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Twenty-two years after its last national championship appearance, Miami has finally returned to the promised land. You would think it'd be a bigger story, but outside of Miami, the story is mostly about the Cinderella, yet don't want to be the Cinderella Indiana Hoosiers. To be clear, what Indiana has accomplished in two short years is remarkable. Once known as one of the worst college football programs in history, this program is now competing for a national championship two years into Kurt Cignetti's tenure. 15-0, they have even been labeled by some as the reincarnation of 2019 LSU. Nevertheless, looks can be deceiving, and behind the aura of invincibility that the media has assigned to this Hoosier team, there is a clear path to victory for Miami. Over the past week, like many of you, I've rewatched many of Indiana's games to get an idea of that team's identity, strengths, and weaknesses. To my surprise, I was not expecting what I actually saw on film. Here are some thoughts on our national championship opponent.
-ODU: This was an early-season game, so some of the tendencies that were present for Indiana have been ironed out since. However, I was surprised at the lack of apparent physicality from Indiana, compared to a G5 opponent. ODU's QB ran all over them, despite his offense having almost no passing game. Against a G5 opponent, you'd expect an elite team to pound them (like Miami did USF). However, that just wasn't the case. Also, as is the trend for Indiana, they live off of turnovers. ODU had three in this game.
-Iowa: This was probably the most surprising game of theirs on re-watch. Iowa met Indiana blow for blow. There wasn't any apparent physical edge. Iowa's defense kept Indiana in check just about all game. Again, though, Iowa made two costly TOs that led to Indiana points. Additionally, Indiana had some luck, as Iowa QB Mark Gronowski went down with an injury in the late 3Q/early 4Q. His backup proceeded to go 5/18, 48 yds, and 1-INT. As for Indiana's O, Mendoza had an alright game. He benefits a lot from WRs that seem to win 90% of those 50/50 balls. Did throw a terrible pick, and this was also a game where you saw some of Mendoza's bad tendencies. He tends to panic when his first read isn't there. He also does this thing where he scrambles/rolls out to throw, jumps in the air, then sidearms a pass. It's odd because, by doing that, the throw has very little power and is going at most 5-10 yards. Also, Mendoza gets hit A LOT. Overall, this is a game that Iowa should've won. Two crucial TOs and not being able to finish made all the difference in the world.
-Oregon (1st Game): This is the game that convinced me that Oregon was a fraud (which ended up being right), but there's still a bit to glean here. Again, this is a game defined by solid execution vs sloppiness and lack of poise. Physically, both teams matched up pretty well. I didn't get the impression that Indiana was so much more physical than Oregon. However, Oregon couldn't get out of its own way. Dante Moore was terrible, throwing two interceptions. Additionally, Oregon could not do anything on the ground, with only 81 yds on 30 attempts. Indiana has excelled against one-dimensional offenses. Again, sloppy play and turnovers cost Oregon a potential win. Credit to Indiana, as they always seem to capitalize on mistakes.
-Penn State: Like the past few games I've discussed, Indiana didn't have any apparent physical edge over Penn State. This game was the battle that shouldn't have been. Indiana nearly blew a two-score lead, and won on a miraculous throw and catch. One reason why this was so close: Penn State was balanced on Offense. Ethan Grunkmeyer outplayed Mendoza, and Penn State's running game was consistently good. Again, though, two Penn State turnovers and an inability to finish cost them this win. Lots of won 50/50 balls for Indiana as well. Their top two WRs are great. Their running game also did damage and moved the chains. Mendoza, like in the past few games was good, not great.
-Ohio State: Genuinely the most what the **** game I've ever re-watched, because I genuinely do not understand how OSU lost this game. First, OSU was inside the ten about three times and scored a whopping three points. They also missed a chip-shot field goal and failed to convert on a crucial fourth down. After the 8-minute mark in the 3Q, neither team put up any more points. Mendoza had a good game, but was outplayed by Julian Sayin. The difference maker here was OSU's failure to execute in the redzone, and the complete abandonment of their run game. I do not understand why they completely went away from Bo Jackson. Indiana's WRs also had a phenomenal game, winning a bunch of 50/50 balls. Their running game was also solid and moved the chains.
