Indiana's Character Being Put to the Test

The team needs only two more wins to be bowl eligible for the first time since 2007. That possibility now looks bleak as the upcoming schedule consists of Michigan State, Iowa, Michigan, Maryland and Purdue. While the Maryland and Purdue games appear winnable, the Hoosiers’ next three games are likely to be losses.

The path to correcting the Hoosiers’ woes resumes against the seventh ranked Spartans of Michigan State. They will likely look to rack up style points against Indiana as they lost some steam after lackluster performances against Purdue and Rutgers.

Michigan State is undefeated and IU’s coaching staff knows that it will be a tall task to hand the Spartans their first loss of the season. Indiana defensive line coach Larry McDaniel acknowledged that it will be a great challenge.

“They’re the benchmark of what Big Ten football is all about,” McDaniel said. “They’ve become a consistent top five team, a consistent winner and when they put the next man in they don’t miss a beat.”

One player who makes Michigan State so difficult to beat is senior quarterback Connor Cook, who is the NCAA’s winningest active quarterback with a 29-3 record in his three years as a starter.

McDaniel’s defensive linemen will have the great task of pressuring Cook who plays behind a solid line. If IU can’t get a consistent pass rush, Cook may pick apart the young Indiana secondary. Generating that type of pass rush is easier said than done against a team that is tied for first place in the conference.

Aside from Michigan State’s excellent offensive line play, McDaniel says rushing quarterbacks like Cook is difficult because of how quickly they make their passes. McDaniel said the tape shows Cook routinely found receivers in about two and a half seconds.

“Michigan got to him maybe twice, but they batted down I think three balls,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel was insistent that the defensive line will not be any less aggressive just because Cook makes his reads quickly.

“You have to remain consistent and have an upfield, edge mentality,” McDaniel said. “If he can get the ball out quickly, sack numbers won’t be that high but we want to be able to rush him and force some errant throws.”

McDaniel sang the praises of Cook, saying that he isn’t easily rattled, reads coverages extremely well and will stay in the pocket to make his progressions then get the ball out quickly.

While Cook is the most visible part of MSU’s offensive gameplan, the team is extremely well balanced. McDaniel highlighted the fact that they are very similar to Jim Tressel’s Ohio State teams.

“They feature a big offensive line and a big back, then once that’s established their play action comes into play,” McDaniel said. “They have great receivers too so that will come into play.”

It is too much to ask for an Indiana defense that gave up twenty-eight unanswered points to Rutgers on its own homecoming weekend to shut down a potent Michigan State offense. It is not how much to ask that the team play with effort. That type of energy is what McDaniel expects on Saturdays.

“The biggest thing is effort, you really have to bring it,” McDaniel said. “If you want it more than the guy across from you, good things will probably happen.”

When the team was 4-0, fans pointed to this season as a possible turning point for IU football. Now that the team has slipped to 4-3, the character of the team is being tested. Will the 2015 season be chalked up as another year of “same old IU football?” Or will they show resilience and start to redefine what that means? We will get an idea on Saturday at 3:30 p.m, when Indiana goes to Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.