Captain Kirkwood

It's been a long time. I shouldn't have left you. Without a dope beat to step to. Things are not awesome right now in Hoosier-land. I'll give you that. But things could be worse. We could be Michigan. Woof. We all saw Michigan's AD finally resigned this week and Brady Hoke is no doubt close behind. For Michigan fans, the season is over. The team could still make a bowl if they win three of their last four, but not even that would appease Big Blue fans. They want the season over, Hoke gone and a new beginning. That's all great new for Indiana. The Hoosiers haven't won against the Wolverines since 1987, and they haven't beaten UM at the Big House since 1967. It's been a minute. So this year, while UM is reeling and before they reload and return to national prominence under a new coach, represents a phenomenal opportunity for Wilson's Hoosiers to put another historical notch in their belt (in addition to beating Penn State and a ranked team on the road). And while some of our fans have lost some (all) of their enthusiasm, Tevin Ford Coleman's swagger is off the charts after becoming the only back to go over 100 yards against Mighigan State's defense last week: Gives me chills. And here's the biggest thing about today's matchup. Tevin Coleman is literally better than the entire MIchigan offense. As ESPN pointed out, Coleman is averaging more touchdowns per game than the entire MIchigan offense against Power5 opponents. That's just silly. If Indiana's defense can win their matchup against the B1G's worst scoring offense. And Diamont doesn't actively hurt the Hoosiers (turnovers). And, and this is big, if the Hoosiers can turn the home crowd against the Wolverines early (which shouldn't be hard). Then it's not in the least bit a stretch to say the Hoosiers will hop on the bus this evening and head back down south after doing doing something that hasn't been done in 47 years. Beating the Wolverines in the Big House. GET UP! INDIANA 20 MICHIGAN 17

Diamont in the Rough? Alright. It's time to finally come out and admit it. Indiana's Rose Bowl chances took a big hit last weekend. I'm not saying it can't happen (all we have to do is beat MSU, OSU, Rutgers, PSU, and Michigan to win our division). I'm just saying it's going to be a little more interesting with Sudfeld out of the picture. I love Diamont by the way. It might actually be dangerous for his 160 pound self to play against Shilique Calhoun and the Spartan defense this weekend, but I like him. I have no idea how he'll actually play, but he has the kind of edge and attitude I think the Hoosiers need on the field. Sparty Not So Scary: I'm not saying any sane, rational individual should ever put any faith in the Hoosiers taking down the team with the best odds to win the National Championship. That being said, if you compare Michigan State's numbers on the road with what they've done at home they don't look so big and bad. Consider the following: MSU has a +36 scoring margin at home. -2.5 on the road. MSU allows a mere 49.25 rushing yards per game, 1.82 yards per carry and 0.75 touchdowns per game at home. On the road, those numbers balloon to 151 rushing yards per game, 4.65 yards per carry and 3 touchdowns per game on the road. As a whole, the defense gives up an average of 38.5 points per game on the road compared to just 14.3 at home. That's what the math kids call a "statistical difference." Indiana...better than Purdue: Even lowly Purdue, ranked 67th in rushing offense, was able to average a gaudy 5.16 yards per carry and rush for three touchdowns last week against the apparently over-hyped Spartan D. In fact, if you didn't catch the game, mighty MSU needed a late fourth quarter interception just to seal their victory over the Boilermakers. Granted, Indiana won't be able to do much other than run this week, and MSU knows that. Is the Hoosier offensive line good enough to open holes even when the nation's fifth best run defense knows what's coming every time? Maybe. The unit has been getting considerable love from the media of late. We'll see if they deserve it. Coleman's Big Chance: Speaking of media love. Coleman still isn't getting any, and he knows it. What's a guy from Indiana have to do to get serious national respect? Oh, I don't know. Maybe have a career day against a National Title contender on ESPN. Just in case Tevin needed any extra motivation, he'll be playing against a team that didn't think he'd be effective as a B1G running back and instead recruited him to play in the defensive backfield. It doesn't matter who the QB is, this game is about Tevin Ford Coleman. This is his year. If he thinks he deserves consideration for an award that goes to the best player in the nation, this is his chance to prove it. Let's get it done. INDIANA 24 Sparty 21 Happy Homecoming Hoosiers. @CappinKirkwood

  Now we're thinking like the Captain!

