The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1133482
138 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY ANDREW HUSSEY Life in the Big Ten East Division has not been kind to head coach Tom Allen — IU has gone 4-14 in conference play during his two seasons in charge. The Hoosiers have also just missed out on a trip to a bowl game each time, losing to Purdue with a berth hanging in the balance. Even when they have reached the postsea- son, Indiana has not won a bowl game in the past 27 years. Heading into 2019, Allen and the Hoosiers will look to reverse that trend, and they have the returning starters to do just that. On both sides of the ball, IU brings back nine starters and has its highest ranked recruiting class (No. 39) coming to Bloomington. Indiana's offense will be revamped in 2019 under first-year offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer, who came from Fresno State. He inherits one of the top running backs in the Big Ten in sophomore Stevie Scott, who set Indiana true freshman records with 228 attempts, 1,137 yards, 10 touchdowns and six 100-yard games in 2018. Joining Scott in Indiana's running back room is freshman Sampson James, a four-star recruit Rivals ranked as the country's No. 185 overall pros- pect in 2019. At quarterback, the Hoosiers have three potential options in redshirt junior Peyton Ramsey, and redshirt freshmen Michael Pe- nix Jr. and Jack Tuttle. Ramsey is the most experienced option as he has started in 16 games in his career, in- cluding all 12 last season. In 2018, he com- pleted 66.0 percent of his throws for 2,875 yards with 19 touchdowns and 13 intercep- tions. He averaged 239.6 yards per game in 2018, which is the most by any returning Big Ten quarterback. Penix was beginning to challenge Ramsey last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Penn State. Prior to that, he completed 21 of 34 passes for 219 yards with one touchdown. Meanwhile, Tuttle is a former four-star recruit who transferred to Indiana from Utah and was granted immedi- ate eligibility. Ranked No. 104 nationally in the 2018 class by Rivals, he is the highest- rated quarterback to ever play for IU. Whoever earns the starting nod will have a stable of quality wide receivers to target. Fifth-year senior wide receivers Donovan Hale and Nick Westbrook combined for 1,098 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns last season, and both stand at least 6-3. Under Allen, Indiana's defense took a step back in 2018, allowing 83.7 yards per game more than it did in 2017. Allen relinquished defensive coordinator responsibilities this season, giving the job to linebackers coach Kane Wommack. In Indiana's 4-2-5 scheme, the Hoosiers have four of the five starters returning on the back end, which should help the unit improve. One of those four returning starters is redshirt junior defensive back Marcelino Ball, who last year led the Hoosiers with 7.5 tackles for loss while finishing third with 59 tackles. Of Indiana's front six, the Hoosiers return four starters. Redshirt junior defensive tackle Jerome Johnson led the team with 3.5 sacks and finished second with 5.5 tackles for loss. Indiana has a manageable non-conference schedule with winnable games against Ball State, Eastern Illinois and Connecticut. That gives Indiana a chance to put itself in posi- tion to earn a bowl bid with just three victo- ries in conference play. Although Indiana has played Michigan well in recent seasons, the Hoosiers only have one win against the Wolverines since 1968 — U-M has won the last 23 games in the series and should be able to continue that streak this fall. Notes One area Indiana thrived in last year was forcing turnovers; it tied for 11th nationally and second in the Big Ten with 26 takeaways — 13 fumble recoveries (tied for fifth in the land) and 13 interceptions (tied for 33rd) … Eleven players snared picks, while 12 forced fumbles … Athlon Sports projects the Hoosiers to go 5-7 for the third straight season and finish sixth in the East Division. ❑ Indiana Is Trying To Get Back To A Bowl 2019 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2018 Result Aug. 31 vs. Ball State* W, 38-10 Sept. 7 Eastern Illinois — Sept. 14 Ohio State L, 49-26 Sept. 21 Connecticut — Sept. 28 at Michigan State L, 35-21 Oct. 12 Rutgers W, 24-17 Oct. 19 at Maryland W, 34-32 Oct. 26 at Nebraska — Nov. 2 Northwestern — Nov. 16 at Penn State L, 33-28 Nov. 23 Michigan L, 31-20 Nov. 30 at Purdue L, 28-21 *at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis PLAYERS TO WATCH O f f e n s e : N i c k We s t b r o o k , 5th-Sr., WR — In his first season back after tearing his ACL, the 6-3, 216-pounder had 590 receiving yards and four touchdowns … In 2016, he led the team with 995 re - ceiving yards and six touchdowns … Ranked third in the Big Ten and tied for 27th nationally that year with 18.4 yards per catch. Defense: Marcelino Ball, R-Jr., DB — In his first season back after a season-ending injury in 2017, he was honorable mention All-Big Ten by both the coaches and the media … Last season, he was first on the team in tackles for loss (7.5), and third in both in tackles (59) and sacks (2.5) … He was disruptive on the back end with one interception and four passes defended. Stevie Scott debuted last year by ranking second nationally among true freshman in rushing yards (1,137) and 100-yard games (six), and third in rushing scores (10). PHOTO COURTESY INDIANA GAME 11 • INDIANA HOOSIERS • NOV. 23 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: U-M leads 58-9 First Meeting: U-M 12, IU 0 (Nov. 3, 1900 at Ann Arbor) Last Meeting: U-M 31, IU 20 (Nov. 17, 2018 at Ann Arbor) Head Coach: Tom Allen, 10-15 at Indiana and overall (3rd season) 2018 In Review: 5-7 overall, 2-7 Big Ten (6th East) Final 2018 Ranking: Not ranked Returning Starters: 20 (9 offense, 9 defense, 2 specialists) Last Bowl Appearance: 2016 (Foster Farms Bowl vs. Utah, L 26-24) Big Ten Championships (last): 2 (1967) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Peyton Ramsey (2,875 yards, 19 TD, 13 INT) Rushing: Stevie Scott (1,137 yards, 10 TD) Receiving: Nick Westbrook (590 yards, 4 TD) Tackles: Marcelino Ball (59) Sacks: Jerome Johnson (3.5) Interceptions: Bryant Fitzgerald (3)