Indiana Hoosiers Football

David Kenney III, a 6'2", 250-pound defensive end from Indianapolis, IN, committed to the Indiana Hoosiers Sunday, according to Dave Miller of NationalFootballPost.com.

Kenney later said via Twitter, "Officially committed to the IU. Feels amazing to be able to represent my state and my home."

Kenney was committed to Iowa until earlier this month. After his decommitment from the Hawkeyes, Kenney made it clear that Indiana was his favorite.

“I want to play closer to home so my mom watch me play,” Kenney told Mark Ambrogi of The Indianapolis Star after he decommitted from Iowa. “I feel I can stay and help a hometown school.”

IU hired Kenney's dad, David Kenney II, earlier this year as a recruiting quality control assistant.

The 4-star prospect is considered the 29th-best defensive end by Scout.com and the eighth-best player from Indiana in the 2013 class by 247Sports.com.

Kenney had offers from Cincinnati, Iowa State, Louisville, Minnesota, Northern Illinois, Ole Miss, Purdue, Tennessee and West Virginia.

ESPN says of Kenney, "Kenney is an active and potentially disruptive defensive lineman. He has solid height and carries good bulk on his frame."

As a junior last year at Pike High School, Kenney recorded 40 tackles and 12 sacks.

The Hoosiers now have 10 commitments for the 2013 class, four from the state of Indiana. IU is hoping that the addition of Kenney will help them pick up other top prospects around the state.

Indiana's coaching staff is trying to get Darius Latham next. Latham is a 6'5" defensive tackle from North Central High School in Indianapolis, IN. He was committed to Wisconsin until last week when he reopened his commitment. 

IU coach Kevin Wilson knows that if he wants to turn the program around he must go after the best players in Indiana. Picking up Kenney is a great start.

You can follow Jon on Twitter @JonKYSportsCo. 

Urban Meyer is 58.3 percent of the way toward leading Ohio State to an undefeated season. Bill O'Brien is rushing headlong into the impossible task of keeping Penn State's head above water and doing it well. Brady Hoke has Michigan in stellar position to take the 2012 Legends Division title in a wildly contested race thus far.

Forget all of them. The real sideline star of the 2012 season continues to be Kevin Wilson at Indiana.

Yes, Indiana just dropped to 2-4 (0-3) on the season. Yes, the Hoosiers are on a four-game losing streak since sensational sophomore starting QB Tre Roberson went out for the year with a leg injury that you're better off not seeking details about. Yes, the Hoosiers just ceded a season-high 52 points to Ohio State.

But if that's all you're paying attention to, you're not really paying attention.

Indiana's four losses have come at a total of 24 points—and 15 of those points have come at the hands of bowl-eligible Northwestern, who saw a 27-point lead dwindle to eight points in that game before pulling away at the end. Similarly, Indiana erased a 13-point deficit against Ball State, and an Ohio State 18-point lead was cut to three with a minute to play.

The Hoosiers fight hard for 60 minutes—especially at points when bad teams begin to give up. And on a team that had 13 total wins and no bowl berths to its name in the four years prior, the temptation to give in to defeat must be even stronger than usual.

But no, thanks to a resilient offense—one that's throwing the ball better than anyone else in the Big Ten this year by a margin of over 60 yards per game—Indiana is staying in games and giving everyone it faces hell.

Michigan State and its vaunted defense looked absolutely shook in the first half of the Indiana game. Cameron Coffman threw for more than 250 yards in the half, and MSU was goaded into more than 100 yards of penalties in that time, too. The Hoosiers led 27-14 at the break, and although the Spartans rallied for the win, the message was clear: Indiana's not a pushover anymore.

So, sure the Hoosiers are 0-2 in the Big Ten thus far. Lots of teams would be against Michigan State and Ohio State. Moreover, a lot of them would have a total margin of defeat of more than seven points.

And most of all, all of those teams would have a greater base of talent to start with than what Indiana has.

The close losses are terrific for recruiting. What better pitch can a coach of a traditionally sub-.500 program have than to take Ohio State to the limit, then turn to a top-level recruit and say, "We would have beaten the best team in the Big Ten if we had more guys like you around. Want to build something great?"