If you're reading the mobile version, you're not seeing the youtube videos. My fault. I'll try to figure it out next week. in the meantime, at least youtube "Will Meyers INT to seal the win vs Iowa" because it's just an awesome play.

Here we go Hoosiers, here we go.Imagine you're not an Indiana fan. Imagine you're a fan of some ordinary, historically decent football team. Now imagine your team is 3-2 with one win against a ranked opponent, only two of your remaining seven foes are ranked and you play in the lowly Big Ten to boot. You're finishing 8-4 right? I'll take 10-2 and a trip to Pasadena, please. You don't need to stretch your imagination in order to envision the Hoosiers walking out of Kinnick with a "W" on Saturday. In the last decade, there's only one B1G opponent the Hoosiers have had more success against than the Hawkeyes (Illinois). Shockingly, the Hoosiers have won almost half of their games at Iowa since Kirk Ferentz came to Iowa City a million years ago (winning 5 of 12). It'd actually be an even 50 percent had it not been for the "Immaculate Comback" back in 2009 #neverforget. Oh, now the memories are flooding back. Remember when Will Meyers had a spectacular one-handed interception to end the game against the 15th ranked Hawkeyes in 2006? Or how about Kevin Wilson's first B1G win in 2012 against the Hawks when some young guy named Cody Latimer hauled in three touchdowns from some other guy named Cam Coffman. YouTube is just writing this article for me. But seriously, ESPN's fancy pants statistics say Iowa only has a 52% chance at winning this game. Basically a toss up. Vegas has the Hawkeyes as mere three point favorites. Basically a toss up. Why? Why is this game always closer than it's supposed to be? Mostly for this reason: Indiana's great weakness has been its defense for what seems like forever. Their biggest weakness's biggest weakness has been giving up the big play. Lucky for the Hoosiers, Kirk Ferentz doesn't believe in the big play. He's a "grind it out" on the ground kind of guy. Kind of like Wisconsin, but without the really good running backs. It's been an offensive approach that has been much easier for the Indiana defense to handle than anything else they face in the conference. This year is no different. The Hawkeyes have used two quarterbacks and neither one has been impressive throwing the ball. They instead have relied on their slow and steady ground game, but that old reliable rushing attack has struggled this year. They don't have a running back averaging better than 4.00 yards per carry, and the team is ranked 103 in yards per carry and 91st in yards per game. In other words, their bread and butter has been more like dry, burnt toast this year. Perhaps the biggest question Saturday will be whether or not Wilson bites on Ferentz's trap. Iowa is big on the "bend-but-don't-break" style of defense. Their main goal is to keep opponents in front of them in order to prevent the big play. Essentially testing their opponent's patience. Daring them to want more than what the defense is giving them. That sounds like a trap Wilson, a man not known for his patience, might walk straight into. The Hoosiers are ranked 119th in their ability to put together methodical drives. Some more sobering stats, Indiana is 88thin offensive red zone efficiency while the Hawkeyes are 3rd in defensive red zone efficiency. So basically Ferentz is going to bank on Wilson losing patience and trying to bust a big play and then again to go for it on fourth in the red zone instead of taking the points (we've seent this). Wilson might bite, Coleman may struggle against a top 10 rushing defense, but the Hoosiers will be fine. Iowa is 100th in scoring offense. They only score 22.6 points per game. They haven't scored more than 24 against any FBS opponents. The Hoosier offense looked resurrected last week. As long as the offense keeps it up, and the defense keeps Iowa around their average...roses. INDIANA 31 IOWA 21 @CappinKirkwood [url=https://btownbanners.com/page/articles.html/_/football/pre-g/captain-kirkwoods-pep-talk-iowa-hawkeyes-r149]Click here to view the article[/url]

