Indiana Football: 3 players who need increased role after bye week

With no Indiana football game this weekend, we examine who has had a slower start to 2019 and needs to get more involved after this week.

While the Indiana football program came off another ‘oh so close’ loss against a ranked opponent on Saturday, sitting at 3-2 (0-2) heading into the bye comes with work that needs to be done.

Despite the positive strides that the Hoosiers have made on the recruiting front, and the positive play from the young guys on the roster, there are still players who need to step up and need to see more of an emphasis put on them when they are on the field.

Obviously for the offense, it has been a bit of a strange couple of weeks with the uncertainty surrounding Michael Penix and his injury, but now that he is back and should be back for the remainder of the season, it’s time to unleash the full playbook.

Big Ten play is in full effect now and this is the time of the season in which the Hoosiers have struggled in the past. With just four conference wins under Tom Allen, IU has started off with two losses again to start Big Ten play, and there are no more excuses.

With four winnable games right out of the gate from the bye, this is Indiana’s time to cement themselves as a team that is turning the ‘close calls’ into wins.

Here are three players who need to see an increased role come October 12, when Rutgers comes to town and moving forward after that.