Hoosiers aim to repeat success, fuel momentum
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Assistant Editor
Opponent: Michigan State Spartans (4-1)
When: noon Saturday at Spartan Stadium
The Hoosiers are getting hot at the right time. Coach Kevin Wilson wants to throw more wood on the fire. He’s admitted that whenever Indiana does something well, the program is unable to repeat it.
The 3-2 start is a credit to Wilson’s coaching and how players have bought into his system. Wilson keeps pointing out the need for consistency. He, like everyone associated with the program, knows the Hoosiers went 2-21 in their 23 most recent Big Ten road games. The only losing team the Hoosiers face during the remainder of the season is archrival Purdue.
“We are making some strides,” Wilson said. “I’d like to see if our kids can handle the success of a winning team. I felt in preseason we were going to have success. We’re going to be the same team until we can back it up. History repeats itself if you don’t learn from your mistakes.”
Wilson thought the Hoosiers were too relaxed and overconfident after a 38-point victory in the season opener and paid dearly with a letdown the next week against Navy. After a landmark win over Penn State, Wilson is glad his team is heading out on the road, where there is the potential for fewer distractions.
At Michigan State, the Hoosiers can make another statement because it is the type of game they rarely win. A victory would remove all doubt that Indiana is for real. The defense still has too many holes. But Wilson is determined that the offense avoid stretches like the third quarter against Missouri, when the Hoosiers punted four times in four series and gained a measly 23 yards on 15 plays.
Indiana has not won in East Lansing since 2001 and is 6-22-1 there. Wilson admires the sustained success of Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio. He wants a taste.
Three players to watch
Max Bullough, LB: The senior leader of a top defense is one of the best middle linebackers in America. Bullough had a career-high 111 tackles last season, with 12.5 of those coming behind the line scrimmage. Bullough recorded 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and an interception as well, but has yet to register a statistic in those categories in 2013. Bullough is big – 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds – and also fast. Indiana linemen will need to be on top of their game to block him.
Darqueze Dennard, CB: Do the Hoosiers and quarterback Nate Sudfeld dare attack Dennard? He is a stud. Coaches voted Dennard to the All-Big Ten first team after a 2012 campaign that included 52 tackles, seven passes defensed and three interceptions. The 5-11, 197-pound senior has elite man-to-man skills and uncanny instincts.
Bennie Fowler, WR: He caught nine passes for 92 yards and a score last week against Iowa. Fowler led the Spartans in receiving yards with 524 last season. Through five games he is second on the team in receptions (17).
Series history
The Spartans have won the last four games in a series where there’s a trophy for the winner and hold a 42-15-2 advantage, including the four games played prior to the introduction of the Old Brass Spittoon. The teams played a barnburner in 2012, with the Spartans rallying from a 17-0 deficit to earn a 31-27 road win in October. The visiting Hoosiers lost 55-3 in 2011 at Spartan Stadium. The trophy, which came from one of Michigan’s earliest trading posts and is believed to be over 200 years old, was introduced in 1950.
Familiar faces
Starting guard Bernard Taylor is a Detroit native who went to Dakota High School. Little-used Billy Ivan, Dong Kim and Matt Zakrzewski are also from the state of Michigan. Indiana’s associate director of player personnel Herb Haygood was a team captain and All-American kick returner at Michigan State. Spartans defensive line coach Ron Burton coached linebackers at Indiana from 1997-2001. Burton and Wilson were teammates at North Carolina. Wilson also knows Michigan State offensive line coach Mark Staten and defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. Wilson was an assistant coach at Miami (Ohio) when Staten played there, while Narduzzi and Wilson served together for three seasons on the staff of Randy Walker.
Injury report
Indiana is down to its third option at right guard after losing Dan Feeney (Lisfranc) and David Kaminski (torn anterior cruciate ligament) to season-ending injuries. Linebacker Chase Hoobler (stress fracture) will not play this year. Right tackle Peyton Eckert is out with a back issue. Taylor is a go at left guard. Backup linebacker Griffen Dahlstrom is questionable with a pulled groin. As for Michigan State, receiver A.J. Troup (knee surgery) and outside linebacker Jairus Jones (knee) are out. Defensive tackles Lawrence Thomas, Damon Knox and James Kittredge are questionable.
Trivial
The combined winning percentage (.854) of the Football Bowl Subdivision opponents Indiana has played in 2013 is the second-highest in the nation, according to ESPN Stats and Information. Michigan State’s FBS opponent winning percentage (.413) is the lowest.
He said it
“It’s the first significant win we’ve had since Wilson’s been here. The biggest challenge is you’re never as good as you (think) you are. You can’t let emotions enter into it.” – Indiana’s Mark Murphy, at the Hemke Hall of Champions, on how the Hoosiers will react to their excellent day against Penn State
Outlook
The Hoosiers don’t make too many mistakes. They are getting big plays on offense. Michigan State has a fine defense, so offensive coordinator Seth Littrell faces a tough challenge in this game. Dantonio is coming off back-to-back seasons in which the Spartans finished No. 1 in the conference on defense. While Dantonio is a defensive head coach, Narduzzi is a rising star as coordinator. The Spartans stress physical man-to-man coverage. Michigan State and next week’s opponent, Michigan, are tough battles, but if Indiana beats one of those teams, the Hoosiers might not have to sweat reaching the postseason. It will be interesting to see how their no-huddle offense works on the road. Sudfeld is a young quarterback. He has little room for error. The Spartans have the best third-down defense in college football. Cody Latimer’s big-play ability and Tevin Coleman’s running have the Hoosiers going in the right direction. As long as their defense holds up against Michigan State’s rushing attack, this game should go to the fourth quarter. With Indiana among the highest scoring teams in the nation, and Michigan State among the lowest, this is an interesting matchup.
Follow Chris Goff on Twitter: chrisgoff_ISL.
