IU vs. Michigan Post-Game Thread

[Old Friend]

Horrible play call at the end. Howard is the only player on the field that should have gotten the ball.

I thought some of the play calling was bad all afternoon.  Devine Redding is not your guy on 4th and 2 up the middle....yet there he was on the 1st drive of the game.  Howard seems to tire very quickly, and he's not in the game for long stretches, which I also disagree with; but at the end of the game, on the edges and off-tackle, Michigan had no answer.  

 

We're so damned close....I LOVED Mitchell Paige's getting on the team about that.  "ENOUGH BEING CLOSE!!"   Two wins and we'll get a bowl.  No way the selection committees don't see what this team's capable of; and I think we WIN a bowl when we get there.   But my God, is that defense abysmal.  Wow.

[DChoosier]

Exciting game but after the initial joy of the go ahead touchdown who here thought we could actually hold them from tying the game with 2:52 to go? Having the opposition make big plays, wide open receivers, making 2nd and 29/ 3rd and 13/ 3rd and 10 etc etc first downs is as common as the sun coming up in the morning. It is staggering how often teams convert on third and long. Many talk about the defense getting gassed but UM scored after three plays at the start of the game.

A big positive was how the line helped Howard shred the UM defense which meant, of course, we did not use him the last two plays of the game.

The bummer, and I hate being so negative, is that Howard will go pro, Suds graduates and we are looking at an average offense next year. A number of defensive players come back but as has been the case for years....who cares if the returnees are the backbone of a hideous defense.

[WayneFleekHoosier]

Exciting game but after the initial joy of the go ahead touchdown who here thought we could actually hold them from tying the game with 2:52 to go? Having the opposition make big plays, wide open receivers, making 2nd and 29/ 3rd and 13/ 3rd and 10 etc etc first downs is as common as the sun coming up in the morning. It is staggering how often teams convert on third and long. Many talk about the defense getting gassed but UM scored after three plays at the start of the game.

A big positive was how the line helped Howard shred the UM defense which meant, of course, we did not use him the last two plays of the game.

The bummer, and I hate being so negative, is that Howard will go pro, Suds graduates and we are looking at an average offense next year. A number of defensive players come back but as has been the case for years....who cares if the returnees are the backbone of a hideous defense.

pretty much sums up my thoughts.

[HoosierRob]

I don't see Wilson coming back if we can't win the next 2. We will be even worse next year, with no suds nd possibly no Howard.

Just my thoughts

[HoosierReb01]

If we had a competent secondary we'd be a top 25 team. Most of the TDs were uncontested gimmies. Not sure why we do not learn from that pattern all year and make necessary adjustments.

I don't think its about learning the pattern. We know what the problem is with the secondary. Inexperienced and very little depth. If we play man to man with them we get beat, if we go zone we get picked a part. Some good young talent there, but they have a lot to learn. Get fooled, turned around, just plain beat, etc. way too often. Really don't think we're going to fix that with the playbook. Experience and depth recruiting will.

[HoosierReb01]

The bummer, and I hate being so negative, is that Howard will go pro, Suds graduates and we are looking at an average offense next year. 

 

Hard to tell, but I'm having a problem seeing Howard going pro this year. He might, it might even be the smart thing for him, but I doubt he projects anywhere near as high in the draft as Coleman did. Doesn't have the higher gear.

[HoosierReb01]

I have to say in all my decades of watching IU football, I have never been as totally exhausted as I am with this one. Close, close, close, just don't get that big win. 

[Seeking6]

Wilson is going to get much of the criticism (and maybe rightfully so) but can someone on our effing defense once make a play?? Clock management and pass vs run call aside....the kids on our defense need to step up. We are so very close to getting over the hump but no one will ever realize it until players make plays.

