Big 10 Preview: Indiana Hoosiers
August 7th, 2008 by Louis Papa
This was one of the feel good stories of the year in 2007 as Indiana captured its first Bowl invitation (Insight Bowl) in years after the untimely death of former coach Terry Hoepner. One now wonders if Bill Lynch and the Hoosiers can build from last season’s emotionally filled season. Or, do they go back to being doormats in the Big 10 football landscape. The Hoosiers were trounced by T. Boone Pickens (billionaire alum turned football donator enthusiast) and his Oklahoma State Cowboys 49-33 in the Insight Bowl and things have not been much better since December 31st.
Simply put, you must own Quarterback Kellen Lewis who might be rated higher than Juice Williams and probably Todd Boeckman. Like Juice he is a dual-threat totaling 3,779 yards and 37 touchdowns in 2007. However, here lies the problem I am having with this selection.
Lewis has lost his top WR, James Hardy to the NFL. Hardy accounted for 79 receptions, 1,125 yards and 16 touchdowns. In addition to Hardy’s departure, Penn State lost CB, Justin King to the NFL. King gave up 12 receptions and almost 200 yards all by himself in the PSU/Indiana thriller from last year. My second issue with Kellen Lewis is his attitude. He was suspended for spring ball on a violation of team rules so he did not have time to build camaraderie with returning wideouts, Ray Fisher (52 catches, 482 yards with 4 touchdowns) and Andrew Means (48 catches for 559 yards).
Running back Marcus Thigpen took a big step backward in 2007. He carried 138 times for 568 yards while averaging a pedestrian 4.1 yards per carry after running for nearly 400 yards as a freshman with 2 scores. The outlook on him in not very encouraging.
As always with Hoosier football there are holes on the defense. After the NFL departure of Tracy Porter (6 interceptions), it is a wonder if Lewis and the O will be able to get onto the field enough to produce the magical season of 2007.
A returning bright spot for the Hoosiers is senior kicker (K) Austin “baby I am Starr” (for all you Prince fans out there). In 2007 he converted 19/21 field goals including 10/11 from beyond 40 yards while remaining perfect in extra point tries with 45. Starr should be a started on most fantasy teams.
My outlook is a slight step backward for the Hoosiers. Let’s call for the GMAC bowl bid and a 6-6 season. The offense will be potent in non-conference matchups but its hard to envision a strong Big Ten run.
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