Quarterbacks: C+
This will be a theme for Indiana’s offensive grades: the unit played poorly against Ohio State and well against Indiana State. Tayven Jackson and Brendan Sorsby exemplified that.
The redshirt freshmen could not get anything going against the Buckeyes, both running and passing. OSU is an obviously talented defense, and IU’s conservative game plan made it even harder for the quarterbacks to make an impact. We started to see more of what Jackson and Sorsby can do against Indiana State, as both guys played well. Neither was perfect, and a lot of FBS quarterbacks would look good against that FCS-level defense. But they both looked good on Friday.
IU head coach Tom Allen said he and his coaching staff will evaluate the first two games and select one quarterback to roll with going forward for the Louisville game. Whoever wins the job will need to continue to improve. It’s hard to expect IU’s offense to play like it did against Indiana State every week, but it needs to be better than it was against Ohio State.
Running backs: B
Indiana’s running backs were not immune from the overall offensive struggles against Ohio State. But Jaylin Lucas and Josh Henderson reminded us what they’re capable of against Indiana State. Lucas was nearly unstoppable when he got to the edge, exploiting that for two first-quarter touchdowns. He totaled 88 yards on 10 carries, and caught four passes for 39 yards. Henderson had a solid game as well, with 12 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown, and three receptions for 55 yards. Christian Turner led IU with 29 rushing yards against OSU, but found less success against ISU, though he did score a touchdown.
This group just needs to show it can perform at a similarly high level against higher-quality opponents, with some consistency.
Wide receivers: B-
The wide receivers may have been the biggest victims of IU’s conservative strategy against Ohio State. The Hoosiers recorded 33 rush attempts to 21 pass attempts, with only nine completions. Two of those completed passes went to running backs. So the opportunities just weren’t really existent for Indiana’s stable of receivers to impact the game. Cam Camper was the only wideout to record more than one reception against OSU.
Friday was another story, as Jackson and Sorsby combined to complete 27 of 37 pass attempts. Several became highlight-reel plays, like Camper’s diving grab or Omar Cooper Jr.’s 31-yard catch. Cooper came into the game without a reception in his career, and left with his first 100-yard game.
Camper and E.J. Williams left Friday’s game, and if either miss any games ahead, it would impact this group’s outlook. But as it stands, there’s no reason to think this group is any less talented than expected entering the season.
Tight ends: C
IU’s tight ends, thus far, just have a smaller role in the offense. They were essentially non-factors against Ohio State. James Bomba caught two passes for 16 yards against Indiana State, and Bradley Archer added a 12-yard reception. Archer has chipped in on the blocking side as well. The tight ends haven’t done anything egregiously wrong, but it’s hard to give them a high grade with such a limited role through two games.
Offensive line: B+
The offensive line has done a good job of protecting the quarterbacks so far. IU has allowed just one sack in each game, and neither OSU nor ISU recorded a quarterback hurry. The Buckeyes hit Indiana quarterbacks just twice all game.
The Hoosiers’ running game trouble against OSU falls, at least, partially on the offensive line, as there weren’t a lot of lanes available for the running backs. Ohio State is not an easy opponent to move around in the trenches, though. IU had much more space to run on Friday, albeit against a much weaker defensive line. The Louisville game could be a good barometer for just how improved this offensive line really is. But early returns have been positive.
Defensive line: A-
The defensive line has been rotating a good amount in these first few games, but it’s been working.
IU bottled up Ohio State’s run game reasonably well, holding both Miyan Williams and TreyVeon Henderson to under four yards per carry. The Buckeyes, as a team, finished at 4.6 yards per carry — they finished lower than that in just three games last season. Indiana State’s offense struggled heavily, and IU’s dominance in the trenches had a lot to do with that. The Sycamores ran for just 72 yards on 32 attempts. IU wasn’t consistently generating pass rush against Ohio State, but the Hoosiers fared much better in that department against the Sycamores.
Andre Carter has been as good as advertised. His four tackles for loss through two games are the most by an IU player in the first two games of a season since Kyle Killion had 5.5 in 2004. He’s been a beast on the defensive line. Indiana’s other linemen have been solid.
Much like the offensive line, the Louisville game could be a good indicator of how this defensive line could fare the rest of the season, particularly in pass rush. But it’s been a good start.
Linebackers: A
It’s hard to ask for much more from Indiana’s linebackers through the first two games. Aaron Casey is playing at an all-Big Ten level, with 18 tackles, one tackle for loss, and one pass breakup so far. He’s simply made play after play in the middle of the IU defense. Jacob Mangum-Farrar has been awesome as well — he has fewer tackles, but he’s also made some big plays. He did miss on a potential sack against Indiana State, but he’s been in the right place frequently. Joshua Rudolph has rotated in and made plays in both games, recording a PBU against the Buckeyes and a TFL against the Sycamores.
Lanell Carr has also been solid at the Bull spot. He recorded a sack, 1.5 TFLs, and a QB hurry against ISU. He and Carter can form a pretty good pass-rush tandem.
Simply put, if Indiana’s linebackers play like this the rest of the season, IU will be in good shape in the middle of the defense.
Secondary: B+
Indiana’s secondary has played so well in the first two weeks, after a lot of questions entering the season. Nic Toomer and Jamari Sharpe emerged as the starting cornerbacks, and have held their own. Louis Moore, Josh Sanguinetti, and Phillip Dunnam have been very solid at safety. The Hoosiers held an elite Ohio State receiving corps to 237 total yards, much lower than the 274.2 passing yards per game IU allowed last season.
There are a few things keeping the IU defensive backs from an A so far, and not all are their own faults. Indiana State attempted just 11 passes, so the group wasn’t really tested in the passing game Friday. But if the defense’s goal is three takeaways per game — as Kobee Minor said last week — then one takeaway in each of the first two games is falling short. That doesn’t fall entirely on the secondary, but there have been some missed opportunities. IU needs to produce more takeaways this season, as there will be games in which the turnover margin is a big differentiator.
But, to an extent, it’s nitpicking. IU’s secondary has looked good.
Special teams: B+
This might feel lower than IU’s specialists deserve. Punter James Evans is putting up terrific numbers. IU kickers are perfect on field goals and extra points so far. The Hoosiers have not allowed much in the return game, and Lucas is a constant threat going the other way.
But in the first two games, IU has played very undisciplined on special teams. The Hoosiers committed four penalties on kick or punt coverage against Ohio State, including an illegal block in the back penalty that erased a big kickoff return. They committed four more penalties against ISU, although only one was accepted. Lucas also muffed a punt for good measure, though IU recovered.
These mistakes have hurt Indiana minimally so far — the wiped out big return hurt, but likely wouldn’t have changed the result. But it’s only a matter of time before those sorts of careless mistakes will cost the Hoosiers in a much bigger way.
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