And that's not just idle speculation and imagination at work, either—a 4-star commit to Iowa just so happened to be in the house for Indiana's loss to Ohio State, and wouldn't you know it...

Indianapolis Pike DE David Kenney talks about his decommitment from Iowa and his visit to Indiana. bit.ly/TrszzM #IU #Hoosiers

— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong247) October 14, 2012

For the record, Kenney's father was hired by the Indiana coaching staff earlier in the year. 247Sports.com now lists Indiana as Kenney's favorite.

So the turnaround is coming. Kevin Wilson is leading it. And unlike Urban Meyer, who's got the Big Ten's best offensive player (Braxton Miller), best defensive player (John Simon) and best overall base of talent, Wilson's engineering his turnaround through coaching, coaching and more coaching.

Now, Wilson's going to need wins or this Coach of the Year talk is a non-starter. That's fine. Road games with Navy and Illinois are coming up next, both of which should be winnable (Navy is favored, but only by three points, while Illinois is horrifically bad). Then there's a home tilt with a physical but vulnerable Iowa squad.

3-0 in that stretch should lock up Coach of the Year honors for Wilson. 2-1 should keep him in the top tier. 1-2 or 0-3? Well, we'll always have mid-October. But for now, make no mistake: The best improvement and the best coaching in the Big Ten are happening in Bloomington, Indiana, thanks to one Kevin Wilson.

The Big Ten Leaders Division is quite possibly the biggest mess in college football today, with one-third of its members ineligible for the postseason and another one firing its offensive line coach after his first two games in the position. In fact, there's only one team in the division with an unblemished record and postseason eligibility...and that's Indiana.

Now, originally we had thought about writing a scenario in which Indiana runs the table and goes to Pasadena (or the BCS National Championship) at 13-0, but let's be honest: That's not happening. There's no way that happens. It's Indiana.

But that's not to say that Indiana can't make the Rose Bowl. That's not off the table in that division. What's infinitely more plausible, however, is that Indiana makes the Rose Bowl in the worst possible fashion. Come join us on this road to a dystopian nightmare, and pray it doesn't come true.

So just to be clear: These are not predictions. These are the things we don't want to see happen. But they could. This is, to blatantly rip off Community, the Leaders Division's darkest timeline.

Week 3

Indiana struggles mightily to cope with the loss of star QB Tre Roberson, who was lost for the season in Week 2 with a gruesome broken leg. Don't go find it. Seriously, don't. Ball State wins in a walk, and Indiana falls from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Elsewhere in the Leaders Division, Penn State gets off the schneid with a 28-21 win over Navy, Ohio State rolls in a 42-3 rout of California, Utah State shocks Wisconsin 20-17 as the Aggies continue a remarkable September, and Illinois and Purdue defeat their respective lightweight opponents with ease.

Week 4

Indiana has the week off. Kevin Wilson uses the week to buy the team cupcakes. Morale improves slightly.

In Leaders Division action, UTEP rolls over a disinterested Wisconsin team 31-6. Penn State sticks it to bitter in-state rival Temple as fan interest begins to reappear in Happy Valley, Ohio State crushes UAB 49-0 and Louisiana Tech beats Illinois under the lights in a thrilling 41-40 shootout. Purdue also has a bye week.

Off the field, Urban Meyer praises his team for going 4-0 through the non-conference as expected, while Wisconsin offensive coordinator Matt Canada is fired by Bret Bielema and moves to Canada. Week 3's newly appointed offensive line coach Bart Miller is promoted to offensive coordinator. AD Barry Alvarez refuses to answer questions about Bielema's job stability. 

Week 5

Cupcake Week only gives Indiana a brief sugar high, and the explosive Northwestern offense overwhelms a Hoosier defense that's still putting things together. It's 52-28 in Evanston, and the game's not that close.

Penn State opens up conference play with a thrilling 21-17 win over Illinois, while Ohio State prevails in the early favorite for Game of the Year with a 38-35 slugfest victory at Michigan State. Things aren't so pleasant for Wisconsin, as the Badgers are shelled by Nebraska, 51-7.

