1. Lewis to Hardy...touchdown. Hot route Hardy, send him on a fly pattern, snap the ball, relax in the pocket and throw it as far as you can. No, I'm not doing my Rex Grossman impression, I'm re-enacting the video game version of the Hoosier's play calling Saturday. Western Michigan could face some of the same problems Indiana State had when it comes to defending Hardy. The tallest Bronco defensive back is 6-foot-1 and is a true freshman (Keith Dixson). I'd be more than surprised if Western Michigan didn't do extensive scheming to try and stifle Hardy's output. If they do contain Hardy, look for James Bailey, Ray Fischer and others to have big days.
2. Who will get the carries? IU coach Bill Lynch spread the running game out last Saturday using four different running backs extensively: Marcus Thigpen, Josiah Sears, Bryan Payton and Trea Burgess. Thigpen and Sears, considered the two top backs in the offense, ran for only 59 yards on 15 carries. Payton and Burgess filled in well for the Hoosiers, running for over five yards a carry, respectively. I would look for Thigpen to have a breakout performance. He was getting hit behind the line a lot against Indiana State, but if he can get outside the hash marks he can make things happen.
3. Avoiding yellow flags One of the first things Lynch mentioned in his post-game press conference was the amount of penalties his team committed - seven for 75 yards. Some of them can be traced to first-game jitters, but teams also tend to be flagged for more penalties away from home. IU can handle one or two false starts at the beginning of the game, but if they are making costly penalties in the second half it could come back to haunt them.
4. Starr or Trulock? For the most part, Austin Starr did everything he was asked to last Saturday. He made both of his field goals and converted on every extra point attempt. But when it came to kickoffs, Starr resembled Mike Vanderjagt (and I don't mean that in a good way). Starr's strategy for kick-offs appears to be a low-trajectory squib kick that hopefully reaches the opponent's 10-yard line. I have no kicking experience, but I thought it was odd that Starr lined all the way to one side of the hash marks instead of kicking down the middle. Is this just me? Starr averaged 59.3 yards on his kick-offs Saturday, and was later replaced by Kevin Trulock who booted one 65 yards, a slight improvement. What the Hoosiers can't live with is Starr kicking the ball out of bounds, which he did twice Saturday, including on the opening kick-off. Not only is it a morale killer, but it also gives the other team good field position without having to lift a finger.
5. Loosen up, throw the ball to a tight end If you don't think tight end Nick Sexton catching a pass for 18 yards is significant, you're wrong. It was announced in the press box immediately following the play that Sexton's reception was the first of any Hoosier tight end since 2005. Sexton isn't a large part of the offense, although he is a legitimate red zone threat due to his size (6-5 255). Blake Powers made the move back to quarterback, but if he has any hopes of touching the ball this season he'll most likely have to do so on the receiving end. Maybe we'll see some sort of gadget play featuring Powers in Kalamazoo.
