Hoosier987

This is going to be key. My guess, and it's pure speculation, is that Hoover will get the first look if he's "healthy." This is where we need Josh to be honest. It does us no good if he's still not healthy but saying he can play. Yes, we know he can play...but to what effectiveness? It's similar to when a dugout manager walks out to the pitching mound after a pitcher throws 110 pitches. The pitcher will likely say he is good to pitch one more batter (competitive nature) but to what cost? He's likely not as effective. This is when hard decisions need to be made. Arm angle, mechanics, etc...all can help our coaching staff determine how effective Hoover can be throwing the ball. For example, if he's throwing more at a side angle (or lower angle) that's probably not a good sign, if he's throwing at a high release...good sign.

Not calling a timeout was almost a game costly blunder. We got lucky. 95 out of 100 times, we don't win that game in the exact scenario (down 3 with 19 seconds left). We got the 5 times out of 100 this time around. If Cig calls a timeout, Fleck likely punts the ball because he doesn't want to risk missing the FG kick and IU getting the ball at near midfield with nearly a minute left...and even if Fleck did decide to go for it (like he did) and the FG kicker makes...we still have nearly a minute left to w/1 time out to get into fg range as opposed to 19 seconds with 2 timeouts left. It really made no sense...and it would've made national headlines had we lost. What would you rather have... 19 seconds with 2 timeouts or 55 seconds with 1 timeout? That's what it would've come down to. We won, it was great...but I sincerely hope coach Cig doesn't do the same thing if the a similar situation presents itself in the CFP because chances are, we're not winning again.

Another thing to note…I did not love Hoover’s body language. If he is healthy, and gets the nod, we have to make sure his confidence is back.

A few things about this game. Way to go Paddy! I loved seeing the post game celebration in the locker room on social media. That was a tremendous kick and frankly, may have been good from 65. I think we need to seriously consider having Paddy as our # 1FG kicker moving forward. Radicic just doesn't have it it this year...whether it's an injury, mental, or a combination of both, something is off. Special teams as a whole was ugly. This needs to get fixed during the bye week. Our defense is special. Those guys are dudes and are the reason why we continue to win close games (minus OSU) Offense has to be figured out, and quickly and a lot of it stems from the QB play...simply put, QB position is weak at the moment. I pose the same question with Hoover as I do with Radicic....is it injury, is it mental? Seems like a combo of both. Will be interesting to see who Cig goes with against USC...maybe a combo of Wilson and Hoover? Wilson made a couple of great throws, and I love his mobility, however, he put the ball in danger at least 2 different times where each one could've lead to an interception that would've likely sealed the game. The reality of the situation is, whether Hoover or Wilson start, I'm not sold on either one making a significant difference. Take that as you will. Clock management. I agree with others...the non use of the timeout prior to Minn kicking the FG was a head scratcher. Frankly, borderline shocking. When were we planning to use them? I still don't understand why we didn't take. We got lucky there...and frankly, if not for the great Wilson/Becker connection and Paddy's heroics, Cig's poor clock management would be a national talking point this morning. The bye week is badly needed. Team looks tired and has made mental mistakes. All that said, we're 8-1 going into the bye and still have everything in front of us. We have a winning culture and that is a skill. Let's rest up, get healthy and come out of this bye week looking better than ever before.

Radicic is awful!

Match ups will definitely be key…with that said, I do think we have a better handle on mobile QBs since the adjustments we made in the 2nd half of the Nebraska game

Can't blame him. It was not a pretty game. Burton had a rough shooting night...1-11. He did appear to jam his finger early on and therefore it was wrapped... so maybe that impacted his shooting. I've watched the last two games and early on Lindsay has been very impressive. Manhertz is getting a lot of run...definitely needs to work on his free throws though.

For as impressive as we looked against UNC we are looking equally unimpressive against WKU.

We need to come out focused and bring belt to @$$ on Michigan. Make a statement and beat these clowns soundly.

Yes. Big Noon Kickoff is Fox's prime slot...but I'm too getting tired of early kick offs. Lets leave no doubt. Beat the brakes off of Michigan. Apparently they benched Underwood for their true freshman qb. After the last several games, I think our defense is now ahead of our offense. Offense needs to start to click. Lets go!

He said “several.” Who knows exactly….but I was not impressed with their back up qb

Gut wrenching loss. We made mistakes but thought we were better team. if Sayin is out for the rest of season, OsU in big trouble.

Missed fg/TD by Hoover Radicic could prove to be costly

Dinich strikes again. In her CFP playoff article this morning, she ranks IU No. 7, behind Alabama and Texas, citing our Strength of Schedule (SOS) and Alabama’s supposedly better wins. But even a quick two-minute review exposes the flaws in her argument. Notre Dame and Miami, both ranked ahead of IU in her bracket, have weaker SOS ratings than we do. Dinich’s analysis increasingly looks like SEC bias. Her justification for ranking Alabama No. 6, ahead of IU, is equally questionable. She points to Alabama’s wins over Kentucky and Mississippi State while ignoring that ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) ranks Nebraska and Northwestern in the top 20, whereas Kentucky and Mississippi State fall in the 21–30 range. That context seriously undermines her argument. Even more telling, IU ranks No. 2 nationally in Strength of Record (SOR), behind only Georgia. For those unfamiliar with SOR, it measures how impressive a team’s win-loss record is relative to its schedule. It’s a significant data point that Dinich’s analysis seems to overlook entirely.

In what world does windy conditions favor Nebraska? Do they not realize we have arguably the top 1, 2 RB back combo in the country and bar none, the best run defense/defensive line in the country. Windy conditions, would significantly favor us.