The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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142 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY RYAN TICE Indiana's explosive offense — which ranked first in the Big Ten in scoring (36.5 points per game), passing (293.8 yards per game) and total yards (504.3) while placing second in rushing (210.5) — led the Hoo‑ siers to the school's first bowl game since 2007. Now, they'll be looking to make back‑ to‑back postseason trips — something that hasn't happened in Bloomington in 25 years. Working in favor of that quest are 14 return‑ ing starters, including six from that powerful offense with both a 1,000‑yard receiver and 1,000‑yard rusher back, the latter of which was not included among those returning start‑ ers. Junior Devine Redding gained 1,012 yards and scored nine touchdowns while back‑ ing up fifth‑round draft pick Jordan Howard. Redding started four times and closed the campaign with three consecutive 100‑yard contests. He ranked among the Big Ten's top 10 in every major rushing category, including yards (fifth), per‑game average (seventh, 77.8) and touchdowns (tied for seventh). Despite the presence of Howard and Red‑ ding, head coach Kevin Wilson declared redshirt junior running back Camion Patrick — a 6‑2, 223‑pound junior college transfer who has not played yet on the Football Bowl Subdivision level — the best player on the team last year. Given that praise, Indiana could boast a pair of 1,000‑yard rushers again after being one of just two Power Five teams to do so in 2015. Three starters return up front, led by fifth‑ year senior guard Dan Feeney, who was named an All‑American by ESPN.com, CBS Sports, the Associated Press and Sports Il- lustrated last year. He led a unit that paved the way for those impressive rushing num‑ bers and allowed just 13 sacks, which tied for the seventh‑fewest nationally. Graduated quarterback Nate Sudfeld is a big loss, but in addition to the powerful ground game, the new starter will benefit from the return of last year's top three receivers. Junior Simmie Cobbs Jr. (6‑4, 220 pounds) is back after leading the way with 60 catches for 1,035 yards. Mitchell Paige, a 5‑7 dy‑ namo, is a crafty fifth‑year senior who paced the squad with six receiving touchdowns on his 57 grabs and also took back a pair of punts for scores. Meanwhile, classmate Ricky Jones flirted with adding another 1,000‑yard receiver after coming out of nowhere (he had three career catches before 2015) to gain 906 yards and five scores on 54 receptions. In other words, don't expect Wilson's offense to slow down. The defense man‑ aged to force enough turnovers last year — it tied for 23rd nation‑ ally in turnover margin at plus‑eight — but didn't do much else well, ranking 96th or worse in all four major categories. Former USF coordinator Tom Allen is expected to bring his 4‑2‑5 alignment north to improve a unit with seven returning starters. All seven are linebackers or defensive backs, although a part‑timer is back up front. A better defense could flip last year's 3‑5 re‑ cord in games decided by eight points or less. Four proven linebackers that finished among last year's top nine tacklers are back, which makes the move to just two on the field at a time slightly curious. Redshirt junior Marcus Oliver is the sure thing to start after posting 112 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and two interceptions. Se‑ nior T.J. Simmons and junior Tegray Scales ranked second and third in tackles, combining for 137 stops, 11.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, two interceptions and five passes broken up. Defenders that accounted for 11 of 12 in‑ terceptions last fall return, but that's the best thing one could say about the pass defense. In the FBS, only Arizona State allowed more passing yards per game than Indiana's 313.8. Sophomore safety Jon‑ athan Crawford could be a promising piece to solving that problem, while redshirt junior safety Chase Dutra has proven his ability when healthy (he had three interceptions in 2014). Redshirt junior Grif‑ fin Oakes is a valuable weapon, being named Bakken‑Andersen Big Ten Kicker of the Year after making 24 of 29 field goals, including 6 of 9 from beyond 40 yards, last year. Indiana's offense will once again be one of the Big Ten's most explosive. Whether or not the Hoosiers can build a postseason streak, though, will be determined by the defense. Notes Indiana started 4-0 in 2015, beating all of their non-confer- ence foes, before losing six straight. However, two consecu- tive wins to close the season — on the road at Maryland and Purdue — clinched their first bowl game since 2007 … The Hoosiers were just the fourth FBS team ever to boast a 3,500- yard passer, two 1,000-yard rushers and a 1,000-yard receiver … IU lost by eight points or less to Michigan, Iowa and Ohio State, who went a combined 34-6. ❑ Hoosiers Looking To Make Back-To-Back Bowls For First Time Since 1990-91 GAME 11 • INDIANA • NOV. 19 2016 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2015 Result Sept. 1 at Florida International W, 36-22 Sept. 10 Ball State — Sept. 24 Wake Forest W, 31-24 Oct. 1 Michigan State L, 52-26 Oct. 8 at Ohio State L, 34-27 Oct. 15 Nebraska — Oct. 22 at Northwestern — Oct. 29 Maryland W, 47-28 Nov. 5 at Rutgers L, 55-52 Nov. 12 Penn State L, 29-7 Nov. 19 at Michigan L, 48-41 (2OT) Nov. 26 Purdue W, 54-36 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: U-M leads 55-9 First Meeting: U-M 12, IU 0 (Nov. 3, 1900, at Ann Arbor) Last Meeting: U-M 48, IU 41 — 2OT (Nov. 14, 2015, at Bloomington, Ind.) Head Coach: Kevin Wilson, 20-41 at IU and overall (6th year) Off./Def. Systems: Multiple/Multiple 2015 In Review: 6-7 overall, 2-6 Big Ten (5th East) Final 2014 Ranking: Unranked Returning Starters: 14 (6 offense, 7 defense, 1 specialist) Last Bowl Appearance: 2015 (New Era Pinstripe, vs. Duke, L 44-41) Big Ten Conference Championships (last): 2 (1967) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Zander Diamont (166 yards) Rushing: Devine Redding (1,012 yards, 9 TD) Receiving: Simmie Cobbs Jr. (1,035 yards, 4 TD) Tackles: Marcus Oliver (112) Sacks: T.J. Simmons and Tegray Scales (3) Interceptions: Jonathan Crawford (4) PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense: Devine Redding, Jr., RB — Despite just four starts, he rushed for at least 45 yards in 11 of 13 games … Ran for 501 yards over the final three games while averaging 6.2 yards per carry … Set the Pinstripe Bowl record with 227 rushing yards … Became the 17th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 yards on the ground. Defense: Jonathan Crawford, So., S — Led Hoosiers with four picks and ranked second with 76 tackles and 48 solo stops … Paced the league's true freshmen in all three categories … Added one sack, a forced fumble and a blocked field goal. Fifth-year senior offensive guard Dan Feeney has allowed just one sack in 2,719 college snaps. PHOTO COURTESY INDIANA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS