“I remember a first and goal getting stuffed twice, had the ball inside the ten and didn’t score,” Wilson said, recalling the game. “I remember a crappy first quarter, a blocked punt that made national TV as one of the bloopers of the week in a 10-10 game, and then we kind of got on a roll and it snowballed.”
Wilson and his Hoosiers will look to limit early mistakes and skip right to the snowballing this time around. IU (1-0) will play Bowling Green (1-1) at noon in Bowling Green, Ohio.
The matchup against the Falcons will be the first of six road games for the Hoosiers this season.
IU hasn’t won on the road since beating Illinois 31-17 Oct. 27, 2012 — 97 weeks ago.
In IU’s four road losses last season, the Hoosiers were outscored 198-92.
Part of the blame fell on the shoulders of junior quarterback Nate Sudfeld, who was one of the least effective visiting quarterbacks in the nation.
On the road, Sudfeld completed only 50 percent of his throws for 582 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in four losses. His per-game adjusted QBR was 38.05.
At home, Sudfeld completed 65.6 percent of his throws for 1941 yards and 18 touchdowns. His per-game adjusted QBR was 77.07.
Though Sudfeld finished 2013 with the No. 38 ranked passer rating in the country, he was not nearly the same quarterback statistically on the road as he was at home.
“We need him to play at a high level, and he knows that,” Johns said of Sudfeld. “I’m not going to put too much pressure on him. But man, this isn’t the first time he’s out there in the arena.”
IU’s passing game was used sparingly in its 28-10 win against Indiana State.
Sudfeld was never able to get into a rhythm. He finished 11-of-18, passing for 111 yards, zero touchdowns and an interception that led to a Sycamore score.
The aerial attack against Indiana State was overshadowed by IU’s ground game, accounting for 455 yards.
Bowling Green Coach Dino Babers spoke highly of IU junior running back Tevin Coleman.
Johns said Monday he expects the Falcons to focus on stopping the run first. That puts the focus squarely on Sudfeld’s arm.
He said he knows the passing game will be relied on more. He’s put in extra hours working with some of the receivers to improve timing and route running.
“Having that first game week under our belt was good to know how it feels and know where guys are going to be,” Sudfeld said. “I don’t think we’re too far off.”
New Falcon Defensive Coordinator Kim McCloud struggled with finding the right combination of blitz packages and coverage looks in the early games.
Unexpectedly, Bowling Green is allowing 455 passing yards per game this season after leading the Mid-American Conference last year in almost every defensive category including scoring and total defense.
Based on film, Sudfeld said Bowling Green doesn’t have the same defensive look as its 2013 team that ranked No. 10 in the nation in total defense.
“They don’t play as aggressively with their corners and with their linebackers quite as much as they did last year,” Sudfeld said. “Just a little bit of a difference in philosophy in the new coaching staff, but overall they’ve got some good players and we’ve got to come to play.”
Wilson spoke highly of the progress the IU passing game has made during the bye week.
IU senior wideout Nick Stoner said the timing between Sudfeld and the receivers has gotten “a lot” better during the bye week.
He also expects Sudfeld’s rhythm on the road to be improved this year knowing that he is the definite starter without former IU quarterback Tre Roberson pressuring him for the job.
“I think the whole two-quarterback situation played a huge part in terms of timing and getting things down on the road,” Stoner said. “I don’t expect anything but the best from Nate and the passing game this weekend.”
