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What I See: Indiana Edition

Mendoza is very good with his legs, especially if he has an open lane directly in front of him and moving forward. On 3rd and short or even 2nd and medium they will run QB draw ALOT especially on 3rd down. IN passing situations if first read isnt there he will peak in front to see if there is open lane and he is quick to take off. I would blitz up middle more to clog those lanes and cause him to move laterally. He struggles a little more getting out of pocket that way and is more prone to take sacks or just throw ball away.

Also their LB have high sack totals and they blitz from depth while stunting line and dropping guys. We struggled last game with guys blitzing from depth, gave up 4 sacks, I would think that is season high. 4 year starter Anez struggled major in game and even Fletcher who is a BEAST on blitz pick up missed one for sack while on the same side as blitzer because the LB came from depth.. We need to do a better job to have a chance.

Both teams mik clock and unless one of us go uptempo this will be a 8/9 series game. Biggest key for us is stopping run, we have to get them off track and put mendoza in true passing situations. Defense has been legit all season, Lets close at home.
 
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skyman said:
Mendoza is very good with his legs, especially if he has an open lane directly in front of him and moving forward. On 3rd and short or even 2nd and medium they will run QB draw ALOT especially on 3rd down. IN passing situations if first read isnt there he will peak in front to see if there is open lane and he is quick to take off. I would blitz up middle more to clog those lanes and cause him to move laterally. He struggles a little more getting out of pocket that way and is more prone to take sacks or just throw ball away.

Also their LB have high sack totals and they blitz from depth while stunting line and dropping guys. We struggled last game with guys blitzing from depth, gave up 4 sacks, I would think that is season high. 4 year starter Anez struggled major in game and even Fletcher who is a BEAST on blitz pick up missed one for sack while on the same side as blitzer because the LB came from depth.. We need to do a better job to have a chance.

Both teams mik clock and unless one of us go uptempo this will be a 8/9 series game. Biggest key for us is stopping run, we have to get them off track and put mendoza in true passing situations. Defense has been legit all season, Lets close at home.
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Spot on and a great thread

They hit OSU for a huge pass which rarely happens against them because they were running the ball decently. Hit them for 50+ on a 3rd and 2

DB had decent coverage really they just executed it perfectly

Keep going back to that Keionte Scott pick 6 against OSU. Likely never happens against Indiana

Can’t really play this type of what if game but Sayin missed a guy wide open dead *** in front of his face in the end zone on the play before the pick 6 but our DL pressure had him scared

Mendoza won’t make that mistake

We’ve been pretty successful moving the ball early in games and even more successful at leaving points on the field. Gotta grab that lead by the neck if we get the chance this week
 
I think their offense presents a **** of a challenge as they do such a good job vertically and running the ball that it’s hard to pick one. Dynamic guys outside and in the RB room.
My thought mainly is if we get coaxed into our checks (see short side tunnel screen) they will be ready just as UL was. I think if Dawson out schemed them at the end of the game we likely won barring a defensive collapse
 
Maybe I’m stupid but I feel confident. If our OL plays smart, and we play Mario ball, I think we can pull out the win. We are the most physical team this year.

Carson needs to be practicing the QB draws and runs all week to get the defense prepped.
 
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Mnhurricane said:
I think their offense presents a **** of a challenge as they do such a good job vertically and running the ball that it’s hard to pick one. Dynamic guys outside and in the RB room.
My thought mainly is if we get coaxed into our checks (see short side tunnel screen) they will be ready just as UL was. I think if Dawson out schemed them at the end of the game we likely won barring a defensive collapse
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Agreed, after watching their games the offensive scheme is very good. They stay on track and ahead of sticks like we do by running the ball primarily inside zone and some duo.. They have a very nice RPO bag also to keep a defense honest and give Mendoza easier reads. Once they cross the 50 they will take shots almost immediately. And in redzone they are very good.

Good challenge for our defense but our defense has faced a ton of top offenses all year and been up to task.. As long as we are relatively healthy we should be good to go. STOP THE RUN. That is everything in their offense and lets see their oline pass pro against our D.
 
LuCane said:
Great thread, as always.

A few things, as I've spread around my game watch observations into different threads:

1. RB situation. I think you're underestimating Kaelon Black. I think he presents a problem, and while he is an old man for a RB, saying he isn't dynamic seems questionable. He has great feet and balance. He's a serious yards after contact threat. He won't hit the same homerun style someone like Lacy did, but he can grind at us for 10+ if we don't correctly fill - LBs and Safeties, this is on you. Against zone concepts, we need those cutbacks openings to be minimized.

