Indiana University

Location: Bloomington, Indiana
Enrollment: 48,514
Home Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Head Coach: Kevin Wilson, 6th year, 24–45 (.348)
Conference: Big Ten (East Division)

Series History

First Game: November 6, 1993 (Penn State won 38-31)
Last Game: October 10, 2015 (Penn State won, 29-7)
Overall: Penn State leads 18-1
Current Win Streak: 2, Penn State

Last Season (6-7 overall, 2-6 conference)

In 2015, Indiana finished 6-7 (2-6 in the conference), and in fifth place in the Big Ten East Division. They were off to a nice 4-0 start, winning all their non-conference games, then lost 6 straight conference games after that. The Hoosiers’ final two wins against Maryland and Purdue were enough to secure them a spot in the Pinstripe Bowl, where they lost to Duke 44-41 in overtime.

Offseason
Indiana’s 2016 class is ranked as the nation’s 55th recruiting class (11th in the Big Ten) as compared to PSU’s 2016 class ranked at 20^th in the nation, 4th in the Big10.

The Hoosiers added a few new coaches to the staff in early 2016. Tom Allen (from University of South Florida) joined as associate head coach/defensive coordinator. Mark Hagen returned to IU as the assistant defensive coordinator and defensive line coach, and Keith Caton joined as head strength and conditioning coach.

Last Week

Last week Indiana came from behind to defeat Rutgers 33-27. The Hoosiers turned the ball over four times (with two leading to Rutgers touchdowns), and missed three field goals and two extra points. But despite their bumpy start, Indiana rallied with a 34 yard touchdown from Devine Redding in the third quarter to move back on top. Hoosier quarterback Richard Lagow threw for 394 yards with three touchdowns for the win.

Offense

Indiana returns 47% of their offense (to Penn State’s 53%). Last year, Indiana finished 14th in the nation in total offense (1^st in the Big Ten) but lost three of their top offensive playmakers last year: quarterback Nate Sudfeld, runningback Jordan Howard, and offensive tackle Jason Spriggs. This year they’re 35^th in total offense (3^rd in the Big 10).

They’re looking to their running back and receiver corps along with quarterback Richard Lagow to keep their offense moving.

The Hoosiers have a strong back in Devine Redding, who leads the Hoosiers with 167 carries for 793 yards and three scores. Keep an eye on Tyler Nattee, Mike Majette and Devonte Williams, too.

Wide receivers Nick Westbrook, Ricky Jones and Mitchell Paige round out the receivers to watch, with Westbrook leading the team at 41 receptions for 708 yards and 4 touchdowns.

JUCO transfer quarterback Richard Lagow has been fine this year, at 191 of 311 for 2,574 yards with 15 touchdowns. He does need to watch the picks – Lagow has 13 interceptions on the season, tied for the most in the Big Ten with Purdue’s David Blough.

Defense

The Hoosiers are returning 84% of their defense this year (to Penn State’s 63%). They were 120^th in total defense last year, one of the worst in 2015, but have improved to 51^st in total defense. This is due in large part to a strong linebacker unit, and returning their secondary.

Indiana has a strong linebacker unit featuring Tegray Scales with 64 tackles this year and Marcus Oliver (who had 112 tackles in 2015) with 44 tackles.

The Hoosiers return all four secondary players. Key players include cornerback Rashard Fant and safety Jonathan Crawford.

Special Teams

Indiana’s talented kicker Griffin Oakes is back. Last year, he hit an IU-record 24-of-29 field goals, including a long of 51. His 125 points were the second-best total for a kicker in Big Ten history, and he led the conference in touchbacks.

At the end of the 2015 season, Oakes was named the Big Ten's Bakken-Andersen Kicker of the Year, a first for IU football, and was selected to the All-Big Ten first team. This year Oakes has made 23 of 24 extra points but only completed 11 out of 20 field goal attempts.

Blog

Head on over to the SB Nation blog Crimson Quarry to read more about Indiana football (and hoops, too).