Imagine you're not an Indiana fan. Imagine you're a fan of some ordinary, historically decent football team. Now imagine your team is 3-2 with one win against a ranked opponent, only two of your remaining seven foes are ranked and you play in the lowly Big Ten to boot. You're finishing 8-4 right? I'll take 10-2 and a trip to Pasadena, please. You don't need to stretch your imagination in order to envision the Hoosiers walking out of Kinnick with a "W" on Saturday. In the last decade, there's only one B1G opponent the Hoosiers have had more success against than the Hawkeyes (Illinois). Shockingly, the Hoosiers have won almost half of their games at Iowa since Kirk Ferentz came to Iowa City a million years ago (winning 5 of 12). It'd actually be an even 50 percent had it not been for the "Immaculate Comback" back in 2009 #neverforget. Oh, now the memories are flooding back. Remember when Will Meyers had a spectacular one-handed interception to end the game against the 15th ranked Hawkeyes in 2006? Or how about Kevin Wilson's first B1G win in 2012 against the Hawks when some young guy named Cody Latimer hauled in three touchdowns from some other guy named Cam Coffman. YouTube is just writing this article for me. But seriously, ESPN's fancy pants statistics say Iowa only has a 52% chance at winning this game. Basically a toss up. Vegas has the Hawkeyes as mere three point favorites. Basically a toss up. Why? Why is this game always closer than it's supposed to be? Mostly for this reason: Indiana's great weakness has been its defense for what seems like forever. Their biggest weakness's biggest weakness has been giving up the big play. Lucky for the Hoosiers, Kirk Ferentz doesn't believe in the big play. He's a "grind it out" on the ground kind of guy. Kind of like Wisconsin, but without the really good running backs. It's been an offensive approach that has been much easier for the Indiana defense to handle than anything else they face in the conference. This year is no different. The Hawkeyes have used two quarterbacks and neither one has been impressive throwing the ball. They instead have relied on their slow and steady ground game, but that old reliable rushing attack has struggled this year. They don't have a running back averaging better than 4.00 yards per carry, and the team is ranked 103 in yards per carry and 91st in yards per game. In other words, their bread and butter has been more like dry, burnt toast this year. Perhaps the biggest question Saturday will be whether or not Wilson bites on Ferentz's trap. Iowa is big on the "bend-but-don't-break" style of defense. Their main goal is to keep opponents in front of them in order to prevent the big play. Essentially testing their opponent's patience. Daring them to want more than what the defense is giving them. That sounds like a trap Wilson, a man not known for his patience, might walk straight into. The Hoosiers are ranked 119th in their ability to put together methodical drives. Some more sobering stats, Indiana is 88th in offensive red zone efficiency while the Hawkeyes are 3rd in defensive red zone efficiency. So basically Ferentz is going to bank on Wilson losing patience and trying to bust a big play and then again to go for it on fourth in the red zone instead of taking the points (we've seent this). Wilson might bite, Coleman may struggle against a top 10 rushing defense, but the Hoosiers will be fine. Iowa is 100th in scoring offense. They only score 22.6 points per game. They haven't scored more than 24 against any FBS opponents. The Hoosier offense looked resurrected last week. As long as the offense keeps it up, and the defense keeps Iowa around their average...roses. INDIANA 31 IOWA 21 @CappinKirkwood

Well, I know how this looks. "Same old, same old," "nothing new under the sun"...bologna. One week at a time kids. To quote former IU coach Lee Corso, "WE'RE NOT DEAD YET!" Keys to Victory: 1. Freshman Hazing Let it be known that BtownBanners does not condone hazing in any way shape or form...unless it's an opposing freshman QB. After a shaky start from the team's top two QB's, North Texas has seemingly settled on freshman Dajon Williams. The bad news for IU fans is twofold. First, Williams is "dual threat" guy, which is always a disaster waiting to happen for the IU defense. Second, he's completed nearly 80% of his passing attempts, thrown no interecptions and has an out-of-this-world QBR of 232.9. The good news? Most of that damage was done against a Nicholls State defense that is giving up an average of 54.6 points per game. Expect the Hoosier defense to provide a reality check for Honey Dijon on Saturday. 2. Resurrect the Offense Indiana has dropped from 18th last year to 55th in the country this year in terms of offensive efficiency. This is not good. Sudfeld's QBR isn't in the top 100 nationally. This is also not good. It's time to quit messing around and throw for 400 yards Saturday. It's game five. Let's go. 3. Stop the Run North Texas has either blown out their competition or been blown out. I took some science classes at one point, so I know when you're trying to determine causational relationships you're supposed to limit things to one variable. What's the one variable that has been the single biggest determinate in whether a game ends up as a win or loss for the Greenie Weenies? Rushing yards. In the two games they have won, North Texas has racked up 284.5 yards on average. In their losses, they've been held under 100 yards (91.5 per game). Believe it or not, Indiana's run defense has been better than both of the teams that shut down North Texas this year. By quite a bit. Here are thier respective rankings in rushing yards allowed per game. Indiana - 42 Louisiana Tech - 71 Texas - 88 Statistics are for the birds... So we're good. Indiana: 24 North Texas: 13