All in all, watching this team, I came to a few conclusions. First, they are nowhere near 2019 LSU like some in the media are saying. In fact, I think this is the most hyped any team has been coming into the CFP Natty. 2019 LSU bludgeoned Georgia, Oklahoma, and Clemson to win a natty. Those were very good to great teams that deserved to be in the CFP. The comparison is being made because IU bludgeoned Alabama and Oregon. As we all know, Alabama was not a CFP-caliber team this year. One-dimensional on offense, and soft on defense. The same can be said for Oregon, who were one dimensional on Offense and couldn't match Indiana blow for blow. 2019 Regular Season LSU also bludgeoned several teams. Indiana was in a dogfight with every team it played that had a comparable level of talent or physicality. Beating up on the bottom of the BIG 10 is giving them more hype than it should. Third, they are thin on defense. One thing that stood out to me is that they don't really rotate guys in. There's about 13-15 guys that play on their D, and that's it.
All things considered, we will be the best team that they have played all year. We have a level of violence and physicality on defense that they have yet to see. We also arguably have the best offense they've played, as we're balanced. Alabama and Oregon got blown out because they couldn't run the ball if their life depended on it. Balance is key here. We need to lean on our OL and keep the chains moving. They almost always play zone, so there will be opportunities for Daniels and Marion in the short passing game. Speaking of our OL, I do not believe IU matches up with us well in the trenches. We are far bigger than them there. We also need to hit Mendoza early and often. He predetermines a good amount of his throws, so Thomas and Scott will have a few opportunities to jump one.
This IU team is extremely well-coached and executes at a high level. They live off of mistakes and miscues. We need to play our best game of the year. We win if we (1) Run effectively, (2) don't turn the ball over, and (3) get to Mendoza early and often. Dawson needs to just run our offense (no cute ****), and our D needs to be violent. This IU team isn't built to win from behind, so if we can get up early they're in trouble. All in all, if we play our A game we win. IU is very good, but they're not the behemoth the media is making them out to be. This isn't to say we coast, but they're very beatable, and I wouldn't be surprised if we won by 10+. Go Canes and bring home #6.
-ODU: This was an early-season game, so some of the tendencies that were present for Indiana have been ironed out since. However, I was surprised at the lack of apparent physicality from Indiana, compared to a G5 opponent. ODU's QB ran all over them, despite his offense having almost no passing game. Against a G5 opponent, you'd expect an elite team to pound them (like Miami did USF). However, that just wasn't the case. Also, as is the trend for Indiana, they live off of turnovers. ODU had three in this game.
-Iowa: This was probably the most surprising game of theirs on re-watch. Iowa met Indiana blow for blow. There wasn't any apparent physical edge. Iowa's defense kept Indiana in check just about all game. Again, though, Iowa made two costly TOs that led to Indiana points. Additionally, Indiana had some luck, as Iowa QB Mark Gronowski went down with an injury in the late 3Q/early 4Q. His backup proceeded to go 5/18, 48 yds, and 1-INT. As for Indiana's O, Mendoza had an alright game. He benefits a lot from WRs that seem to win 90% of those 50/50 balls. Did throw a terrible pick, and this was also a game where you saw some of Mendoza's bad tendencies. He tends to panic when his first read isn't there. He also does this thing where he scrambles/rolls out to throw, jumps in the air, then sidearms a pass. It's odd because, by doing that, the throw has very little power and is going at most 5-10 yards. Also, Mendoza gets hit A LOT. Overall, this is a game that Iowa should've won. Two crucial TOs and not being able to finish made all the difference in the world.
