Top Performers from 2010 class

It was hard to decide the top 5 players from our 2010 class over the weekend because almost ever recruits team blew out their opposition and didn't need to play in the second half. I came up with my top 5 as best as I could. Here it is:

1. The top performer of the week goes to Matt Perez (Maine South, Illinois)- He rushed for 117 yards just on 12 carries. He also ran for 4 touchdowns on the day. Maine South beat Schaumburg 64-35. Maine South won the state title last year and is ranked #2 in the state.

2. Kofi Hughes (Cathedral, Indianapolis)- Kofi rushed for 105 yards, passed for 170 yards and accounted for 3 scores to beat #1 5A Warren Central. Cathedral is now 2-0 on the year.

3. Leneil Himes (Plymouth, Indiana)- Leneil started out the game with a 21 yard touchdown reception. He later recorded an 81 yard interception that he returned to the house. They beat Rochester 42-7 to improve to 2-0 on the year.

4. Logan Young (Delta, Indiana)- Logan caught 4 passes for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns. They beat New Palestine 23-0 to improve to 2-0 on the year.

5. Tim O'Conner (Elder, Ohio)- Elder beat East St. Louis 49-28. Tim had 6 catches for 78 yards and 2 scores. Elder is rated #3 in the country according to the USA Today High School Poll.

2 hoosiers suspended for opener

Sorry for being a little late on the post, I didn't have internet access all yesterday. Deonte Mack and Ian Reeves have been suspended for the first game due to "violation of team rules". Mack's suspension will be the biggest blow because he has a lot of experience. However, I believe we have enough young guys that will fill the void. Adam Replogle, Larry Black, Nick Sliger, and Mick Mentzer have all played very well this fall. Jarrod Smith will be for sure starting at one of the DT spots and they haven't announced who will start at the other spot. Regardless of who starts they should all see playing time. We should be able to handle Eastern Kentucky regardless. This happened last year as well with Greg Middleton and Kyle Kozak.

I will have the top 2010 recruits performances from the weekend posted up some time later today.

Get Ready for Some Football!

You know the season is so close when Coach Lynch holds his pre-game press conference. Generally these are done on Tuesday's of game weeks but because we will have opening kickoff on a Thursday it got moved up a few days.

The other day the hoosiers were practicing there pre-game festivities at the stadium. These things include how they will run out into the stadium, where they come out from etc... A writer from Rivals.com talked about how there were going to be tons of changes to the game-day atmosphere at Memorial Stadium next year. I have talked to the VP or Marketing (Patrick Kraft) a few times and we talked about how it would be a great idea to blow off tons of fireworks as the team enters the field accompanied by some great pump up music. Even though when the team was walking through the pre-game festivities and did not come out to fireworks yet, the writer from rivals said that the noise level was so loud he could hear it perfectly from inside his kitchen in Elletsville, Indiana (roughly 7.7 miles away). I can't wait to feel the electricity and excitement when the hoosiers run onto the field with fireworks blasting, music blaring and tons of other amenities. The atmosphere is going to be 100% different next year and if you go to a home game I guarantee you will be hooked on coming back to Memorial Stadium every Saturday.

On a different note, the coaching staff had to announce the 2-deep for each position. Even though they can still make a few chances before the first game they needed to get something down on paper. A few interesting notes:

The first string running back was Demetrius Mccray followed by Darius Willis as the back-up.

Deonte Mack was not listed as a starter at DT but instead will move around the line and play both DT and DE at times.

Adam Follet was listed as the #2 QB but Ed Wright-Baker has really made a push through the depth chart and could move up to Chappell's backup. This just brings into question whether or not you waste a redshirt year for a kid who probably won't play a whole lot.

Coach Lynch said that this year's freshman class has a few people who can see the field. He said that without question Adam Replogle will see the field extremely early at DT. This kid was highly rated out of high school having offers from Boston College, Illinois, Iowa, NC State, Northwestern, Pitt, and West Virginia. The future is very bright at DT with him and our three redshirt freshman (Black, Mentzer, Sliger)

I hope you guys can all come out and support the hoosiers this year. The stadium looks incredible and the game day atmosphere is going to be 10x better. It will truely be a great experience. The administration has made a ton of changes for the game day experience but I'm wondering what you guys think would really help boost attendance up?

Freshman Opportunities

Now that fall camp is coming to a close many people wonder what freshman will be making an instant impact. I believe that there could be a 4-5 players who get to see playing time.

1. Adam Replogle- with many DT getting minor injuries in the fall Replogle has spent a good amount of time with the first unit as of late. He is a high motor guy and should have a bright future for the next 4 years at IU. There is some good depth with Mack, Smith, Mentzer, Black, and Sliger there. Each day it seems to be different with who is playing with the first unit so be prepared to see all of them getting play time in the fall.

