traditional powers like OSU, but it’s a bit of a drag for those of us who are lucky to be in the conference race once every 20 years or so.
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