3. Don't Let the Illini Get On Track
This was very important. When a team is struggling, you don't want to let them make any big
plays and jump out to a lead. You want them to struggle and get behind like they have all season. Don't give them any chance to feel good about themselves. Indiana dominated the first quarter of play. However, they missed two field goals and the game was scoreless after one. Still, I felt good about the way the offense was moving the ball. The Illini took their only lead of the game on a nice 30-yard TD strike but the Hoosiers were able to score ten straight points before the half to go up 13-7. Illinois needed a good start and the Hoosiers didn't give it to them. I think that played a large part in IU's ability to close out this game in the fourth quarter.2. Can Darius Willis Play?
Sort of. Willis played but I don't think he looked 100%. However, he was pretty effective and he
was the only running back to get more than one carry. I was pleasantly surprised to see Willis get the touches at running back. If he is healthy, no one else should get more than a few carries a game. Willis ran the ball 18 times for 58 yards and had one catch for 15 yards. It wasn't a great game but I thought it was a definite improvement over the past two weeks. Indiana needed to run the ball to win this game. They managed an impressive 149 yards on the ground through Willis and the "Wild Mitch". I love this package for IU and Mitchell Evans gained 88 yards on 9 carries. They tried a couple of passes with Evans but they didn't work too well. Expect to see more of this package as the season progresses. It is certainly not a traditional way to grind out yards but it is an effective way to use one of your better football players and keep possession of the ball. 1. Which "D" Will Show Up?
I predicted the Hoosiers needed to hold Illinois under 400 yards to win this ball game. I was
wrong. Indiana gave up 443 yards of offense but held Illinois to 14 points. The Illini had a crucial turnover inside the ten yard line and lost three fumbles that cost them dearly. You cannot turn the ball over and expect to win many games. Illinois simply made too many mistakes and the Hoosiers defense was able to come up with the ball when the Illini put it on the turf. The Juice Williams fumble took away a scoring chance that could have put Illinois ahead 14-13 and it reminded me a lot of the turnovers by Eastern Kentucky and Western Michigan earlier in the season. I give the Hoosiers some credit here because they are making plays to prevent points. IU's defense suffered a couple of injuries that appear to carryover to this week. Will Patterson is out with a hand injury and Donnell Jones is out with an elbow injury. Justin Carrington will start for Patterson and Collin Taylor or Jerimy Finch should start for Jones. This was a very good win for the Hoosiers. Illinois looks like a dumpster fire but they torched IU 55-13 last season. To beat them 27-14 one year later is a good accomplishment. Ben Chappell looked great and Demarlo Belcher had his best game as a Hoosier. He and Tandon Doss are a very good one-two punch at wideout. I would be surprised if the Hoosiers were able to get to six wins but they have already exceeded my expectations and they have put themselves in a position to go their second bowl game in three seasons.
I will recap the previous weekend and begin my basketball preview tomorrow. Until then, stay vigilant and God Bless America.
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