Biggest Questions Facing Indiana Football in 2015

With questions surrounding the offense, the defense and the future of head coach Kevin Wilson, Indiana football will have plenty of issues to tackle in the 2015-16 season. 

After a promising 3-2 start last season that included a massive 31-27 win over Missouri, the Hoosiers struggled mightily while losing six of their last seven games. 

A key reason for the 2014 disappointment was due to quarterback Nate Sudfeld suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in the team’s sixth game against Iowa. Now fully recovered, he will determine how well the Indiana offense will play, especially after losing star running back Tevin Coleman to the NFL. 

The defense is also a concern, which has been a recurring theme during Wilson’s tenure in Bloomington, Indiana. How hot is his seat heading into this season after four subpar years? 

Here are five burning questions for the Hoosiers for this upcoming season:

After a sophomore season in 2013 where Sudfeld threw for 2,523 yards and 21 touchdowns as part of a dual-quarterback system with Tre Roberson, Sudfeld looked like the answer for the Hoosiers behind center. 

Roberson transferred before the 2014 season, which set Sudfeld up for a big year leading an Indiana offense that also featured Coleman. However, Sudfeld did not show a lot of progress before his injury as he had only six touchdowns and three picks. 

Sudfeld will now become the focal point of the offense with Coleman gone. Especially after the team struggled without him last year, it is obvious that the senior’s play will make or break the Indiana offense. So will he come through? 

Standing at 6’5” and 240 pounds, Sudfeld has the size and arm to play at the next level. Decision making is where he will have to improve. The senior has thrown 12 interceptions in his last 17 games while completing 60 percent of his passes. If he can cut down on his turnovers and get his completion percentage closer to 70, then he could have a big season. 

Another obstacle will be replacing the team’s top two receivers, Shane Wynn and Nick Stoner. Fortunately, the team returns a trio of talented sophomores in J-Shun Harris II, Simmie Cobbs and Dominique Booth, who all showed plenty of promise last season. Harris appeared especially comfortable with Sudfeld, as 14 of his 18 catches and both touchdowns last year came before the quarterback went down. 

The Hoosiers also return three starters on the offensive line, which should allow Sudfeld some time to throw. The running game, which will be discussed later, should also be solid despite losing Coleman. 

Expecting Sudfeld to earn all-conference honors may be a stretch with Michigan State’s Connor Cook, Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg and Ohio State’s stable of signal-callers returning to the Big Ten. However, look for Sudfeld to have his best season as a Hoosier while throwing for around 30 touchdowns and 3,500 yards.

By looking at his highlights, it is clear to see Coleman was pretty much Indiana’s entire offense last year, especially without Sudfeld. He finished second in the nation with 2,036 yards rushing and also accounted for nearly half of the team’s total offensive yards. 

The Atlanta Falcons selected Coleman in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft. 

All is certainly not lost in the backfield for the Hoosiers this season. The program got a huge boost when former UAB running back Jordan Howard announced he was coming to Bloomington. 

Howard, who is eligible immediately, racked up 1,587 yards and 13 scores for the Blazers last season. 

While he will face much stiffer competition in the Big Ten, Howard, a junior, should still thrive in the Indiana offense. He possesses a nice blend of power and speed that should take some pressure off of Sudfeld. Howard also has the benefit of running behind an experienced offensive line. 

In addition, the Hoosiers also return sophomore Devine Redding. In limited time, Redding was able to run for 118 yards and average four yards a carry. He should be able to spell Howard and give the team another option in the run game. 

While Coleman’s playmaking ability can not be totally replaced, Indiana is still in good shape in the backfield. Look for Howard to rush for around 1,200 yards this season to help balance the offense.

The team finished 92nd in the country in total defense last season. The sadder part is that is the highest the defense has finished during Wilson’s tenure. The outlook this season may be just as bleak. 

The secondary lost starting safety and leading tackler Antonio Allen after the school dismissed him this offseason for drug charges. The team will also need to replace its top two corners. However, Rashard Fant showed promise at corner last year and safety Chase Dutra played in all 12 games as a freshman last year and recorded three interceptions. 

The front seven should be better. The defensive line returns key contributors Nick Mangieri and Nate Hoff while the linebacker group returns two-year starter T.J. Simmons and freshman All-American Tegray Scales. 

The defense will still struggle unless it miraculously finds a pass rush. Indiana ranked 98th against the pass in 2014 despite 13 interceptions, in large part because of only 22 total sacks. 

Some improvement should be expected in the second year of defensive coordinator Brian Knorr’s 3-4 scheme. Yet the team still lacks a lot of speed, and the holes in the secondary will hurt against a strong quarterback crop in the Big Ten. Indiana will still finish in the bottom half of the nation in defense.

Indiana has not been to a bowl since 2007, but will this be the year the drought ends? 

The team certainly has the tools on offense to win at least six games. The defense will be the deciding factor. 

The Hoosiers’ nonconference schedule is rather favorable. The team should win games against Southern Illinois, FIU and Western Kentucky. 

A road game Sept. 26 against Wake Forest will be crucial. The Demon Deacons return most of a team that finished 3-9 last year. However, their problem is offense, which finished almost last in the nation in points scored. This should work out well for the Hoosiers, who should score enough points to pull out a win. 

Assuming Indiana loses to Ohio State and Michigan State, the team must win at least two other conference games. 

A road game at Penn State is a tall task and Michigan will be much improved under Jim Harbaugh, so the likely scenario is to win a pair against against Iowa, Maryland, Purdue or Rutgers. 

Maryland and Rutgers will be down this season, but Iowa will be improved. Wilson is also 2-2 in his career against rival Purdue, who will also be among the worst in the conference. 

Indiana has enough offense to beat Purdue and either Maryland or Rutgers, who both will struggle offensively. This should allow the Hoosiers to get to six wins and back into a bowl game.

Wilson’s tenure has been rough, but a bowl appearance would definitely signify progress. 

Let us take a look at Wilson’s past four years, courtesy of Sports-Reference: 

SRS takes into account average point differential combined with strength of schedule, with zero being an average score, and SOS is strength of schedule with zero also being the average. 

Indiana has definitely underperformed under Wilson, especially against weaker competition. However, the team did have a decent year in 2013, posting its best record against the toughest schedule. Wilson will want to replicate that in 2015 and build on it moving forward. 

Wilson will have to make a bowl game to have any chance of keeping his job. Assuming he gets that done this year, he will likely earn another year at the helm of Indiana. However, he will still be on thin ice for the foreseeable future until he can show sustained improvement.

All statistics courtesy of ESPN.com.