The Big Ten has been in the news for all the wrong reasons since last Saturday’s high-profile string of setbacks, some of which involved struggles against opponents from the Mid-American Conference. Of the four games between the leagues in week two, the MAC came out triumphant twice (Central Michigan over Purdue 38-17, Northern Illinois over Northwestern 23-15) and would’ve won a third if not for a shocking Ball State collapse in the fourth quarter against Iowa where a 13-3 lead with three minutes left quickly turned into a 17-13 loss. Only Penn State won convincingly with a dominating 21-3 performance over Akron.
Indiana played a primarily passive role in observing the carnage that befell many of their conference cohorts with an early season bye week. However, the Hoosiers return to action this coming Saturday not only having to face a formidable MAC foe in Bowling Green, but having to do so on the Falcons home turf of Doyt Perry Stadium. In fact, IU is the only Big Ten team this season embarking on a road trip to take on a MAC school.
Similar to this year, these two teams met in week 3 of the 2013 season with the Hoosiers turning in perhaps their most convincing result of an up and down 5-7 campaign, cruising to a 42-10 victory at Memorial Stadium. What made this win even more impressive was the fact that the Falcons’ three other losses on the year came by a combined 7 points. Oh, and let’s not forget that Bowling Green defeated an unbeaten Northern Illinois team in last year’s MAC Championship game en route to the conference title.
First-year BGSU head coach Dino Babers was anticipating to inherit a somewhat stacked cupboard in preparation for another run towards MAC glory. The first two weeks of 2014 have put somewhat of a damper on such lofty expectations. The season opener at Western Kentucky (ironically located in that state’s Bowling Green) was a Friday night to forget for the Falcons, particularly on defense, as the Hilltoppers gained a school record 702 yards in a 59-31 rout.
Perhaps an even bigger blow was news a few days later that the hip injury starting quarterback Matt Johnson suffered in the defeat would end his season. The redshirt junior accounted for 3,467 passing yards while throwing for 25 touchdowns last season and was on many observers’ radar as a possible conference quarterback of the year, especially with the departures of Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch and Ball State’s Keith Wenning.
Sophomore James Knapke made his debut behind center last Saturday in the Falcons’ home opener against Virginia Military Institute and was relatively sharp, posting a 71 percent completion percentage and 231 yards passing in the 48-7 win over the Keydets. He will most certainly be tested in a much more noticeable fashion by an Indiana defense looking to pick up right where they left off from the Indiana State game in terms of quarterback pressure, registering four sacks.
Bowling Green will undoubtedly rely on its running game as a means of taking the pressure off their newly minted starting quarterback. Junior running back Travis Greene has started the season on a roll over the Falcons’ first two contests, averaging 110 yards per game and getting into the end zone three times. In fact, seven of the team’s nine total touchdowns so far have come on the ground. Even Knapke himself got in on the action in the VMI game with a touchdown run of his own.
In order for the Hoosiers to ensure they leave Northwest Ohio with a win, establishing more balance on offense will be necessary. Two weeks ago in the season opener, over 80% of Indiana’s 566 total yards came on the ground. Tevin Coleman was pretty much unstoppable, rushing for nearly 250 yards, but you can rest assured Bowling Green will try to limit his effectiveness by stuffing the box and trying to force the IU offense into passing situations on third down.
If and when that takes place over the course of the game, quarterback Nate Sudfeld will need to demonstrate better command of the offense than he did in week one. Seven of the ten points Indiana State scored could be laid at his feet after a careless pass led to a 60 yard interception return that resulted in a Sycamore touchdown three plays later. Points off turnovers can quickly become the great equalizer in a game where your offense is expected to put up sizable numbers.
If you tune into this game on Saturday afternoon, you will be treated to a style of play on offense that might have you catching your breath along with the defensive players. Both units are of the high-paced, up-tempo variety a la Oregon that cover vast swathes of the field in very short intervals on the march to the end zone. Indiana averaged just over 20 seconds per play in 2013, which was bettered by only four other FBS programs.
I wrote a piece in the buildup to the season highlighting the six games Indiana must win if they are to reverse the trend of sitting out the bowl season. Saturday’s upcoming tussle with Bowling Green ranked at the top of the list and the injury to the Falcons’ established starter at quarterback does nothing to change that. If anything, the sense of urgency becomes even more pronounced with respect to getting things done on the road and starting the season 2-0.
Game notes for Indiana vs. Bowling Green (noon, ESPNU):
- Indiana has faced Mid-American Conference opponents 46 times in their history and have a 37-8-1 all-time mark.
- Bowling Green has a 5-16 record all-time against the Big Ten.
- This is the second-ever meeting between the Hoosiers and the Falcons, the first being last year’s 42-10 IU win.
- Since 2000, Indiana has a 6-4 record in road games involving non-power conference teams.
- First-year Hoosiers defensive line coach Larry McDaniel returns to his former school where he spent the last three seasons in the same capacity.
- IU running back Tevin Coleman remains in the top 20 nationally in rushing yards despite the bye week.
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