Indiana Hoosiers 38, South Carolina State Bulldogs 21: sloppy win.
by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Sep 18, 2011 11:45 AM EDT
in Indiana Hoosiers Football
Email
Print
- Edward Wright-Baker was 21-27 with 2 TDs and 273 yards and no interceptions. He did fumble the ball once, which is becoming an issue and, as Gerry Dinardo pointed out on the telecast, related to his failure to protect the ball once he decided he was going to run. Dusty Kiel completed 4-6 passes in his first action of the season, but didn't look good in the one series he played after Wright-Baker's fumble.
- True freshman D'Angelo Roberts may have emerged as IU's top running back with his 19-102 performance. He gained 47 yards on one crucial drive in the third quarter after SCSU pulled to within 10. He certainly was more consistently able to gain significant yardage than Stephen Houston or Matt Perez, although both of those guys scored touchdowns.
- Kofi Hughes is quickly becoming an important part of the offense. Hughes caught 3 passes for 47 yards, including a 40 yard TD, and gained 45 yards on the ground on 2 carries out of an end around-type play. Hughes was a very good high school quarterback, and it seems certain that he will throw out of that play at some point this season.
- Duwyce Wilson caught 6 passes for 101 yards and made some really nice catches, including on a TD at the back of the end zone; Damarlo Belcher added 6 for 36 yards. EWB continues to spread the ball around: 9 different Hoosiers had catches.
4 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Glad to finally get that W
Duwyce was on fire in this game, coming up with multiple huge catches. The penalties were a major concern, because they were all mental mistakes. You cant have that many false stars/offsides, its completely unacceptable. I thought the O-line did a good job, considering giving 3 guys their first college start. Eckert was killing me, I wasnt very impressed with his play, especially how slow he was in pass blocking, and when he got 2 penalties in a row. I didnt notice much out of Bernard (I think?), but Collin Rahrig (RS Frosh, #64) who started at right guard was actually quite impressive and stuck out to me, of all the linemen. He was quick off the ball, and although undersized for an O-linemen, he battled hard and blocked to the whistle, which i didnt notice out of the other linemen most the times. He was also pretty sturdy in pass-pro…. hopefully coach wilson can get a few more pounds on that frame. I also thought that D’Angelo ran very well,he was pretty impressive and really made a statement to start receiving more carries. The defense was our defense…. there was the good, the bad, and they made enough plays to contain SCSU’s athletic QB and backs. Good Win Coach Wilson, Good Win Hoosiers, keep getting better everyday, Go Hoosiers!
A win- and some thoughts
This was my first IU game in person. It was Freshmen parents weekend, and I was there to see my daughter and finally see some Hoosier football (I am an FSU fan and Alum). Here are my thoughts
The Good:
1. Great set of receivers. They combine good hands with nice moves and yards after the catch.
2. The running backs ran hard and ran North and South.
3. They “won now”, and plenty of playing time for the new players.
4. The offense responded to ever SCSU score.
The So-So:
1. The offensive line. See Paulie58’s comments above, however I would add that late in the third quarter after SCSU scored to bring the game back to a 10 point spread, the O-lline dominated SCSU and IU drove the field almost excluseivly on runs of 3 to 7 yards. I know it is SCSU, but it is better than nothing.
The bad:
1. The crowd. I am sorry, but with a student body of 40,000, a huge alumni base, campus only a 45min drive from Indy, low ticket prices and no other major program in the southern part of the state to compete for attendance,there is no excuse for not filling a 54,000 seat stadium. Furthermore, the crowd peaked at the end of the first quarter and slowly dwindled after that. I know that the student stands were facing the sun and it was sunny and warm, but so is every stadium in the south. This game was not in the bag until the 4th quarter. This is a program that needs more fan support. I had a great time at the game, and I assure you if the fans show up and are enthusiastic IU will win more games.
Believe it or not, attendance has improved compared to the early 2000s, particularly in the student section. I’ve long been a skeptic about marketing, but IU has done a nice job of increasing attendance, although winning is the only long-term cure. Just a few things to remember about IU’s program. We’ve been to the Rose Bowl once. We last won a conference title in 1967 and have only come close once since then (1987). We haven’t beat Michigan since 1987. We haven’t beat Ohio State since 1988. We have never beat Penn State. We have gone 1-7 in the Big Ten in 7 of the last 9 seasons. We have won 3 of our last 14 against Purdue. We have one bowl appearance in the last 17 seasons. I would love to see Memorial Stadium full for every game, but I really don’t think our attendance is that bad considering the product.
I think the fan base is there. IU averaged close to capacity crowds from 1988-1991, when IU was regularly reaching minor bowl games and was competitive, if not always successful, against the big boys. But it’s going to take modest success to get there.
The Crimson Quarry, SB Nation's Indiana Hoosiers blog
by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Sep 20, 2011 9:44 AM EDT up reply actions
yeah,
The crowd was pretty weak for this game, especially the student section…. But i’ll blame that on the nice weather and everyone being more interested in staying outside to tailgate than actually going to see them play SCSU. The attendance has been increasing for the past few years, theyve done a great job of making the games more accesible and reasonable to go to with dropping ticket prices, and $5 student tickets, and i think it wouldve been alot different if they were 2-0 instead of 0-2 heading into this game. They did have a good crowd against Virginia, but they just dont sell it out like they should (see: losing records). It’ll continue to increase and become an more electric atmosphere as long as Coach Wilson can keep putting up the W’s.
