Lilly Donahue | Indiana University
3:30 PM EST, ABC & ESPN2
This weekend offers a nice slate of games, including OSU @ Wisconsin, Ole Miss @ Arkansas, and Bama-Tennessee. But a lot of times these games are overhyped, and I wouldn’t be surprised if OSU and Bama pull away from their opponents, and I think Arkansas will be so pissed from the beating Bama gave them that they’ll end up beating what I think is an overrated Ole Miss team by a good 2 TDs. (or i could be totally wrong, because college football) I find it valuable to select a “sneaky good game” as a contingency plan if College Gameday’s selection goes downhill fast. This week’s selection was picked from a mix of my deep IUFB bias, my astonishment at the lack of picks Tommy Armstrong has thrown this season, and my appreciation for a good ole’ offensive shootout. Plus, IU unveiled these beauties:
When I heard adidas was putting out new IUFB uniforms, I reasonably feared for the worst, especially once I heard they had candy stripes incorporated. I love the idea of utilizing the stripes, but the execution needed to be subtle (not adidas’s strength). But these are GORGEOUS! The stripes are minor enough to not overwhelm, but still noticeable enough to be shown off. Adidas (shockingly) managed to get something right.
Two Teams on the Upswing
Both IU and Nebraska are having stellar seasons so far. Nebraska’s year has by far exceeded expectations, and the undefeated Huskers now sit at #10 nationally. On the other side, the Hoosiers are not necessarily exceeding expectations, but they definitely aren’t falling short. They have two losses on the year, but one was a close loss to an unexpectedly good Wake Forest squad, and the other was last week’s loss to #2 Ohio State, where things might have been a bit more exciting if Kevin Wilson had stopped calling plays as conservative as Mike Huckabee and the refs had called back an obvious forward pass. But that’s life as an IUFB fan! Regardless of how the OSU game went, IU is still a much improved team, and it showed when the Hoosiers beat then #17 Michigan State at home. This should be a big opportunity for IU to notch a major win against a top 10 team, on homecoming no less.
Air Attack Battle?
Both IU and Nebraska are generally known as teams who aren’t afraid to sling the ball around from time to time. (Unless you’re playing the top ranked defense against the run, then you should run the ball for the whole first half @kevin (yes, i’m still mad)). Both teams are led by big armed QB’s who each have had some struggles with interceptions at one point. IU’s Dicky Lagow has bounced back nicely after tossing 5 (yes, 5) picks against Wake Forest, and Nebraska’s Tommy Armstrong seems to have reversed his former passing strategy of playing 500 with the opposing defense. I like Lagow, but I give Armstrong the edge, because the guy can flat-out run. Speaking of running, I give IU the advantage there due to the strong play of their senior RB Devine Redding, and the (hopeful) return this week of All-American o-lineman Dan Feeney. Funny enough, Nebraska also has a RB named Devine in Devine Ozigbo. Both teams have excellent wide receivers, including the generic Wes Welker character (little white guy who is surprisingly good) in IU’s Mitchell Paige and Nebraska’s Jordan Westerkamp. IU also has found a great target in Nick Westbrook, and they also tout the always consistent Ricky Jones. Nebraska also has strong wideouts in Stanley Morgan Jr. and Alonzo Moore who could give the Hoosiers a tough time.
Two Stellar Defenses
I never thought I’d be able to say this, but IU FOOTBALL DEFENSE IS GOOD. They forced a fumble on OSU’s first drive last week, and have been a takeaway machine. The defense is led by DB’s Jonathan Crawford and Rashard Fant, DL Ralph Green III ( IU’s RGIII), and LBs Marcus Oliver and Tegray Scales. Nebraska’s D is also much improved from last season, and is led by star DB Nate Gerry, DL Ross Dzuris, LB Dedrick Young, and S Kieron Williams. This should make the battle between two good offenses much more interesting.
Very Special Teams
Both teams have great lineups on special teams. Nebraska suffered a tragic loss after their talented punter, Sam Foltz, was killed in a car accident. IU kicker Griffin Oakes said his season this year will be a tribute to Foltz and MSU punter Mike Sadler, so I expect IU to hopefully pay some sort of tribute to the Nebraska team prior to gametime. IU is quite good on special teams, with last year’s BIG 10 Kicker of the Year in Oakes and a punter who runs a 4.4 40 yard dash in Joseph Gedeon, as well as nifty kick and punt returners in Mitchell Paige, Rashard Fant, and Devine Redding. The Huskers are similarly talented, with strong kicking from Drew Brown and solid punts from Caleb Lightbourn.
Watch this game please
With two teams that are on the upswing, this game should prove to be a good one. BTN’s version of College Gameday will be there, so look for me amongst a mass of Harambe or Tom Crean (or both) related signs. The two teams haven’t met since 1978 when LEE CORSO WAS OUR COACH. So yeah, I think the Hoosiers are destined to get a top 10 dub, but I’m also horrendously biased. (BTW, IU leads the all-time series 9-7-3, and our corn is better #midwesttrashtalk)