-Oregon (1st Game): This is the game that convinced me that Oregon was a fraud (which ended up being right), but there's still a bit to glean here. Again, this is a game defined by solid execution vs sloppiness and lack of poise. Physically, both teams matched up pretty well. I didn't get the impression that Indiana was so much more physical than Oregon. However, Oregon couldn't get out of its own way. Dante Moore was terrible, throwing two interceptions. Additionally, Oregon could not do anything on the ground, with only 81 yds on 30 attempts. Indiana has excelled against one-dimensional offenses. Again, sloppy play and turnovers cost Oregon a potential win. Credit to Indiana, as they always seem to capitalize on mistakes.
-Penn State: Like the past few games I've discussed, Indiana didn't have any apparent physical edge over Penn State. This game was the battle that shouldn't have been. Indiana nearly blew a two-score lead, and won on a miraculous throw and catch. One reason why this was so close: Penn State was balanced on Offense. Ethan Grunkmeyer outplayed Mendoza, and Penn State's running game was consistently good. Again, though, two Penn State turnovers and an inability to finish cost them this win. Lots of won 50/50 balls for Indiana as well. Their top two WRs are great. Their running game also did damage and moved the chains. Mendoza, like in the past few games was good, not great.
-Ohio State: Genuinely the most what the **** game I've ever re-watched, because I genuinely do not understand how OSU lost this game. First, OSU was inside the ten about three times and scored a whopping three points. They also missed a chip-shot field goal and failed to convert on a crucial fourth down. After the 8-minute mark in the 3Q, neither team put up any more points. Mendoza had a good game, but was outplayed by Julian Sayin. The difference maker here was OSU's failure to execute in the redzone, and the complete abandonment of their run game. I do not understand why they completely went away from Bo Jackson. Indiana's WRs also had a phenomenal game, winning a bunch of 50/50 balls. Their running game was also solid and moved the chains.
All in all, watching this team, I came to a few conclusions. First, they are nowhere near 2019 LSU like some in the media are saying. In fact, I think this is the most hyped any team has been coming into the CFP Natty. 2019 LSU bludgeoned Georgia, Oklahoma, and Clemson to win a natty. Those were very good to great teams that deserved to be in the CFP. The comparison is being made because IU bludgeoned Alabama and Oregon. As we all know, Alabama was not a CFP-caliber team this year. One-dimensional on offense, and soft on defense. The same can be said for Oregon, who were one dimensional on Offense and couldn't match Indiana blow for blow. 2019 Regular Season LSU also bludgeoned several teams. Indiana was in a dogfight with every team it played that had a comparable level of talent or physicality. Beating up on the bottom of the BIG 10 is giving them more hype than it should. Third, they are thin on defense. One thing that stood out to me is that they don't really rotate guys in. There's about 13-15 guys that play on their D, and that's it.
All things considered, we will be the best team that they have played all year. We have a level of violence and physicality on defense that they have yet to see. We also arguably have the best offense they've played, as we're balanced. Alabama and Oregon got blown out because they couldn't run the ball if their life depended on it. Balance is key here. We need to lean on our OL and keep the chains moving. They almost always play zone, so there will be opportunities for Daniels and Marion in the short passing game. Speaking of our OL, I do not believe IU matches up with us well in the trenches. We are far bigger than them there. We also need to hit Mendoza early and often. He predetermines a good amount of his throws, so Thomas and Scott will have a few opportunities to jump one.
This IU team is extremely well-coached and executes at a high level. They live off of mistakes and miscues. We need to play our best game of the year. We win if we (1) Run effectively, (2) don't turn the ball over, and (3) get to Mendoza early and often. Dawson needs to just run our offense (no cute ****), and our D needs to be violent. This IU team isn't built to win from behind, so if we can get up early they're in trouble. All in all, if we play our A game we win. IU is very good, but they're not the behemoth the media is making them out to be. This isn't to say we coast, but they're very beatable, and I wouldn't be surprised if we won by 10+. Go Canes and bring home #6.
