Anything can happen in college football. This beautiful sport is filled with constant chaos, unforeseen twists and turns, and wild upsets on a weekly basis. The uncertainty is part of what makes it so great and fun to watch.
But the Indiana Hoosiers are hoping to have a relatively stress free game this weekend against Howard. The Bison hail from the FCS ranks, and the defending National Champions are expected to orchestrate a lopsided victory. Oddsmakers have Indiana favored by a whopping 56.5 points, signaling that Curt Cignetti and company are in a strong position to roll.
Indiana is in a great spot to correct issues from Week 1
While the Hoosiers should have little trouble finding the win column, that doesn't mean there aren't room for improvements. Indiana's 52-16 win over North Texas in Week 1 came with plenty of positives, but there were still some negatives. Most notably, the defense underperformed.
The Hoosiers struggled in the trenches, often losing the battle at the line of scrimmage. Given the vast amount of experience and veteran leadership up front on both sides of the ball, that should be corrected without much worry––especially against a lesser opponent. Missed tackles and coverage confusions were also areas of concern in the opener, and getting both of those back on track in Week 2 will be a top priority.
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The offense looked incredible in the opener, scoring 52 points despite having the ball for just over 22 minutes of game time. Josh Hoover put forth the best Week 1 performance of any QB in the Curt Cignetti era at Indiana, which was more than Hoosier football fans could have hoped for. The offense should be firing on all cylinders again on Saturday.
For those fans compelled to worry...
Indiana has two clear goals in Saturday's matchup against Howard: Get a win and stay healthy. There is always injury risk in football, but with the Hoosiers already dealing with a few key injuries, avoiding any further setbacks will be just as important as taking care of business on the scoreboard.
Starting cornerbacks AJ Harris and Jamari Sharpe were both injured in the opener, and both are listed as day-to-day. Getting them healthy and avoiding further injury will be important this week. RB Khobie Martin will be out at least a few weeks, so keeping Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr at full strength will also be a priority.
Cignetti puts an emphasis on keeping his players as fresh as possible, and so far it's been an effective strategy. In an ideal world, the Hoosiers race out to a big lead and can mix in a heavy dose of the second and third-teams in order to prevent one specific unit from being out there for too long.
The good news is that Indiana boasts plenty of depth all throughout its roster. The Hoosiers have plenty of talent and experience in its two-deep depth chart, and players have already stepped up when needed. The "next man up" mentality can be considered a strength for the Hoosiers. All in all, Cignetti and company are looking to have a "no worries" weekend.
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