Gopher Football
Indiana Defense
Indiana’s defense was offensive last season, finishing 102nd in the nation against the pass and 99th against the run. Things should get better in 2005, with 9 starters returning and some new blood coming over from the offense. Led by stud linebacker Kyle Killion, the Hoosier defense is hoping to impress the new coaching staff in the coming months and surprise other Big Ten teams.
Defensive Line
Victor Adeyanju, 6’4″ 270 – Adeyanju has been a solid performer in the past, and fans can expect that trend to continue in 2005. He was second on the team with 9.5 tackles for loss last year, and registered 4 sacks. He is one of the most consistent and reliable defense players for the Hoosiers, having started an amazing 33 straight games.
Russ Richardson, 6’0″ 264 – The undersized Richardson only had 17 tackles in 10 games last season, and wasn’t exactly a force in the middle for Indiana. He is quick, but his size hinders his game to the point that opposing offensive linemen almost never need to send an extra man to help block him.
Greg Brown, 6’3″ 292 – Now this is what people talk about when they say “œinterior lineman”. Brown, a freshman from Centerville, Ohio, has the size to plug up the middle, but doesn’t have the experience just yet. He may take a few games to get into the swing of things, but once he does, he should perform well enough on the inside.
Ben Ishola, 6’3″ 267 – A bit of a surprise on the depth chart, Ishola is set to start over the speedy end Kenny Kendal, who led the team in sacks last season. Ishola is a largely unproven player, but has the skills to develop into a serviceable Big Ten defensive end. Don’t be surprised if Kendal ends up with the starting job on September 3rd, however.
Linebackers
Jake Powers, 6’1″ 225 – Powers, who played in all 11 games last season, will have a permanent starting spot on the outside this year. He wasn’t very effective last year, registering 22 tackles and no tackles for loss. He will have to step up his play this season, as he will be playing next to “¦
John Pannozzo, 5’11″ 233 – A transplanted fullback, Pannozzo will have to prove his worth on the defensive side of the ball early and often. If he doesn’t, Indiana will have a very tough time stopping the run. It has yet to be determined if Pannozzo has the speed to play over the middle, but with his experience on the field, he should be able to adjust.
Kyle Killion, 6’0″ 230 – The undisputed star of the defense, the senior will have to be a leader on every snap. He was second on the team with 107 tackles last season, and led the Hoosiers with 16.5 tackles for loss. An honorable mention All-Big Ten performer last year, he should contend for second team this year.
Defensive Backs
Buster Larkins, 5’11″ 186 – Larkins is the leading tackler in the returning secondary, and the senior will have to play a bit of shut-down corner if the pass defense hopes to improve much. One major concern is his tendency to get beat deep, and with fairly fresh safeties, he can’t let that happen.
Will Lumpkin, 5’10″ 199 – The other senior in the secondary, Lumpkin would have two years of starting experience under his belt were it not for a leg injury in 2003. Lumpkin has to improve if the Hoosiers want to cut down on deep throws.
Aaron Mitchell, 5’11″ 197 – Mitchell has some big shoes to fill, replacing the departed Herana-Daze Jones. He saw playing time in 8 games last season, so it’s not as if he’s going in totally raw. However, he isn’t a huge safety and won’t dominate the middle of the field to the point of changing a game.
Tracy Porter, 5’10″ 170 – Porter burst onto the scene last year against Central Michigan. He ended up cooling off when it came time for Big Ten play, but he still garnered freshman All-Big Ten honors. Porter led the team with 3 interceptions last season, and also had 6 pass deflections, good for second on the team.
What this means for the Gophers
Laurence Maroney should be able to run wild on the Indiana defense, provided he stays away from Killion on enough plays. The interior line is smaller and inexperienced, and two-thirds of the linebacking corps is very raw. Minnesota ought to be able to exploit the Hoosiers weaknesses on defense, run the ball very well, and maybe even throw in a couple nice bombs to Wheelwright.
Schedule
Indiana’s schedule is tough, but a winning record isn’t out of the question. Early snoozers against Central Michigan and Nicholls State will be good warm-ups for the entire team, and a showdown with Kentucky should be winnable. If Indiana can come out of their first five games at 4-1 (with a loss to Wisconsin), they would likely need to upset two of Minnesota, Michigan State, or Purdue to finish above .500. Not that it’s impossible, especially with a new coach and new attitude in Bloomington, but it likely won’t happen.
Prediction ““ 4-7
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