Noted. Thanks.

_See? I told you. Nothing to worry about last week. Onward. This week's pep talk need not be as inflammatory as last week's. I'm assuming all you fair weather shmucks are back on the bandwagon. Here's this week's Keys to Victory Reasons Why We'll Win: 1. Knorr Knows Mary-land QB C.J. Brown is sacked by a Knorr-coached Wake Forest defenseman. Who's your daddy Maryland? Who's your daddy? That right, Indiana defensive coordinator Brian Knorr is. Knorr has coached against the Terps in each of the past three season as the DC at Wake Forest. In those three games, Maryland has averaged a laughable 13 points per game. It got so bad last year, that Maryland had to pull starting QB C.J. Brown (who is in the midst of his sixth season at Maryland). Before finding a cozy seat on the bench, Brown, who considers himself a mobile QB, had been sacked three times and rushed for -4 yards. 2. Worst Running Defense + Best Running Back = ______ A WVU player takes a leisurely stroll to the endzone against Maryland's defense earlier this year. I have such bad news for Maryland fans. Maryland's defense is ranked last in the B1G in rushing defense...you all know where this is going. Everybody and their mother (who still calls field goals "kick points") knows Tevin Coleman is the number one running back in the nation averaging 189 yards per game and almost 9 yards per carry. And, as we saw last week, Coleman's backups aren't shabby either. Coleman could easily run for 250 yards tomorrow, but expect the coaches to limit his carries somewhat. 3. This Year is Different Yes, the last time we beat a ranked team we lost four out of five. Yes, we choked after the PSU win last year and lost three straight, BUT as I've said before, this year is different. This is a special year. You can't win the B1G if you lose your first game to Maryland, so Indiana will take care of business Saturday. And they'll do it in convincing fashion. No looking back now Hoosiers. Rose Bowl on the Horizon. Get on your horse and ride. Indiana 35 Mary-land 17 [url=https://btownbanners.com/page/articles.html/_/football/pre-g/captain-kirkwoods-pep-talk-mary-land-turtles-r147]Click here to view the article[/url]

See? I told you. Nothing to worry about last week. Onward. This week's pep talk need not be as inflammatory as last week's. I'm assuming all you fair weather shmucks are back on the bandwagon. Here's this week's Keys to Victory Reasons Why We'll Win: 1. Knorr Knows Mary-land QB C.J. Brown is sacked by a Knorr-coached Wake Forest defenseman. Who's your daddy Maryland? Who's your daddy? That right, Indiana defensive coordinator Brian Knorr is. Knorr has coached against the Terps in each of the past three season as the DC at Wake Forest. In those three games, Maryland has averaged a laughable 13 points per game. It got so bad last year, that Maryland had to pull starting QB C.J. Brown (who is in the midst of his sixth season at Maryland). Before finding a cozy seat on the bench, Brown, who considers himself a mobile QB, had been sacked three times and rushed for -4 yards. 2. Worst Running Defense + Best Running Back = ______ A WVU player takes a leisurely stroll to the endzone against Maryland's defense earlier this year. I have such bad news for Maryland fans. Maryland's defense is ranked last in the B1G in rushing defense...you all know where this is going. Everybody and their mother (who still calls field goals "kick points") knows Tevin Coleman is the number one running back in the nation averaging 189 yards per game and almost 9 yards per carry. And, as we saw last week, Coleman's backups aren't shabby either. Coleman could easily run for 250 yards tomorrow, but expect the coaches to limit his carries somewhat. 3. This Year is Different Yes, the last time we beat a ranked team we lost four out of five. Yes, we choked after the PSU win last year and lost three straight, BUT as I've said before, this year is different. This is a special year. You can't win the B1G if you lose your first game to Maryland, so Indiana will take care of business Saturday. And they'll do it in convincing fashion. No looking back now Hoosiers. Rose Bowl on the Horizon. Get on your horse and ride. Indiana 35 Mary-land 17