Outraged at what his program has become, Alvarez fires Bielema in the middle of the post-game press conference, and Alvarez—a longtime former football coach of the Badgers—assumes his old role in an interim basis while remaining AD.

Week 6

Indiana's woes continue with a 44-9 loss to Michigan State. The Spartans only cede points on a punt snap going out of the end zone with 30 seconds left, courtesy of a fifth-string long snapper, then a touchdown on the ensuing return when Mark Dantonio simply doesn't bother to put 10 other guys on the field to cover the play. Kevin Wilson is irate.

Penn State smacks Northwestern around with a 31-10 victory in front of an electric Beaver Stadium crowd. Illinois' vaunted defensive front dominates a demoralized Wisconsin offensive line in a 27-3 win at Camp Randall. Michigan spanks Purdue 38-16, and Ohio State thrills the Columbus faithful by dispatching Nebraska 21-13.

After the Illinois-Wisconsin game, Montee Ball declares that he's going pro immediately. He signs with an agent at a Sunday press conference and is immediately declared permanently ineligible by the NCAA. He does not care.

Week 7

Indiana is thoroughly overmatched at home against the Buckeyes, and Ohio State has its starters out by halftime in a 54-17 romp. The Hoosiers' losing streak hits four games, and basketball news dominates local sports coverage.

Purdue hosts the discombobulated Badgers and makes short work of them, 35-16. Elsewhere, Illinois travels to Michigan and falls late on a 70-yard Denard Robinson touchdown run, 30-27. Penn State is idle.

Wisconsin president Kevin P. Reilly has seen enough and relieves Alvarez of all his duties as the Badgers fall to 1-6 on the year. He installs long-lost relative (NOTE: may not actually be related) and popular ESPN scribe Rick Reilly to the athletic director's chair, and Reilly knows only one man who can lead the Badgers back from the brink as the new head coach.

Tim Tebow.

Week 8

The Hoosiers' woes continue unabated as Navy uses its triple-option wizardry to confound Indiana, 38-17. Wilson is quietly sending out resumes to schools with old friends at head coach, and he thinks being offensive coordinator again wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Indiana is now 2-5.

Elsewhere, Penn State is on a tear, beating Iowa 21-20 for its first win at Kinnick Stadium since 1999. Ohio State keeps pitching a no-no by romping 31-13 over Purdue. Wisconsin loses the first game of the Tebow era 41-19 over hated rival Minnesota; later, Tebow explains to the media that he didn't know Minnesota-Wisconsin "was such a big thing." Illinois has the week off.

Week 9

Indiana shocks the Big Ten by taking advantage of a rusty Illinois team that's starting to check back out for the year like in 2011 under Ron Zook. Wilson gets his first career Big Ten road win, 23-21.

Meanwhile in the Leaders Division, the big game of the day is Ohio State knocking Penn State off from the ranks of the unbeaten in conference play in a 27-26 thriller. Penn State would have had the victory, but two missed Sam Ficken extra points do the Nittany Lions in. Purdue drops a road game to suddenly feisty Minnesota, 28-20, and Michigan State throttles hapless Wisconsin, 45-0.

After the MSU-Wisconsin game, a grumpy Tebow tells reporters, "You will never see any players in the entire country play as poorly as they will play the rest of the season, and you will never see someone push the rest of the team as little as I will push everybody the rest of the season, and you will never see a team play worse than we will the rest of the season."

Week 10

Iowa visits Indiana and stops the win streak at one with a 19-7 win. Indiana can't solve the Hawkeye defense, while Iowa registers its highest point total of the season. At 3-6, virtually everyone has mentally checked out for the year in Bloomington.

Penn State rings in November with a huge road win at Purdue, while Ohio State cruises into its bye week at 10-0 after spanking hapless Illinois, 45-13. Tebow-led Wisconsin is idle, while reports swirl in Madison of unrest among the Badgers.

At his weekly press conference afterwards, Tim Beckman calls Big Ten football "stupid" and openly expresses desire to go back to the MAC.

