Murray State might as well stay home

Whether it’s at the professional, collegiate or high-school level, each athletic echelon categorizes teams into different tiers of competition.

What’s mind-boggling to me is out of those three athletic plateaus, the college level is the only one that intersperses teams from separate divisions to contend with one another.

When was the last time you witnessed a professional team man the opposite bench, dugout or sideline from a minor league club during the regular season? Can you recall a varsity team facing a junior varsity in a game that actually counted?
Let’s all say it together: no.

So why should a Football Bowl Subdivision team like IU play a Football Championship Subdivision team like Murray State?

Regardless of the outcome, it’s a lose-lose situation for the Hoosiers.

The story entering Saturday night’s matchup isn’t IU playing Murray State, rather Murray State playing IU. If you dissect the Racers’ 2008 schedule, the Hoosiers are their toughest opponent all season. It’s an opportunity for Murray State to make some serious dough and receive face time in the national spotlight. A win would do wonders for the Racers’ program – however, a loss is what’s expected.

So what’s in it for IU? Not a whole lot, to be frank. It won’t be a big deal if the Hoosiers prevail after four quarters. You won’t hear this from IU coach Bill Lynch or his players, but it’s one of those elementary, out-of-conference bouts tagged as a sure win.

On the flip side, if Murray State somehow stuns IU, we may just have a disaster in Bloomington.

I see the Hoosiers’ no-huddle offense improving from last week and clicking on all cylinders. Quarterback Kellen Lewis, who established two records for himself against Western Kentucky, has to utilize his passing game just as much as his legs.

When Big Ten season starts, teams that are more familiar with Lewis’ ground game are going to keep him in the pocket, and the junior will have no choice but to learn to be a pocket passer. Saturday’s contest will be a good night to put the arm to the test.
 
Even though Murray State isn’t on the same level as IU, Lewis isn’t downplaying the Racers at all.

“(Murray State) is a fundamentally sound team, and we aren’t going to take them lightly,” Lewis said. “It’s not like we’re looking on film saying there’re giant gashes here, giant gashes there.”

Staying with the offense, Lynch needs more production out of senior running back Marcus Thigpen. Against Western Kentucky’s sub-par defense, Thigpen carried the ball eight times for a pedestrian 18 yards. If he can bring his return skills from special teams to the offensive unit, it would complement Lewis’ passing.

On the defensive side, the Hoosiers have to limit Murray State quarterback Nico Yantko’s passing, especially to wide receiver Daniel Ard, who is a legitimate threat on offense for the Racers.

Yantko, who played defense in 2007, replaced injured quarterback Jeff Ehrhardt during the Racers’ season opener, completing 10 – of –15 passes for 156 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

“(Yantko) seems like a real competitive, athletic guy,” Lynch said. “(Murray State) really moves the ball well and puts up a lot of points.”

The Racers are going to run a decent amount of spread offense, like Western Kentucky did last week. That should pose no problem to IU cornerback Christopher Phillips and safeties Nick Polk and Austin Thomas, who all kept Hilltoppers’ quarterback K.J. Black in check.

No matter how I look at it, the Hoosiers can’t and won’t lose to the Racers. If college athletics separate schools by divisions, why shouldn’t they follow the same framework modeled in professional and high school sports?

Do me a favor Murray State: Just stay home.