2. Lawrence Barnett- With the move of Chris Adkins to the safety position watch out of Lawrence Barnett as he could crack the 2-deep when it becomes announced. Right now Ray Fisher seems to be a lock at one of the corner spots and either Donnell Jones or Richard Council will likely take the other spot. This leaves Barnett competing with Adrian Burks and a few other players as the backup for the other corner spot. Lynch said early on that Barnett could be one of the incoming freshman who is already physical enough to see the field early.

3. Duwyce Wilson- Duwyce has made some big plays during fall camp. The receiver position has a lot of depth but Wilson still might see some playing time during the year. As of right now it seems like the top 4 receivers will be Turner, Belcher, Doss and Evans but there is plenty of competition after that. Duwyce is a bigger receiver that could see the field because we tend to play more 3-4 wide receivers sets. This year in the pistol there will be more 2-3 receiver sets but watch out for #81 at WR this year.

4. Mitch Ewald- If he didn't suffer an oblique injury this fall I would have though he would have already been penciled in as the starting kicker. He was rated the #3 overall kicker coming out of high school but until he gets healthy expect to see Nick Freeland being responsible for the kicking duties.

5. Damon Sims- He likely will make an impact on special teams pretty early on but if a few linebackers get hurt he might need to step in right away. Luckily he came into camp around 220

lbs already and has probably put on a few since then.

6. Ed Wright-Baker- Chappell is clearly going to be the starting qb this fall but Ed has quickly moved up the depth chart and might be the #2 heading into the first game. This presents a unique situation in terms of red-shirting. Some people argue that the best player should play reagardless of age and some say that if he is only going to play a very limited role then we should save a redshirt.

Improving the Visibility of the Program

This off-season the new AD Fred Glass has made it a point of emphasis to get out in the public eye and promote the program. It started in the spring when Coach Lynch visited numerous fraternities and sororities to talk about ways they can get involved in IU football. The team regularly hosts the boys and girls club at Memorial Stadium and they took a visit to Riley's Hospital in Indianapolis. This summer Fred Glass, Coach Lynch and other IU coaches traveled around the state of Indiana to talk about their upcoming season's. Just yesterday the IU football player's themselves were out and about helping incoming freshman move into the dorms and will continue to help for the next couple of days. I felt like this was a great way to improve the visibility of the program on campus. All in all Coach Lynch and his staff have made approximately 75 public appearances this off-season that hopefully will pay dividends with attendance numbers this fall. Hopefully the staff has done a good job improving the connection from various parts of the state to the football program.

Starting this fall will be "The Bill Lynch show" It will feature behind the scenes look at Indiana football and contain interviews with players and coaches. I think this is a fantastic idea and I can't wait to watch.

Indiana to play Penn State at FedEx Field in 2010

Hot off the press it has been announced that IU will play Penn State at FedEx field next year in 2010. This was originally scheduled to be a home game at Memorial Stadium so Indiana will be reshuffling their schedule to make sure they still have 6 home games. Indiana will receive $3,000,000 for the game and will be responsible for selling 7,000 seats. This game will be most likely televised on ABC, Big Ten Network, or ESPN will which help bring more national exposure to the program. This opportunity will also help reach out recruiting on the east coast and allow alumni from the area go to a game. This game will give more exposure and visibility to the program which also helps improve recruiting. I remember watching an interview with Minnesota's head coach Tim Brewster, and he said that one of the first questions recruits ask him every year is who is on the schedule? Minnesota has scheduled a game against USC in 2010 which he said has excited many players and recruits. Hopefully playing a game at a state of the art facility in FedEx Field will benefit the hoosier program. I like the idea especially because they will re-shuffle the non-conference schedule to ensure we still have 6 home games. The only other idea I would've had would've been playing the game at Lucas Oil Stadium. It still allows you to play on a big-time stage and will allow more hoosier fans to make the trip. It would also ensured that it still felt like a home game with the amount of hoosier fans showing up. Regardless, I still think it is a step in the right direction to improve the schedule.
It was predicted that IU makes less than $1,000,000 per home game so from a financial stand point this game makes a lot of sense. We will take in about 3x as much money as we normally would for a home game. To read the article click here http://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/082609aaa.html

Weekly Feedback

I will be taking reader's questions and answering them on a weekly basis. Feel free to e-mail me about anything IU football related. It could be about specific players/positions, predictions for upcoming games or performances. Anything that has something to do with IU football I will be more than willing to answer. I want to give reader's a chance to ask any questions that arise so they can get them answered. My e-mail address is clark49@indiana.edu. Just put IU blog or something of that nature in the subject line.

