IU has a third down problem.
The numbers are atrocious.
Through two games, IU has been 8 for 28 on third down. That means the Hoosiers’ third down conversion percentage so far is 28.57 percent.
To put it mildly, that’s really bad. By comparison, IU’s next opponent, Wake Forest, is converting nearly 50 percent of its third downs.
Against Ball State, the Hoosiers went 2 for 13 on third down.
“That’s obviously been a big emphasis this week. We have not been good on third down at all,” senior receiver Mitchell Paige said. “That goes back to making competitive plays. Wake Forest is going to play man-to-man coverage in our face on third down, and we just have to make plays. We’ve had chances to make them, and so far we haven’t done as well as we probably should.”
When IU’s offense stalled in the second half after going up 30-0 against Ball State, it was because of its third down woes. After junior kicker Griffin Oakes nailed a 41-yard field goal with 10:29 left to go in the third quarter, IU only converted one third down the rest of the game.
That’s why Ball State was able to come back and close the gap significantly. IU just was not able to convert on third down.
The Hoosiers were consistently in third and long situations on the majority of those chances, finding favorable yardage ahead of them just once in six tries. On average, IU had just less than nine yards to gain on these six third downs.
These poor setups occurred because IU repeatedly got stopped behind the line against Ball State for negative plays.
“Just some negative plays gets you second and 12,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “You know, just lack of execution. Maybe sometimes we could be a little bit more aggressive, but then you’re worried about getting behind chains. When we block down, we’ve had something — like last game, we had several plays that were tackled for loss, and we didn’t protect the quarterback very well.”
Negative plays kill any offense’s rhythm, and IU is no exception. Against the Demon Deacons, the Hoosiers have to avoid negative plays. Through three games, Wake Forest’s defense has proven itself capable of causing havoc in the backfield and totaled 21 tackles for loss.
If IU is going to beat Wake Forest, IU’s offense has to put itself in better position on third down. More effective play on first and second down will help junior quarterback Richard Lagow in that respect.
Lagow has been good so far, but against a much tougher opponent in the Demon Deacons, getting in third-and-long situations is a recipe for disaster.
IU’s done with the cupcake portion of its nonconference schedule. Wake Forest’s defense is a big step up, and if IU wants to find a way to move to 3-0, it has to execute significantly better on third down.
aphussey@indiana.edu @thehussnetwork