Are you alright? Do you need another tissue? Are you done whining? I sure hope so because "Never Daunted" means, NEVER. DAUNTED. Especially not now. Not with our backs against the wall. Not heading into SEC country! Here's a few nuggets to try and coax you fickle fans back onto the bandwagon. Let's flippin' go. 1. Anything You Can Do, Coleman Can Do Better: (photo credit: columbiamissourian.com) I'm talking to YOU Toledo and and South Dakota State running backs! If Missouri's run defense gave up over 150 yards and 3 TDs to Toledo's top RB and over 100 yards and 2 TDs to South Dakota State's, what in the world is the running back averaging the most yards per game and ranked fourth in TDs going to do... 2. Revenge is a Dish Best Served...Saturday? Suddy was awful last year against Mizzou. But there's reason to hope he'll rebound this year. Missouri's defense is 83rd in the country in pass defense. Opposing QBs are completing 60% of their attempts and averaging a 108 QB Rating against the kitty kats. That's not good. So if Mizzou concentrates on the run and leaves their already suspect pass defense vulnerable... 3. So You're Tellin' Me There's a Chance! (photo credit: muckfizzou.com) "But it's all going to come down to the defense," you say. "It'll be a firefight, and we'lll end up short," you say. Well guess what? Vegas knows some things you don't. Maybe that's why the line for this game (13.5 in favor of Mizzou) is so much closer than many anticipated. Thus far, Missouri has faced the 113 ranked defense (Toledo), the 89 defense (UCF) and an FCS team. Every one is all over Maty "Mullets Are My Thing" Mauk like he's the new, cute kid in class. Well against that less than stellar competiton I just described, the fact is, Missouri is ranked 87th in passing offense. 87. It's science. Look it up. If the Hoosiers can do a better job of containing the mobile Mauk than officers were able to do when he fled the scene of a crime on a moped, we're in business. Mizzou is pretty mediocre in rushing offense (47) for a grand total offensive ranking that comes out to 80th in the country...after playing Toledo, UCF and South Dakota State. Now, Indiana's defense looked awful in the second half last week, but they're still techically the best defense Mizzou has faced all year (ranked 57). Ludicrous, I know. All I'm saying, is while defense is always Indiana's weakness, this week (on paper) our defense (ranked 57) is favored over Missouri's offense (ranked 80). So yea, I'm telling you there's a chance. Hoosiers: 38 Mizzou: 31 Never Daunted. Not Ever. @CappinKirkwood

Defense gave up 306 yards and 35 points last year.   86 yards and 3 points after one half.   Rose Bowl inevitable. 