Week 11

In one of the most shocking developments of the year, Wisconsin stages a mutiny at halftime of its game at Indiana. With the Badgers down 27-0, Tebow is forcibly ejected from the locker room and stripped of his authority, and Ball is installed as a rebel head coach. The newly energized Badgers rattle off 28 straight points in the second half and get their first win of the Big Ten season. Wilson informs his team that he intends to resign after the season.

Penn State goes to Lincoln and stuns the Husker faithful with a 20-13 victory as Matt McGloin draws more and more comparisons to Tom Brady. Purdue loses a squeaker at Iowa, 17-16, and Minnesota gets an easy win in Champaign, 26-7. As mentioned before, Ohio State is off this week.

Week 12

The Indiana season hits rock bottom after its 2-0 start as the Hoosiers travel to Penn State and come away with a 35-3 loss. Indiana is now 3-8. Afterwards, an assistant tells Wilson that Indiana could still play for a Big Ten Championship Game berth and Wilson laughs heartily, assuming his fellow coach has just told quite the sarcastic joke.

Wisconsin hosts Ohio State, but the insurgent Badgers still aren't very good at offensive line and lose 31-6. Purdue travels to Illinois and ousts the listless Illini, 30-0. 

Zook is reportedly seen wandering the streets of Champaign with a knowing smirk on his face.

Week 13

In a brilliant season finale, Indiana decides to "win one for Coach Wilson" and shocks host Purdue, 23-20. Wilson is carried off the field on his team's shoulders, and he starts dreaming of taking a month of well-needed vacation before starting a new job search.

Ohio State finishes the season as the nation's lone undefeated team after pounding Michigan, 37-13. Braxton Miller is a surefire Heisman finalist, and although the Buckeyes are ineligible for the postseason, AP voters have them ranked No. 1. Penn State coasts to an easy 40-12 win over Wisconsin to end a triumphant first season for Bill O'Brien. Lastly, Northwestern finishes off Illinois for the year with a 24-16 win.

Championship Week

Conference officials are horrified and dismayed after reviewing the Leaders Division standings, which are as follows:

Ohio State: 12-0, 8-0

Penn State: 9-3, 7-1

Purdue: 5-7, 2-6

Indiana: 4-8, 2-6

Illinois: 3-9, 1-7

Wisconsin 2-10, 1-7 

But ho! Indiana defeated Purdue in the regular-season finale, so after a last-minute appeal for Ohio State's postseason eligibility by the school and a panicking Big Ten is denied by the NCAA, Jim Delany begrudgingly welcomes Indiana to the title game against 11-1 Michigan State.

What ensues will be hotly debated for years by college football fans and scribes, as Le'Veon Bell fumbles five times, once for a crippling safety late in the game,  in a shocking 12-10 Spartan loss. A bewildered Wilson and Indiana team hoist the Big Ten Championship Trophy while Delany refuses to smile during the ceremony. Bell is never linked to any gambling figures, but MSU fans rue the performance all the same.

Rose Bowl

In the Hoosiers' second-ever trip to Pasadena, Indiana faces Oregon in the Grandaddy of Them All. Oregon sets a new Rose Bowl record by being favored by 47.5 points leading up to the contest, while Wilson (who has long since denied telling his players he wanted to quit) insists his Hoosiers, "have a little bit of magic left in 'em."

Oregon disagrees with that assessment and hangs 10 touchdowns on the vastly overmatched Hoosiers in a 76-13 beating for the ages. In a modern-era first, Rose Bowl officials decide to use a running clock in the last quarter so as not to prolong the agony. Indiana fans do not notice the loss, as they're still reveling in the basketball team's win at Iowa the day before.

Offseason

Delany moves swiftly and decisively to prevent such an embarrassment from befalling the league, offering to let postseason-ineligible teams play in the Big Ten Championship Game and letting the eligible team go to the Rose Bowl no matter what. When asked by reporters if that removes an incentive for the eligible team to actually try hard in the title game, Delany responds, "We just sent an eight-loss team to Pasadena."

Alas, larger issues are afoot. In a shocking move, after the debacle that was the Wisconsin football season, university president Reilly disbands the football program and says, "If it's good enough for the University of Chicago, it's good enough for us." Notre Dame rebuffs offers to take Wisconsin's place in the conference, as AD Jack Swarbrick just laughs for 10 minutes straight at a subsequent press conference.

