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Indiana Hoosier Pregame #4: Goin’ Down South

Win and come back with a Corvette boys.

By BuffKomodo

I don’t like games against teams that haven’t beat you. It makes me scared. The last time the Indiana Hoosiers played the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, Indiana was lucky to come away with a win. That was then though. Indiana, while reeling recently, is much better. I don’t know much about WKU, but I know I strongly dislike the state commonwealth of Kentucky (except Louisville, you guys are cool). So before I go on a rant about Kentucky that gets this blog taken down….let’s get on with this!

History and Fun Facts

History

  • WKU and IU met for the first time in 2008, with Indiana winning 31-13.
  • WKU accounted for over 10% of Bill Lynch’s wins in his 4 years at IU.
  • The last time these two met in 2015, a Kevin Wilson squad beat the Jeff Brohm squad 38-35.
  • In case you were wondering, and I know you weren’t, the other score was 38-21 in 2010.

Fun Facts

  • Michael Rosenbaum went to Western Kentucky before he took off to Smallville
  • WKU was the 4th university in the country to be declared a “Safe Community” by the National Safety Council
  • WKU is found in Bowling Green, Kentucky, most notable for its being the source of all Corvettes since 1981
  • I have nothing else. It’s rural Kentucky. Not a lot goes on here.

Things to Watch

1) How does Indiana recover from last week?

I saw “recover” in more of a morale-based conversation. Indiana clearly felt they were better. They proved it for 3 quarters. It takes 4 quarters to win though. How does Indiana bounce back from yet another setback, this time on the road against what appears to be a competent opponent? Will they come out flat? That’s what I’ll be watching for.

2) Can the offensive line improve at all?

I mean, I said it in my progress report article. The offensive line has been abysmal. It also appears that there have been few adjustments made other than playing musical positions. Will there finally be some schemes to get the offense going? Particularly of the, “Hey, go long” variety? It seems the short crossing routes are being covered by Hoosier opponents this year, and the o-line can’t keep Penix upright or safe enough for a long route to develop. Let’s see how it goes on Saturday.

3) How many timeouts does Indiana call in the first 5 minutes of the second half?

This is more of an annoyance to me. Indiana called 4 timeouts against Iowa within 2 minutes of gameplay. It may have been 5 in less than 15 total game minutes. I’m not a football coach. I think Tom Allen is actually a pretty good football coach. But for heaven’s sake, what the fuck. It’s annoying. It’s something I’ll be watching for.

In Indiana, We Beat Teams From Kentucky

This is not the game I wish Indiana had this week. We really need another FCS opponent for me to feel good. WKU seems good. Indiana has MASSIVELY underperformed with the spread this year with FBS teams. They’re only favored by 9 on the road. Dear God, if they lose this game, the wheels may just come off quickly.

I truly think Indiana is much better than we’ve seen to this point, and I actually do think there’s been improvement week to week, though it does not feel like it. I think Indiana gets another in the win column, and marches to Happy Valley with a .500 record.

Gametime: 9/25 – 8:00 PM EST – CBS Sports Network