Here. We. Go.The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the Captain and do not necessarily reflect the views of BtownBanners or any other rational entity. Welcome to a New Day, Hoosier Faithful: Not only are the Terre Haute Trees an FCS opponent, but they're an awful FCS opponent. The worst in the Missouri Valley Football Conference to be more specific. The best they can hope for on Saturday is a participation ribbon. Instead of focusing on Indiana State this week, I'll spend a minute talking more about things you can look for in the game that will indicate Indiana is ready to win the B1G championship this year. That's right. In 2014, heroes will rise. Old champions will fall. History will be re-written. Purdue will suck again, and the Hoosiers will return to their rightful place atop the Big Ten standings. (photo credit: gcdailyworld.com) Indiana Coach John Pont celebrates with Hoosier players. Before you start laughing, allow me to reach into my bag of Aristotelian tricks and establish some ethos. I've been covering Indiana football since Pete Pihos was peeing the bed at night. Before Bo and Pont took us to the top. Even before Zora's 145 pound behind was the captain for all three major sport teams (that's about 48 pounds per team for anyone without a calculator). As far as pre-game predictions go, I've yet to meet any prophets, soothsayers, oracles or crystal ball toting hippies who can compete when it comes to Indiana football. Let's just say on a scale of 1 to 454, in terms of correctly predicting Hoosier victories, I'm at 454. Admittedly, my record correctly picking losses isn't as impressive. I haven't picked any of those correctly so my all time record prediction Hoosier football games stands at 454-624. Keys to the Game: I've got that funny feeling in my bones again. That same tingling sensation I had in '45 and again in '67. It's the unmistakable shiver. The undeniable quiver. That aching in my liver that can mean only one thing: it's a B1G Championship year for the Fightin' Hoosiers. Don't believe me? Think it'll be business as usual? Swashbucklin' offense and opposite-of-swashbuckling defense? Think you're being optimistic in hoping for a mere bowl birth? Here are a couple of things you can look for Saturday that will show you this year is different: 1. Suddie Sticks to Tuddies (photo credit: indystar.com) Did you know that Sudfeld's two interceptions against ISU last year were the most for the Sycamores in a single game all season? Did you know that the ISU defense was the "Indiana" of the FCS conference last year finishing 89th in pass defense efficiency? People forget how close the Missouri game was last year. Indiana almost tied it before half time, but instead Sudfeld threw a pick six. Fourteen point turnaround. And then of course the Minnesota game. People don't forget. Moral of the story: Sudfeld's inopportune turnovers in the ISU game carried over to the season. He won't throw a pick Saturday. Because this year is different than last. 2. Backups Bring It Tevin Coleman and Nate Sudfeld are good at what they do, but what about the twos? Both had solid backups last year (Stephen Houston and Tre Roberson) who are no longer with the team. Side note - poor Tre is in a day-by-day QB competition again: If championship teams have depth, and Indiana is a championship team, then Indiana must have depth at both QB and RB despite what it currently looks like on paper. Senior D'Angelo Roberts has been solid throughout his career, but freshman Devine Redding will show fans he's also going to be a factor Saturday. Redshirt freshman Myles Graham could be the guy as well. Who knows. Point is, somebody other than Coleman will emerge. (photo credit: 247sports.com) Indiana freshman Running Back Devine Redding Indiana will build a big lead and use the remainder of the game to test out potential backup quarterbacks. Will we have a one-two "Nate" punch with walk-on Nate Boudreau? Or will the West Coast trend continue with Sudfeld's California brother, true freshman Zander Diamont? By the way, Zander is very, very California... Freshman QB Zander Diamont doing God knows what. 3. Undeniable Defensive Dominance Last year, Indiana State's 306 yards effort against the Hoosier defense was their fourth best offensive game of the year. If the likes of South Dakota, South Dakota State, Illinois State and North Dakota State can hold the Trees to under 200 yards and Southern Illinois can hold them to 55 (55!) yards of total offense, then any FBS team should be able to do the same. Indiana couldn't last year, but this year they'll hold ISU under 200 yards. Because this year is different. So... Don't worry about the score of Saturday's game. It's completely meaningless. Instead, watch for Nate to nix the picks, second stringers to be more than someday dreamers and the defense to leave no doubt that it's a new day. Happy Kickoff Eve Hoosier Nation. Smile, for your years of tears have not been in vain. This year is the one you've been waiting for your whole, comparatively short life. Cheers, Captain Kirkwood @CappinKirkwood [url=https://btownbanners.com/page/articles.html/_/football/pre-g/captain-kirkwoods-pep-talk-terre-haute-trees-r144]Click here to view the article[/url]

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the Captain and do not necessarily reflect the views of BtownBanners or any other rational entity. Welcome to a New Day, Hoosier Faithful: Not only are the Terre Haute Trees an FCS opponent, but they're an awful FCS opponent. The worst in the Missouri Valley Football Conference to be more specific. The best they can hope for on Saturday is a participation ribbon. Instead of focusing on Indiana State this week, I'll spend a minute talking more about things you can look for in the game that will indicate Indiana is ready to win the B1G championship this year. That's right. In 2014, heroes will rise. Old champions will fall. History will be re-written. Purdue will suck again, and the Hoosiers will return to their rightful place atop the Big Ten standings. (photo credit: gcdailyworld.com) Indiana Coach John Pont celebrates with Hoosier players. Before you start laughing, allow me to reach into my bag of Aristotelian tricks and establish some ethos. I've been covering Indiana football since Pete Pihos was peeing the bed at night. Before Bo and Pont took us to the top. Even before Zora's 145 pound behind was the captain for all three major sport teams (that's about 48 pounds per team for anyone without a calculator). As far as pre-game predictions go, I've yet to meet any prophets, soothsayers, oracles or crystal ball toting hippies who can compete when it comes to Indiana football. Let's just say on a scale of 1 to 454, in terms of correctly predicting Hoosier victories, I'm at 454. Admittedly, my record correctly picking losses isn't as impressive. I haven't picked any of those correctly so my all time record prediction Hoosier football games stands at 454-624. Keys to the Game: I've got that funny feeling in my bones again. That same tingling sensation I had in '45 and again in '67. It's the unmistakable shiver. The undeniable quiver. That aching in my liver that can mean only one thing: it's a B1G Championship year for the Fightin' Hoosiers. Don't believe me? Think it'll be business as usual? Swashbucklin' offense and opposite-of-swashbuckling defense? Think you're being optimistic in hoping for a mere bowl birth? Here are a couple of things you can look for Saturday that will show you this year is different: 1. Suddie Sticks to Tuddies (photo credit: indystar.com) Did you know that Sudfeld's two interceptions against ISU last year were the most for the Sycamores in a single game all season? Did you know that the ISU defense was the "Indiana" of the FCS conference last year finishing 89th in pass defense efficiency? People forget how close the Missouri game was last year. Indiana almost tied it before half time, but instead Sudfeld threw a pick six. Fourteen point turnaround. And then of course the Minnesota game. People don't forget. Moral of the story: Sudfeld's inopportune turnovers in the ISU game carried over to the season. He won't throw a pick Saturday. Because this year is different than last. 2. Backups Bring It Tevin Coleman and Nate Sudfeld are good at what they do, but what about the twos? Both had solid backups last year (Stephen Houston and Tre Roberson) who are no longer with the team. Side note - poor Tre is in a day-by-day QB competition again: If championship teams have depth, and Indiana is a championship team, then Indiana must have depth at both QB and RB despite what it currently looks like on paper. Senior D'Angelo Roberts has been solid throughout his career, but freshman Devine Redding will show fans he's also going to be a factor Saturday. Redshirt freshman Myles Graham could be the guy as well. Who knows. Point is, somebody other than Coleman will emerge. (photo credit: 247sports.com) Indiana freshman Running Back Devine Redding Indiana will build a big lead and use the remainder of the game to test out potential backup quarterbacks. Will we have a one-two "Nate" punch with walk-on Nate Boudreau? Or will the West Coast trend continue with Sudfeld's California brother, true freshman Zander Diamont? By the way, Zander is very, very California... Freshman QB Zander Diamont doing God knows what. 3. Undeniable Defensive Dominance Last year, Indiana State's 306 yards effort against the Hoosier defense was their fourth best offensive game of the year. If the likes of South Dakota, South Dakota State, Illinois State and North Dakota State can hold the Trees to under 200 yards and Southern Illinois can hold them to 55 (55!) yards of total offense, then any FBS team should be able to do the same. Indiana couldn't last year, but this year they'll hold ISU under 200 yards. Because this year is different. So... Don't worry about the score of Saturday's game. It's completely meaningless. Instead, watch for Nate to nix the picks, second stringers to be more than someday dreamers and the defense to leave no doubt that it's a new day. Happy Kickoff Eve Hoosier Nation. Smile, for your years of tears have not been in vain. This year is the one you've been waiting for your whole, comparatively short life. Cheers, Captain Kirkwood @CappinKirkwood