2009 Indiana football preview: running backs and offensive line.

The freshman: Darius Willis, 6-0 freshman.  Willis, a star at Franklin Central and one of the best players in his class from Indiana, is a recruit of whom big things have been expected, and he only added to the expectations by playing well in the spring game.  He has struggled with injuries in recent weeks, but Rivals lists him at the top of the depth chart, and IU fans and coaches seem to share the hope that he can contribute immediately.

OFFENSIVE LINE

The seven blocks of limestone have not been the dominant force that Terry Hoeppner imagined when he coined the phrase.  Those seven OL recruits were Pete Saxon, Roger Saffold, James Brewer, Alex Perry, Cody Faulkner, Jarrod Smith, and Mike Stark.  They have fared reasonably well, but not overwhelming so.  Injuries ended Mike Stark's career, and Jarrod Smith now is on the defensive line.  Three of the seven, guard Saxon and tackles Brewer and Safford, are projected to start.  Faulkner and Perry have been injured this summer, and their roles are unclear at this time, and they do not appear on the Rivals projected two-deep at this point.  Rivals projects Will Matte, a redshirt freshman, as the starting center, and Justin Pagan, who played as a freshman last year, as the other starting guard.  We will know more when the official depth chart is released in the next few days.