[LIHoosier]

I don't think its about learning the pattern. We know what the problem is with the secondary. Inexperienced and very little depth. If we play man to man with them we get beat, if we go zone we get picked a part. Some good young talent there, but they have a lot to learn. Get fooled, turned around, just plain beat, etc. way too often. Really don't think we're going to fix that with the playbook. Experience and depth recruiting will.

Which perplexes me even more that we blitzed every single time in obvious passing situations; especially after it was clear that their o-line was picking up the blitzer(s) with ease. Keeping a linebacker between the rush and pass coverage would've stopped Rudock and/or the comeback routes at least once in the course of the game.

[HoosierReb01]

Which perplexes me even more that we blitzed every single time in obvious passing situations; especially after it was clear that their o-line was picking up the blitzer(s) with ease. Keeping a linebacker between the rush and pass coverage would've stopped Rudock and/or the comeback routes at least once in the course of the game.

Truly, on our D its a pick your poison once the play is 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. Even though our pass rush isn't anything great, the D seems to be more effective on the majority of plays, when we are rushing the passer. The big plays seem to happen regardless. Haven't studied that out well, so I am working off of a impression rather than statistics, but that's my two cents.

[Alford Bailey]

Agree the secondary is horrible. I'm not sure they are D1 quality. I don't pay as much attention to football recruiting but I would think the secondary is a priority.

[Bruce038]

Horrible play call at the end. Howard is the only player on the field that should have gotten the ball.

If we had any D at all the last play never occurs. The focus should be no damn Defense

[maharkn]

If we had any D at all the last play never occurs. The focus should be no damn Defense

[maharkn]

There is no hope for the defense. I can't remember ever having a decent defense. Till that happens the load of the game is on the offense and OC learning how to call plays.

[MartintheMopMan]

There is no hope for the defense. I can't remember ever having a decent defense. Till that happens the load of the game is on the offense and OC learning how to call plays.

The only defense we've had ranked above 84th since 2005 is 57th in 2007.

 

Bottom quarter for 9/10 years.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

There is no hope for the defense. I can't remember ever having a decent defense. Till that happens the load of the game is on the offense and OC learning how to call plays.

The BIG kids - Butcher, Isenbarger and Gonso got all the press in 1967, but it was the defense that got that team to the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day 1968.,

[Brass Cannon]

To be fair the defense has had us in a few games and our offense has crapped the bed. 

[Seeking6]

To be fair the defense has had us in a few games and our offense has crapped the bed. 

Just out of curiosity which games are you referring? 34 points vs Ohio St and poor tackling/angles that led to 3 long runs? Rutgers game...enough said. That was the game we needed for bowl and it was all on the defense.  Iowa 35...and of course Michigan 48. 

 

Like I said just curious which of the conference games you think our defense was legit? I guess you could say we had moments in Ohio St game...and maybe a moment here or there?

[Brass Cannon]

Just out of curiosity which games are you referring? 34 points vs Ohio St and poor tackling/angles that led to 3 long runs? Rutgers game...enough said. That was the game we needed for bowl and it was all on the defense.  Iowa 35...and of course Michigan 48. 

 

Like I said just curious which of the conference games you think our defense was legit? I guess you could say we had moments in Ohio St game...and maybe a moment here or there?

 

Anybody who tries and claims the D didn't show up for the Penn State and OSU games is basically saying they didn't watch the games. 

 

The D gave up 29 points to Penn State that should have been enough.  Going into the third they had only given up 19 but after an INT and a crappy punt they scored 10 points. 

 

And against OSU the defense played lights out the first half gave the offense countless opportunities and they squandered them all.  After our 10th possession in that game we were only down 13-10.  We had wasted 8 of those possessions. 

 

We are supposed to be a high powered offense, when you are averaging a point a drive, and still in the game its not the D thats to blame.

[ThompsonHoosier]

I was at the game and when we were driving on them with about 2 min to go my friend said "we are leaving way too much time on the clock"...and he was right. We gave away the game in the last two minutes. I swear I'm starting to think our program is cursed or something.