Minnesota (6-2 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) at Indiana (3-4 overall, 1-2 Big Ten)
Bloomington, Indiana – Memorial Stadium (52,929)
Saturday 2:30 a.m. CT – BTN
Spread: Indiana -8.5
PREGAME NOTES
Series History
Minnesota holds a 37-25-3 edge in the all-time series. The Gophers have struggled when playing in Bloomington, posting a 6-16-2 record. Minnesota’s last road win at Indiana was a 42-21 victory in 2005.
Last Meeting
The two teams haven’t been pitted against each other since the 2008 season, when Minnesota bested Indiana, 16-7, at the Metrodome. Eric Decker turned in a dominating performance, snagging 13 receptions for 190 yards. Running back Shady Solomon scored the only touchdown for Minnesota on a one-yard plunge in the first quarter.
Season to Date
Despite a 3-4 overall record and 1-2 conference mark, putting up points hasn’t been the issue for the Hoosiers. Averaging over 42 points per contest, Indiana has had trouble stopping their opponents, allowing 37 points per game. The Hoosiers have lost to some tough opponents including unbeaten Missouri, as well as Michigan and Michigan State. The biggest win of Indiana’s season came early in October when they thumped Penn State 44-24 behind 321 yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Nate Sudfeld.
Last Time Out
Like many of Minnesota’s opponents this year, the Hoosiers will be coming off a bye week; having last played against Michigan on October 19. That Big Ten matchup was an absolute shootout ending in a 63-47 victory for the Wolverines. Quarterback Devin Gardner gashed the Hoosiers through the air, racking 503 yards and two touchdowns. As a defense, Indiana allowed 751 total yards of offense for the Wolverines. With an extra week to prepare for the Gophers, don’t expect this to look like the same defense that fans saw against the Maize and Blue.
Coaching Preview
Kevin Wilson is in his third season as the head coach at Indiana, where he has complied an 8-23 record.
Prior to becoming a head coach, Wilson spent nine years at Oklahoma, where he served as the offensive co- or offensive coordinator. Over Wilson’s tenure at OU, 26 offensive players were drafted into the NFL, including Adrian Peterson, Sam Bradford, Demarco Murray and Phil Loadholt.
Stopping Indiana
Indiana is among the most explosive offenses in the country thanks to a solid gameplan and top-notch athletes. Through six games, the Hoosiers rank tenth in the country with over 342 passing yards per game.
“Passing-game wise, they’ll be similar to San Jose State; spreading the field out and throwing it around like that,” said Claeys. “They got a better running game than San Jose State does but passing-game wise, that’s what it’ll be similar to.”
Indiana likes to spread the field and throw short passes to let their speedy wide receivers find space. The duo of Cody Latimer and Kofi Hughes has combined for 1094 receiving yards and nine scores on the year. If the Gophers want to stifle the potent Indiana passing attack, they will have to find a way to tackle in the open field.
“I think they have 50-something plays over 20 yards so you need to contain the big play and not give them the big play,” said Claeys. “You can’t really get concerned about some of the yardage because they do the quick short throws and they make you tackle in space. If we can keep the ball in front of us and play well on third down then I think we can limit the scoring a little bit. I don’t know that you can stop them.”
The Hoosiers have the advantage of being home to an explosive running back that can make defenses pay for selling out on the pass. Former Gopher recruiting target Tevin Coleman is averaging over six yards per carry and has found the endzone nine times this year.
“[Tevin] Coleman is a kid that we looked at coming out of high school,” said Claeys. “He averages, I think, over six yards a carry. They, more or less, use the pass to set up the run. They’re more than capable of keeping you off-balance. They scored 47 points versus Michigan. A lot of that had to do with Michigan getting caught in pass defense and [Indiana] handed the ball off. [Coleman] is fast. Michigan State, he split their defense, and they didn’t catch him over a 50- or 60-yard run. He’s a good athlete and we’ll have to make sure that we respect the run and not give him a two-way go because then you’re really in trouble.”
Coming off a tough loss and a bye week, the Hoosier offense will certainly be ready to play on Saturday.
“We’re going there on homecoming,” said Claeys. “They’ve had a bye week so they have two weeks to prepare and fresh legs. We have a tremendous challenge in front of us this week.”
Matchup to Watch
Although one of the most intriguing matchups could be Indiana’s wide receivers going against Minnesota’s secondary, the best way for the Gophers to limit the Hoosier offense is to establish their own running game. Against Nebraska, Minnesota was physically dominant on offense, opening up running lanes for David Cobb and Philip Nelson to stay on the field and chew up the clock. With Indiana’s quick-score ability, the Gophers will need to be able to pick up big chunks of yards on the ground to keep the ball out of the hands of the Hoosiers’ potent offense.
“I know they’ve struggled on defense,” said Claeys. “I haven’t really had a chance to watch them but I think running the football has been their issue. Hopefully we can have a little success running the football. That should also limit the number of snaps they get to take on offense. The best way to defend them is to have your offense on the field, there’s no question.”
Players to Watch
#3 Cody Latimer – The Indiana roster is chock-full of prolific wide receivers—so full it’s unprecedented. The Hoosiers are the first team in Big Ten history, with five 1,000-yard pass-catchers playing together at one time. The number-one target for IU quarterbacks this season has been senior Cody Latimer. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder leads the team 40 receptions for 64 yards and four touchdowns.
#24 Tim Bennett – Unlike Indiana signal-callers, Gopher quarterbacks have struggled this season with passing efficiency and consistency. That may continue if they decide to test cornerback Tim Bennett on Saturday. While Bennett has notched only one interception, he leads the nation with 16 PBUs this season. Despite his size—only 5-foot-9—Bennett is a tenacious defender in run support. He ranks second on the team with 52 tackles. The Minnesota offense will need to be wary of No. 24 on Saturday.
Background
Location: Bloomington, Indiana
Enrollment: 42,081
Conference: Big Ten
Mascot: Hoosiers
Colors: Cream and Crimson
Coach: Kevin Wilson (3rd Season)