IU is now one win away from a bowl berth after its 33-27 victory against Rutgers on Saturday. It welcomes No. 12 Penn State to Bloomington next, and IU Coach Kevin Wilson updated the media on the status of the program in the lead up to the Nittany Lions’ arrival.
Special teams
IU’s special teams unit struggled mightily Saturday. Freshman Devonte Williams fumbled a kick return. Junior kicker Griffin Oakes didn’t connect on any field goals — two were blocked and one missed — and missed an extra point.
Sophomore punter Joseph Gedeon botched a hold on an extra point, too, and it’s the hold that Wilson points to as a possible point of explanation for the miscues.
“I think our kicker is a little hesitant and a little late getting started because I think he’s not trusting where the spot is going to be,” Wilson said. “So sometimes you’re blocking certain guys based on some timing.”
Penn State is a team that’s capable of wreaking havoc in field goal situations. In its win against Ohio State, Penn State took the lead late in the fourth quarter with a blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown. The Nittany Lions also blocked a punt.
Outside improving protection schemes, changes moving forward won’t completely hinge on physical exertion.
“I think our kickers are getting a little psychotic, and we’ve got to work through the mental demon, but I don’t think I need to pound the kids’ legs because there’s only so many swings in that leg,” Wilson said. “So we’ll work some fundamental work, and we’ll get it addressed with either scheme or personnel.”
Offensive line
Sophomore right tackle Brandon Knight’s injury in the first quarter of the win against Maryland led to a shakeup in the starting five against Rutgers. Senior guard Dan Feeney started at right tackle and spent time at both that position and right guard during the contest, while senior Jacob Bailey was back starting at right guard as he had during Feeney’s absence.
Wilson said his decisions on who played when depended on the situation and whether or not he felt it was more important to get a veteran guy on the line. Outside of the starting five, the first three guys he’ll likely look to for fresh legs or a change of pace are sophomore Delroy Baker and freshmen DaVondre Love and Simon Stepaniak.
This will likely continue the rest of the regular season, as Knight doesn’t need surgery but would likely only be able to return for a bowl game, if the Hoosiers reach one.
“He’s not day-to-day. He’s week to week, and he’s probably a few weeks out, and it’ll be a stretch here by the season’s end,” Wilson said. “We’ll see, but he’ll drink a lot of milk and rub a lot of dirt on it between now and then if that happens.”
Penn State has recorded 11 sacks in its past three games.
One win away
IU has three chances to become bowl eligible, and it starts with Penn State on Saturday. If the Hoosiers are going to get it done against the Nittany Lions, Wilson said it’ll take a much cleaner performance than that of this past weekend.
IU’s process this week will be similar to those in the past, as Wilson doesn’t want the team to look too far down the road, such as its last two opponents in No. 2 Michigan and unranked Purdue.
“You approach each game and do what you can to win each game, and you don’t look at the total. You don’t look at what’s to come,” Wilson said. “It’s just, here’s today and here’s the plan for this week, and you start it over.”
All IU is talking about is what it will take to beat the strong, challenging Penn State team that occupies the next slot on their schedule.