2. WR situation. I think describing their WR situation the way you did (as Sarrat and Cooper) significantly misses the guy I'm most worried about: Becker. I'm not sure if you watched all of their games if you look at him as a traditional 50-50 guy - maybe you mean something different than the way I look at 50-50 plays. He's not the traditional back shoulder 50-50 guy - that's Sarrat. Instead, he is the guy in the group who can get vertical quickly and eliminate cushion in the Cover 3, and then uses height, body position, and Mendoza's well-placed throws to simply get to places other DBs cannot.

He is a significant potential problem in Cover 3, so I'm wondering if we mix in quarters or some other looks. I've watched them use him inside down the hashes and to the post (though they do this with Cooper, too). If they slide him inside and use him on corners, we're going to need someone to figure out the concept we got beat on (multiple times) against Ole Miss. It's not exactly a smash concept, but works a lot like it and requires our Safety, LB (depth), and Corner (whether carried vertical or sitting down) to communicate well.

3. OL situation. I'm still at a loss for why their OL is so highly regarded, especially in comparison to other CFP teams like TAMU and OSU. Do they get numbers? Sure, but not because of the actual unit alone. They are good, but they're talked about as "great." Some analyst (I forget which) even compared them favorably to our OL. I haven't seen it.

Carter Smith is not close to the TAMU LT. Plainly. Man for man, I think OSU even had a better OL. So, how did these guys get talked about as if they're elite? I don't know. Some of the OL guys will have to explain it to me, because it's not there when I watched them against PSU, for example, which has DL similar - but not even as good - as our guys.

4. LB situation. #4 is better in the 6 games I've watched so far than you gave credit in your post. I don't know if he's "athletic" or not in traditional ways, but he gets fantastic depth and plays really clean in coverage. He worked inside the hashes as well as any other LB I've watched this year. What you didn't mention that I will: how will these guys do when DUO comes at them and we get Cooper, Mauigoa, and others creeping to the second level? They're all sub-230 and none of them really thump. They play in angles and try to beat you to the spot.

I think your comments about their sim pressure and blitzing matched up with what I saw in the games. I think some of this is mitigated by our splits and how well we have handled lateral movement from pass rushers (including LB). As a basis for comparison, from watching games before our game, I was far, far more impressed with TAMU's ability to get pressure than I was with Indiana's. I was also far more concerned with front 7 matchups against OSU - namely, their NT - than what I've seen from Indiana.

5. Overall. Indiana is clean. They're good. Obviously. They are billed into something I just have not watched in their games. Greatest ever? Come on, how? Their OL is closer to something like ND OL we played earlier in the season. They don't have a secondary like ND had. Their WR group isn't as good as OSU's. Mendoza, in this system and with those WRs, is the best QB we'll face, BUT he doesn't get the ball out as quickly or within the system Ole Miss did, so I'm *less* anxious about our strengths being mitigated than I was against Ole Miss.

Will we beat them? I don't know. But, we should 100% punch with them.

Like is the theme of the season: it will ALL be about tendencies and how much we're prepared and willing to break them.
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Don't disagree with any specifics. I think a big driver of their success is playing clean football with very experienced (if not highly rated) guys all over the field. They may be the oldest average age team in cfb.
 
Cane4life18 said:
Well guys, here we are. One of two teams left playing for a chance to win a natty. Indiana is on the docket this week. Games I decided to watch were the Old Dominion game, Iowa game, Oregon game (Regular Season), Illinois game, Penn State game, Wisconsin game, OSU game, Bama game (Rose Bowl), and Oregon game (Peach Bowl).












https://youtu.be/Lp6c7GdYfCM?si=njf17saLQ_7yMGcN

https://youtu.be/jDmhERQ0pzw?si=R0n7SP5gPmHSNegX

https://youtu.be/L4eNGFuz-20?si=drubEN0aUSm_gqg2

https://youtu.be/Ll10FXn5Jjg?si=86E5xQ2UY8aULrUz


Offense
At QB, Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza is the man in charge. When watching Mendoza one thing you notice is how he really tests defenses vertically. Mendoza averages 9.3ypa, so basically everytime he's putting the ball in the air he's throwing to the sticks. Mendoza is a pretty accurate thrower. His arm strength is next level. He's routinely throwing out routes and comeback routes from opposite hashes. In every game I watched he accounted for a first down with his legs. Mendoza is a opportunistic runner as he isn't looking to run but will run when there's opportunity. Mendoza can hold onto the ball bit too long at times. For a player as smart as he is, I can't recall seeing him throw the ball away once to avoid a sack. You really see this show up in the Wisconsin game where Mendoza sees the defender coming but doesn't get rid of the ball.

