Indiana vs. Florida International pre-game

Indiana will play Florida International at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU, as well as streaming on the WatchESPN app. 

Indiana is facing Florida International tonight in Miami, at 7 p.m. eastern time. In their first game of the 2016 campaign, there will be a lot of preseason questions answered, and a lot of new faces leading the Hoosiers.

Everyone is anticipating new quarterback Richard Lagow, a transfer from Cisco Community College in Texas. The Gunslinger lit up the Southwest Junior College Conference, tallying up over 4,500 yards and 38 touchdowns in his two seasons. The 6’6”, 237 pound senior will be eager to prove himself to his new teammates, and has some big shoes to fill – taking over for NFL quarterback Nate Sudfeld.

Despite his lack of experience in division 1 football, he should thrive in an Indiana scheme that is always near the top of the conference in total offense. He has a number of weapons at his disposal in Simmie Cobbs Jr., a 1,000 yard receiver last year, as well as Nick Westbrook, Mitchell Paige, and Rickie Jones, who all possess big play ability.

Not quite a new face, but taking a new role, is Devine Redding. Last season’s backup to Jordan Howard, Redding stepped up when needed and rushed for over 1,000 yards, an impressive feat for a bench player. Redding will be licking his chops at the chance to go against a team like Florida International, whose lackluster defense should be no match. This is his chance to pad his stats with some big yardage so early in the season. Those yards will be much harder to come by once Big Ten season rolls around, facing daunting defenses like Michigan State and Ohio State’s

The new backup running back is Indiana’s secret weapon. Not many know the name, but soon will. Camion Patrick is getting all the praise in the world. According to Kevin Wilson, Patrick is the best player on the team, but has not been able to play due to academic ineligibility. Another JuCo transfer from East Mississippi Community College, Patrick was a back-to-back national champ. He was primarily used as a receiver, catching 42 passes for 631 yards and 12 touchdowns, but was also a punt returner, averaging 13.4 yards per, returning one 75 yards to the house. Despite being a proven receiver, Indiana will use him as a running back. He isn’t quite healthy yet, recovering from an ACL injury, but expect big things when he returns, which is estimated to be around October or November.

Another question that will be answered tonight is, “can the offensive line hold up without Jason Spriggs?” While Spriggs was a brick wall for defenders last year, which earned him plenty of accolades and a spot on the Green Bay Packers, the o-line should do fine without him. They still have more than capable players such as Dan Feeney, Brandon Knight, and Dimitric Camiel. Many analysts are picking Indiana, along with Michigan, to have the best lines in the conference. With some solid backups at their disposal, as well, they should have no problem protecting Richard Lagow.

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On the other side of the ball, new defensive coordinator Tom Allen has promised a much more aggressive defense. Last season, one of Indiana’s biggest problems defensively was allowing broken tackles for extra yards, and being unable to top defenses on third downs. Keeping opponent’s offenses off the field will be a huge improvement for the program, as they have no problem scoring, but have a lot of problems being scored on. There has been a revolving door for Hoosier defensive coordinators of late, but Indiana native, Allen, has no plans of exiting any time soon. He will have a tough task tonight against FIU, as their head coach is offensive mastermind Ron Turner, who has had plenty of experience at the collegiate and NFL levels.

There are so many things to get excited for in this Indiana team. There is a new starting quarterback and running back, a few new faces that should toughen up the defense, a new defensive coordinator, etc. – but mainly, we are just excited that football is back. The games don’t get too difficult for another couple of weeks, but it is still important that the Hoosiers do not come to these games unfocused. Last season was the first time in a few that they had gone through their non-conference schedule undefeated, and falling back into that old losing pattern would be a huge step back for a program hoping to make better bowl games.