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Indiana heads to Illinois for the first time since 2012 on Saturday, Nov. 11. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CST. The game is televised on BTN. The teams are meeting for the first time since 2013.
First year head coach Tom Allen engineered one of the top defensive turnarounds nationally one year ago in his debut campaign as IU defensive coordinator. In 2017, Indiana is second nationally averaging 6.2 three-and-outs per game. Linebacker Tegray Scales earned second team All-America honors from SI.com in 2016.
Indiana offensive coordinator Mike DeBord was Lovie Smith’s tight ends coach with the Chicago Bears from 2010-12. He uses a spread attack at Indiana and the Hoosiers rank fifth in the Big Ten in passing offense. Wide receiver Simmie Cobss, a former Illinois prep star, is tied for the Big Ten lead in receptions.
Orange and Blue News caught up with Stu Jackson from TheHoosier.com to get the lowdown on Indiana ahead of Saturday's game. Follow Stu Jackson on Twitter @StuJTH. F0llow TheHoosier.com @IndianaRivals.
Illinois and Indiana hook up for the first time since 2013 when Kevin Wilson was in his third season as head coach and Tevin Coleman led a strong Hoosiers rushing attack. What has changed with Tom Allen as head coach? It appears the identity of this team has changed considerably.
Under Allen, Indiana still plays an up-tempo offense, but the defense improved substantially compared to what many Illinois fans may remember. I don’t know that it’s a radically different identity compared to the previous staff, but there is greater balance in terms of talent on both offense and defense.
Injuries have taken a toll on the Hoosiers. What is the status of redshirt freshman quarterback Peyton Ramsey? How is the outlook different with Richard Lagow starting? Who are some other key players who are either out again, or could return to the field on Saturday vs. Illinois and make an impact?
Ramsey’s availability for Saturday remains up in the air. He managed to get some light work in on Sunday, but I would still consider his status questionable. With Lagow starting, Indiana gets a quarterback with a stronger arm but accuracy issues as well. He has some mobility, but not as much as Ramsey. Ramsey is much more effective at extending plays and moving around the pocket.
Cornerback A’Shon Riggins could potentially return. He played in every game except the bowl game opposite redshirt senior cornerback Rashard Fant last year, so I’d peg Riggins as an impact player if he’s available because of his experience.
Illinois missed on tight end Simmie Cobbs coming out of Oak Park River Forest in the Chicago area in 2014. Talk about the big season Cobbs is having and how much he means to the offense. Who are some other playmakers to watch on that side of the ball?
Indiana leans on Cobbs a lot. At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, his size can create matchup problems in man coverage, especially in the red zone where he tends to get a lot of targets. He has 59 catches for 662 yards and six touchdowns this year, which is remarkable considering he missed all of last year after injuring his ankle on his first snap of the 2016 season.
His role was already important with IU’s leading returning receiver Nick Westbrook (6-3, 215) suffering a season-ending knee injury on the season-opening kickoff, but Cobbs become even more critical for this offense with IU’s other outside receiver Donovan Hale (6-4, 225) out for the remainder of the year due to injury.
As far as other playmakers on offense, keep an eye on 6-5, 248-pound tight end Ian Thomas. He has the size and speed to be an NFL tight end and can create matchup problems as well.
Allen's entire coaching career has been in on the defensive side of the ball. How has his promotion to head coach impacted the Hoosiers defense? What scheme does Indiana play, and who are some of the defenders that Illinois fans should be aware of?
It really hasn’t had that big of an impact. He’s still the defensive coordinator and balances that with his head coaching responsibilities.
Indiana plays a 4-2-5 scheme, and I’d keep an eye on Fant, linebackers Tegray Scales and Chris Covington and husky Tony Fields. Fields plays the hybrid linebacker/safety position within the defense, while Scales tends to make the majority of run-stopping plays.
Covington is essentially the quarterback of the defense, making the reads and calls. Fant is IU’s most experienced defensive back and usually matches up with an opponent’s top wide receiver.
How do you expect the game to play out on Saturday? Keys to the game? Final score?
Given Indiana’s struggles on the road in Big Ten play, I expect this to be a close game. Indiana will need to create takeaways defensively (interceptions, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries) in order to flip the field and put less pressure on the offense, which due to injuries and other factors has struggled at times this season. Offensively, Indiana needs to get the run game going, and that hasn’t been easy behind an inexperienced offensive line.
I’ll go with Indiana 24, Illinois 21.