At RB, there's two names to know. Roman Hemby (#1) and Kaelon Black (#8). Neither player is dynamic but both are good steady backs that run the ball well for Indiana. Hemby is a north and south type of runner, he makes one cut and gets going. On film you can tell Hemby runs hard and you see him routinely breaking tackles. Hemby is thunder as he hammers defenses with his forceful running style. Hemby has rushed for over 1,000yds on the season and has 7 TDs. Something I found interesting is Hemby has never fumbled in his 5 years of college ball. Black is the more shifter of the two. Black appears more compact and quick on flim. Black is the lightening as he repeatedly gashes teams on film with his quickness. Black has rushed for over 950yds and has accounted for 10TDs on the year. In Kaelon Black's 6 years of college he has never fumbled the football either. Incredible stuff to have 2 backs with at least 450 carries and neither have ever fumbled the football. Khobie Martin(#28) gets occasional spot duty and has rushed for over 500yds on the season. Indiana has a good stable of backs. One area where you saw Indiana run game struggle earlier in the season was on short yardage situations.

At WR, Indiana has a very good duo with Elijah Sarratt(#13) and Omar Cooper Jr.(#3). Similar to their RBs, they're good players but not dynamic talents. Texas A&M's and OSU's WRs are better talents but with lesser QB play. Indiana's WRs are lesser talents but with a hesiman at QB which makes them just a dangerous as Texas A&M's and OSU's WRs in my opinion. To me, Sarratt is WR1. Sarratt is more consistent and doesn’t really have notable drops like Cooper, but Cooper is a bit more explosive on film. Sarratt and Cooper have accounted for nearly 30TDs this season. Indiana's passing game really places an emphasis on stressing teams vertically. In each game I watched of Indiana they had an explosive play in the passing game. Mendoza is great at throwing the backshoulder pass and Sarrat is great at catching it. Charlie Becker has really come on later on in the season. He's showing signs of being a 50-50 monster and another down the field weapon for Mendoza. Becker has 600yds on only 30 catches, he averages 20yds a catch(insane number that highlights his explosiveness). EJ Williams rounds out the group as he'saccounted for 400yds and 6TDs. Overall this is a really good group.

At TE Riley Nowakowski(#37) is the name to know. He's a solid player that kind of reminds of Lofton. He will get after it on run plays.

Indiana has a good OL. The strenght of their line is the left side. Carter Smith is their All-Conference LT. Their center Pat Coogan was a transfer from ND that started on ND's great OL from last season. Their RT and RG battle for weakest link on the line. Their RT is a true freshman. Indiana plays with physicality but surprisingly struggled with short yardage situations earlier in the season. They've improved as the season went on but seeing them struggle to get push on ODU's front to bullying Bama and Oregon at times on the LOS is impressive. OSU put a beating on the RT and Coogan struggled blocking Kayden McDonald more than Brockermyer. Indiana is a heavy zone team with a few power concepts.

Defense
The strenght of Indiana's defense is the front seven on defense and that starts with their DL. The names to know on their DL is Mario Landino(#97), Mikail Kamara(#6), Tyrique Tucker(#95), Kellan Wyatt (#13), and Dominique Ratcliff (#91). Something of note, Indiana's best lineman, Stephen Daley, got hurt in a freak accident while celebrating the OSU win with fans and hasn't played since. One narrative that I've been hearing is how small Indiana is on the lines but but they have adequate size to be a problem for teams with their penetrating style of defense.

Some measurables:
- Tucker(6'0, 295lbs)
- Landino(6'4, 275lbs)
- Wyatt(6'2, 262)
- Kamara(6'1, 265)
- Ratcliff(6'3 295lbs)

Indiana's DL can be stout at times and there's times where you see teams get a good push on them. I will say that what Indiana's DL gives up in size they makeup for it with speed and they use that speed to their advantage. Indiana likes stunt and shift on most downs to create confusion for OLs. You do see on film that if a team can properly block the stunts and blitzes Indiana does struggle generating a passrush headup. Overall, there's no one dominate player in this group but as a unit they're strong. They play hard and compete.

The best unit on Indiana's defense is their LBers. Aiden Fisher(#4) leads this group at MLB. Fisher was a 2nd team AP All-American. On the broadcast they talk about how smart Fisher is and you can tell he's like a coach on the field because he's always setting the defense, making the adjustments and calling out alert before the snap. His athleticism doesn't impress me but he doesn't take false steps and flows well to the ball. Next up is Rolijah Hardy (#21). Hardy flashes impressive closing speed. Hardy plays very fast and can run sideline to sideline. One knock I have on Hardy is his size, he looks small. Hardy is Indiana's sack leader with 8 on the season. Last of the group is Isaiah Jones(#46). He's second on the team in sacks with 7. Jones looks the part on film. Indiana loves to simulate(showing blitz) pressure and sending their LBer blitzes. Indiana's LBers account for more than 40% of the team's total sacks(18.5/45). Indiana mainly operates their defense out of a 4-3 look but can play multiple at times because of how good their LBers are.

Indiana has a good secondary that does a good job of turning over the ball as the starters have accounted for 16 turnovers(14Ints and 2FF) on the season. It starts with a familiar name to the board, D'Angelo Ponds(#5). Ponds played at Chaminade and has been discussed as a transfer target for us in the past. Ponds isn't the biggest corner(5'9, 170) but he's Indiana's CB1. Indiana trusted Ponds so much that they were putting him on Jeremiah Smith in man coverage. Ponds has caused a turnover in each of the past 2 games, the force fumbled against Alabama and the pick six on the first play of the Oregon game. Ponds is sticky in coverage but his size limitations do leave him susceptible to certain mismatches on the outside. Opposite of Ponds is Devan Boykin(#12). Boykin was a part of the NC State team that picked off TVD multiple times in 2023 and Boykin had one of those ints. One thing that really stood to me about Boykin is his physicality. He'll throw his body around and Indiana will blizt him. Safety Louis Moore(#7) is another name to know, he's a ball hawk and is 3rd on the team in tackles. Moore leads Indiana with 7ints on the season. Moore does a good job of playing the ball and has good instincts. Watch the int he got OSU. He pulled a savvy move by hiding himself behind the ref to obscure the view of Sayin and became the robber once the ball was snapped, Sayin never saw him and threw the pick. Amare Ferrell(#1) has accounted for 4ints. He's a long safety(6'2) that has solid coverage ability but sometimes jumps routes and can get caught with bad eyes(watch the TD he gave up against Illinois). Another name that will sound familiar to some of you on the boards is Jamari Sharpe(#22). Sharpe played at Miami Northwestern. Sharpe is a long corner(6'1) with legit speed. Teams tend to attack Sharpe.

Special Teams
Indiana's Kicker, Nico Radicic, is solid. He's 16/17 on the year. The only question I have is his legs strenght. He hasn't kicked a FG longer than 46yds this season. On FGs longer than 50yds, Indiana will actually use their other kicker Brendan Franke.

Indiana's punter is average as he averages 41yds a punt this season.


Key Takeaways
As good as Mendoza has been this season, he's had mediocre games against ODU, Iowa, PSU and OSU. Our defense has to know he isn't some demigod that the media is making him out to be. In my opinion, he'll be the second best QB we've seen during the CFP with Trinidad Chambliss being the best.

Indiana will run deep vertical routes, our DL will have opportunities and time to get to Mendoza. Get. Home.

The right side of Indiana's OL is the weak side of their line. We need attack that side. The RT is a true freshman that struggled mightily against Canden Curry. #3 and #4 need to dominate him. Get. Home.

Iowa sacked him 3 times. PSU sacked him 3 times, Wisconsin sacked him 5 times. OSU sacked him 3 times, and Bama sacked him 3 times. Our DL needs to get home on Mendoza. Hit him and make sure he feels the presence of this Corey Heather Heathermen defense.

Mendoza has ripped multiple 15+ yd runs this season. He needs to be properly introduced to Toure, Jakobe, and Zachariah if he chooses to do so. Wesley should also reintroduce himself to Mendoza.

I'm not sure how to stop it but we have to slow down that backshoulder pass between Sarratt and Mendoza.

Charlie Becker has really come on strong for Indiana's last couple of games. We need to slow him down.

We cannot lose all of the 50-50 balls to Sarratt, Cooper and Becker. We need to hold steady and win some of those battles.

We need to limit Indiana's run game. Slowing down Hemby and Black will be key to stalling Indiana's offense.

Indiana ran over Alabama and Oregon with the games being over before halftime, we need drag Indiana into a dog fight. Keep the game close or have the lead going into the half.

This is the best defense Indiana has played this season. Against quality defenses like Iowa and OSU they were held to 20 and 13 points respectively.

Last week, the defense dropped 4 potential interceptions, we cannot have that this week. We need to capitalize on Indiana's mistakes.

Carson Beck needs to make sure he's not routinely deciding where to go with the ball pre-snap because Indiana loves to rotate and drop their safeties post snap.

Indiana's backend has been good at creating turnovers, Carson needs to continue his clean play.

If our OL can handle the stunting, slanting and twisting along the DL well I think our passing game will have a good night.

If our OL can handle the DL games and pickup the blitzes well, I can see us rushing for 150+ yds on the night. Because of our size and strength up front, if we can block it up I can see us mauling Indiana.

I wouldn't be surprised to Brockermyer have a good game. Indiana doesn't have the 6'5 320lb bodytypes that tend to give Brockermyer trouble. This is more of a game where Brockermyer's skillset(intelligence and technique) can excel.

Indiana's defense reminds me of Pitt's except with more zone concepts.

Indiana keeps 3LBers on the field at all times. I'd like to see Dawson scheme Malachi onto a LBer on 3rd down.

Dawson needs to be in his bag this week. Indiana is exceptional at keying in on a team's tendencies and taking it away. Dawson needs to have a couple tendency breakers drawn up.

The most points a team has scored on Indiana this year is 24(PSU). I think we'll surpass that number.

We cannot have dumb penalties this week and expect to win against this Indiana team. We have to play a clean game.

Physicality is ultimately the main key to this game. We need to be the more physical team. Our physicality will only augment our size and strenght advantage. Indiana hasn't faced a team as physical as us all year. From the first play to the last play we need to set the tone.

Let's go win a chip boys!

As always, let me know what you guys see......
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Also want to add that I know you didnt watch Mich St. or Maryland games (which I understand, because B1G ball is ugh) but one thing I noticed is MSU spammed RB screens on them to some good success.. They had a probably best passing game overall all season against IU but it was part of their game plan for sure. Maryland struggled to do anything but did him them for about 40 yard screen also, In UO game they had a nice screen setup but RB lost balance..

I know many have been screaming for years but Dawson doesnt seem to run RB slip screens at all since he been here, my gawd this might be the time to run a couple since I am sure they will key our other screens lol..
 
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Common Opponent
OSU held Indiana to 65% completion, 46% on 3rd downs, 1 INT, 91 rushing
OSU held Miami to 73% completion, 50% on 3rd downs, 0 INT, 161 rushing

Indiana held OSU to 73% completion, 33% on 3rd downs, 1 INT, 58 rushing allowed ypg
Miami held OSU to 63% completion, 30% on 3rd downs, 2 INT, 45 rushing allowed ypg

Defensive Stats
Indiana: 62% completion, 30.3% on 3rd downs, 1.29/g INT, 75 rushing allowed ypg
Miami: 60% completion, 30.8% on 3rd downs, 1.06/g INT, 86 rushing allowed ypg
OSU: 61% completion, 30.7% on 3rd downs, .57/g INT, 89 rushing allowed ypg

Offensive Stats
Indiana season: 73% completion, 58% on 3rd downs, .43/g INT, 218 rushing ypg
Miami season: 73% completion, 46% on 3rd downs, .73/g INT, 154 rushing ypg
OSU season: 77% completion, 53% on 3rd downs, .57/g INT, 154 rushing ypg

Variance Offense
Indiana -8% completion, -12% on 3rd downs, -.57 INT, -127rushing
Miami 0% completion, +4% on 3rd downs, +.73 INT, +7 rushing

Variance Defense
Indiana +11% completion, +2.7% 3rd downs, -.29 INT, -17 rushing
Miami +3% completion, +.8% 3rd downs, +.94 INT, -41 rushing

These teams are very evenly matched. Indiana was held well below their average by OSU, especially rushing. Can Miami hold Indiana to even less? If that answer is Yes, the path for an Indiana victory is much narrower as Bain, Mesidor, Lightfoot, and Blount get to head hunt against that right side of Indiana.
 
skyman said:
Agreed, after watching their games the offensive scheme is very good. They stay on track and ahead of sticks like we do by running the ball primarily inside zone and some duo.. They have a very nice RPO bag also to keep a defense honest and give Mendoza easier reads. Once they cross the 50 they will take shots almost immediately. And in redzone they are very good.

Good challenge for our defense but our defense has faced a ton of top offenses all year and been up to task.. As long as we are relatively healthy we should be good to go. STOP THE RUN. That is everything in their offense and lets see their oline pass pro against our D.
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I didn’t look into this further how it compares to others but this will be the 8th top 30 offense we face this year

That’s pretty wild
 
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