Another Position Switch for the Hoosiers

There have been many position switches this off-season (Ray Fisher, Jarrod Smith, Shane Covington, Johnson etc...) and the most recent player to be added to that list is Chris Adkins being moved to safety.

Why I like the switch:

This switch makes a lot of sense. When watching Chris Adkins play he seems like the safety position would be a better fit for him than corner. Coach Lynch said that when they recruited him out of high school they saw the same thing. This switch might not help out a ton this year but will be very beneficial to us in the upcoming years. At the end of the season both Nick Polk and Austin Thomas will have graduated. Then we will have Finch, Drane, Covington, Zachery and a few others at the position. None of them at this point really have had a ton of game experience at the position. This off-season Donnell Jones and Richard Council have really stood out at the position. Same goes for freshman Lawrence Barnett. Between those three and Ray Fisher we should have some good depth at corner in case somebody gets hurt. Next year Andre Kates will likely be an instant starter (assuming he sticks with his commitment) so that will leave one corner spot open to tons of quality players who will compete for it. This switch seems like a very logical one and will help us out down the road.

Top 5 hopes for the 2009 season

1. The re-emergence of Greg Middleton- There is no doubt in my mind that Greg Middleton will have a bounce back season. Everything I have heard this off-season points in that direction. He had one of the best winter conditioning's he has ever had and the best off-season he has had since being at Indiana. With the emergence of Jammie Kirlew there won't be the possibility of double teaming anybody on our D-line. They key will be to get a good pass rush with just the front four this season. If both Middleton and Kirlew can play there best at the same time they will wreak havoc in the backfield.

2. Improved fan support- People underestimate how much impact a sell-out crowd can have. The players would love to run out into Memorial Stadium with tons of fans in the seats. I think the fact that Coach Lynch has made around 75 public appearances this off-season that the program seems to be promoted much better than years past. The game-day experience will be 100% different from last year. Hopefully people can come to the games and see the brand new stadium and enjoy themselves. Fred Glass has had a ton of ideas to help improve attendance and I think it will improve the overall attendance numbers. I'm sure when it comes down to it winning will be the number one factor of attendance rates but it would be nice for the football team to have good support year in and year out. Dont' forget that we have 3 night games (Thursday night against Eastern Kentucky, Ohio State, Illinois) which should make the atmosphere more exciting.

3. Improved o-line play- I think the you will see a different o-line this year and here is why. The biggest reason is going to be the switch to the "pistol" offense. When we were strictly a spread team the offensive line is constantly in a two point stance and relies on quickness to protect the quarterback and allow seams to open up. In the pistol our offensive line will be the aggressors and really be able to get after people. This fits the mentality of pretty much our whole offensive line. Saffold has bulked up tremendously this off season, Pagan is a mauler and has developed beyond his years, Matte may be undersized but could be one of the most aggressive lineman up front, Saxon has gotten bigger and stronger this off-season, and Brewer has made a ton of strides this off-season and is a load at 6'8 and almost 340lbs. 4 out of our 5 starters weighed in well above 300lbs which is something we haven't had in a very long time. The o-line has played together for many years and have a good combination of experience, size, and power.

4. Further development of skill positions- We have a solid young group of players at the skill positions. I think Demarlo Belcher has had a huge off-season and you will see it real quick when the season starts. Same thing goes for Tandon Doss. Darius Willis will finally get to show what he can do on the field and will be the feature back for the next few years. Throw in some promising young talents like Duwyce Wilson and we have the potential to have one of the best wide receiving core's in the big ten for the next few years. Probably won't be this year but if they can continue to develop they should be very hard to stop for years down the road.

5. Get back to a bowl game- I think it will be something that will be very hard to do but, if a few things can go our way and we can stay healthy while playing to our potential, I can see it happening. This group of upperclassmen need to leave there marks and I think they will. Everything I've read and heard this off-season points to the fact that the players have a completely different mentality and have worked so hard to come out and turn the program around. After seeing the impact of what one bowl game can do to recruiting it is extremely important this year to bounce back and show that Indiana is still a football program on the rise.

General Observations Around the Big Ten

Although I strongly believe IU will be vastly improved from last season, I think it is also important to know what is going around in the big ten. I feel like in general the conference will be stronger than last year which could make the big ten strength of schedule a little bit more difficult. Here are just some brief notes on the other big ten teams so far.

Illinois- I believe they have the best receiving core in the big ten. So many weapons there with Arrelious Benn, Jarred Fayson, Jeff Cumberland and many of the young guys as well. Juice is poised to have a great senior season. On the defensive side look for Martez Wilson to be a star.

Iowa- at first glance I was surprised to see how highly rated this football team was. I kept thinking about the loss of both DT's which were 4 year starters, Shonn Green and a few other players. Then the more I dug into the team the more I believe that the experts could be right about them. They return arguably the best O-line in the big ten and have a stud at LT in Bryan Bulaga. Now that Jewel Hampton's freak injury in the summer isn't as bad as originally thought look for him to fill the void at RB and surprise many people.

Michigan- It isn't going to be a complete 180 turnaround with the wolverines but Rich Rod has a history of taking a huge leap in the second year of coaching new teams. Look for Brandon Minor to have a big year at RB and it will be interesting to see how well Tate Forcier can play at QB as a true freshman.

Michigan State- Losing Javon Ringer will be tough to swallow but I think they have a good crop of young players at the position. Mark Dell is one of the better receivers in the big ten and they should be solid overall.

Minnesota- Tim Brewester's new offensive coordinator would like to establish a more tradition power running game. The Weber to Decker combo will be extremely tough to stop next year. They have a chip on their shoulder from last year because they started out 7-1 and ended the year 7-6. There should be excitement for the opening of brand new TCF Bank stadium.

Northwestern- Originally I felt the same way about them as I did Iowa. I didn't think they would be that good but they were rated pretty high. The more I looked at them the more I was impressed. Mike Kafka showed some flashes last season especially with his feet last year against Minnesota when he rushed for 217 yards. There secondary is going to be very tough but they will have to retool at the skill positions after losing Tyrell Sutton and there top 3 receivers. And you can't forget about the all big-ten DE Corey Wootton.

Ohio State- When the Big Ten network was at Ohio State's practice yesterday they commented on how Terrelle Pryor looks like he could play Linebacker. With a year under his belt he should be much improved. They have one of the better o-line's in the big ten and are clearly the team to beat in the big ten.

Penn State- It will be Daryl Clark's last go around so look for him to have a good senior year. Them and Ohio State have almost made it a two team race in my mind but there is still some opportunities for other big ten teams as well to compete for the crown.

Purdue- This is going to be an interesting year for Purdue. Coach Hope is in his first season as the head coach and they need to reload at many positions. They have a strong set of running backs who will compete for the job but will need to fill many holes on the defensive side.

Wisconsin- another QB controversy heralds the program going into camp. I won't be surprised if Dustin Sherer starts the opener. John Clay will be running over people this year and will be a beast in the running game. They have a softer schedule which will probably help them out as well.

A Few Notes from Monday's Practice

Monday was the first practice with shoulder pads. On Wednesday the hoosiers will be in full pads. A few things I just wanted to point out that seemed interesting.
- During 7 on 7 drills Chappell looked very sharp completing 11-14 passes. Most of them to Belcher, Turner, and Adetona with Belcher having the best catch of the day.
- Both Dusty Kiel and Ed Wright-Baker have impressed and Dusty may be have the 3rd spot now.
- Starting across from Ray Fisher has been Donnell Jones which might surprise a few people. I like Donnell a lot, his only knock being his height. He is a quick corner who is also pretty physical. I remember him making a great diving interception last year at Penn State.
-So far the starting lineman on offense look to be Saffold, Pagan, Matte, Saxon, Brewer. Faulkner and Perry have been limited with some minor injuries.
- Because there will be a lot of upper class men this season Lynch has been able to put in much more of the offense the first few days then previous years.

For the 2009 season...

I would like to have a few regular posts per week. The first being a post about the upcoming match up with different keys to the game. I would also like to have a post game post about my reaction to the game followed by a post with the performers of the week from our 2010 commits during their high school year. Let me know what you think or if you would like to be write about anything else during the year.

Start of fall camp

Hello everybody, I am back from vacation and getting excited for the season to start. Yesterday was the first day of fall practice for the hoosiers. If you haven't seen pictures they are sporting some new practice uniforms that are looking pretty good. It was also the first time that the players and coaches are using all of the new tools in the north end-zone. All of the weights are almost done being put into the weight room and the players had their first meeting in the new meeting rooms. Here are a few notes from the first day of practice:

-Secondary coach Joe Palcic was thrilled to have both Austin Thomas and Nick Polk back at 100%. Nick said that he knee feels perfectly fine.

-Everybody was pretty much back onto the field except Fred Jones (foot injury) and Alex Perry (knee injury). Both of them have pretty minor injuries and should be fine.

-At this point everybody kind of wonders what freshman might be able to make in instant impact and one of the names that is surfacing is Duwyce Wilson. He had a pretty good first day of practice.

-Chappel was clearly the best players on the offensive side of the ball. This is a pretty encouraging sign because he needs to have a good year if we want to make some noise.

-There are new videos up on iuhoosiers.com of Fred Glass and Bill Lynch visiting Joe's Bar on Weeds Street downtown Chicago a week or so ago. Jeremy Gray will also be interviewing many players throughout the next couple of days as practice gets underway.

Here are some pictures from day 1 thanks to the heraldtimes online.