The Indiana Hoosiers are coming off their best season based on win percentage since 1967 when they earned a trip to the Rose Bowl. After finishing twelfth in the AP poll at the end of the 2020 season, many eyes will be watching the Cream & Crimson. Will coach Tom Allen continue his winning ways after last year’s hot season, or will the pressure get to the team?
KEY DEPARTURES
Some key departures from the team include wide receiver Whop Philyor, safety Jamar Johnson, and arguably most importantly, defensive coordinator Kane Wommack. Wommack left Bloomington after three years to take the head coaching position at South Alabama. He revitalized the defense last year and his presence will surely be missed on the sideline. While Johnson and Philyor both declared for the NFL draft, Johnson was drafted in the fifth round by the Denver Broncos and Philyor signed a free agent contract to the Minnesota Vikings.
KEY PIECES
The Hoosiers are already getting national attention with multiple players on award watch lists and coach Tom Allen appearing on the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year watch list. Linebacker Micah McFadden, was named to the Walter Camp Preseason All-American Second Team after he boasted fifty-eight total tackles, six sacks, and one interception in 2020. On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and wide receiver Ty Fryfogle were named to the Maxwell Award watch list, which is awarded to the best player in college football. Additionally, Penix appeares on the Davey O’Brien watch list.
Penix has the opportunity to be one of the best quarterbacks in all of college football this season, if he can stay healthy. Last year, he won five games in his six starts, threw for 1,645 yards and fourteen touchdowns while running for two. However, injuries are the major issue plaguing Penix Jr. In 2018, he played three games, in a backup position before tearing his ACL. The following season, Penix was off to a hot start winning four games in a row as a starter, but then underwent surgery on his right sternoclavicular joint. Last year, he tore his ACL again, ending his season. His skills, however, are undeniable. He has shown in his total fifteen games played at Indiana that his arm strength, awareness in the pocket, and ability to escape situations is one of the best in the nation. According to PFF, Penix is the fifth best quarterback in the country and best in the Big Ten Conference. It will surely be exciting to see what Penix can do come September.
KEY GAMES
The Hoosiers will have a target on their back after beating all the teams they faced in the Big Ten last year, excluding Ohio State. Their first big game comes in the season opener @ Iowa. Iowa went 6–2 last season and heated up after their slow 0–2 start. Indiana needs to come prepared when rolling into Kinnick Stadium on September 4th in order to knock off the Hawkeyes. Their next key game comes two weeks later against Cincinnati at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. Head coach of the Bearcats, Luke Fickell, led his squad to an undefeated regular season and lost a nail biter against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Peach Bowl. Desmond Ridder, quarterback of the Bearcats, put his team on the map last year throwing for nearly 2,300 years with nineteen touchdown passes and six interceptions. The defense will need to defend the home field advantage for the crisp September day in Bloomington.
Another key game is against the Ohio State Buckeyes, as they remain one of the best teams in the nation. Lastly, Indiana needs to win the Old Oaken Bucket game against Purdue. The Boilermakers have won two of the last three against the Hoosiers. IU needs to prove they are the best Big Ten team in Indiana by beating their longtime rival.
PROJECTED RECORD
The first four games of the season will most likely define the season for the Hoosiers. They will either be 4–0, 3–1 most likely losing to either Iowa or Cincinnati, or 2–2 losing to both Iowa and Cincinnati. Ohio State is always a tough game on the schedule and Maryland, Michigan and Purdue cannot be overlooked. The Hoosiers can legitimately be 10–2 with a loss to the Buckeyes and either Iowa or Cincinnati at the end of the regular season. However, these projections represent an almost ideal scenario and the Hoosier faithful cannot be upset with a team that ends 8–4. Finally, Tom Allen needs to bring a bowl game win back to Bloomington since the team has not won a bowl game since 1991.