Illinois fires Beckman and re-hires Zook, saying in a statement that, "It doesn't even matter anyway." Purdue head coach Danny Hope retires, and the conference is thrown into chaos when Purdue just plain can't find anyone else who wants to be head coach.

Penn State's great 2012 season can't stop the bleeding of transfers in the offseason, as dozens of freshmen and sophomores say in a mass statement that they, "wanted to go out on a high note" before playing for actual bowl-eligible programs in college, which is what anyone would really want. Penn State suspends its football program until 2017.

Ohio State is obviously happy with how its season went on the field, but the embarrassment of being goaded into a fruitless appeal by Delany doesn't sit well with OSU brass or fans, who have long felt like they had outgrown a conference that had abandoned its standards of football excellence. SEC commissioner Mike Slive swoops in and adds Ohio State and Louisville to the mix, making SEC membership an even 16 and devastating the Big Ten.

And finally, in the worst of ignominies, the NCAA catches wind of Wilson's Week 4 cupcake purchases for his team, and the committee on infractions declares the sugary snacks impermissible benefits. The entire team is declared retroactively ineligible, Indiana is stripped of its five wins and the Big Ten Championship Trophy is surrendered by the school, at which point it is broken down and sold for scrap.

Jim Delany resigns in disgrace as his conference crumbles under declining membership and ceaseless mockery from the rest of the NCAA. Other power conferences pick among the remaining Big Ten members, the academic consortium that underlay the athletic conference is disbanded as university presidents argue and bicker, and vital medical and biochemical research now goes undone and unfunded.

With research slumping, the United States falls farther behind other industrialized countries, and university professionals suddenly find themselves being laid off en masse. The strain of importing technology and better-trained, white-collar professionals as university revenues tumble causes major financial distress, and unemployment spikes in an already weakened part of the nation. Riots ensue, and the governments of several states collapse.

This is the darkest timeline.

Last week, 4-star safety Antonio Allen (Indianapolis, Ind.) decommitted from Ole Miss so that he could play college football somewhere his family would be able to attend his games, which is the main reason why the Ben Davis High School standout verbally committed to play for the Indiana Hoosiers on Thursday afternoon. 

"My decision I made, it had nothing to do with Ole Miss. It had everything to do with my family," Allen told Josh Helmholdt of Rivals.com shortly after he made his commitment. "People from Indianapolis, they already know me. I feel at Indiana I will have more people cheering me on and most of my family can come to the games." 

Although the main factor in Allen's decision was a chance to play in front of his family and friends, the nation's No. 200 overall prospect and No. 17 ranked safety also felt a connection with Indiana head coach Kevin Smith. 

"Coach Wilson told me the truth and came from the heart," Allen said. "He said they needed help and I could possibly go there and start right away. But I'm not going to take that to the head. I'm still going to work hard for my position." 

Allen, who is the No. 4 recruit in the state of Indiana, says he will now try to lure other top prospects to Bloomington.  

Ben Davis football head coach Mike Kirschner spoke to Matt Weaver of Peegs.com Thursday afternoon as well and believes Allen will make an immediate impact for the Hoosiers. 

"I think it is a good fit," Kirschner said. "I think he is going to get the education he wants to study business. I know Kevin Wilson is trying to change the mentality down there and what I think [Antonio] brings to them is a physical mentality. 

"He's not going to be their 6-foot, cover corner, but as Kirk Ferentz said, he is Bob Sanders - he can cover people when he has to and can knock you out when he has to. I just think he brings a physical mentality to IU that they haven't had the past couple of years." 

The 5'11", 194-pounder is one of the most highly-ranked prospects to commit to Indiana, but Hoosier fans will have to cross their fingers and hope Allen does not opt to find greener pastures over the next several months like class of 2012 5-star prospect Gunner Kiel (Columbus, Ind.) did when he flipped from Indiana to LSU last winter before eventually enrolling at Notre Dame in February. 

In Allen's case, though, it appears Hoosier fans have nothing to worry about unless Notre Dame comes into the picture. 

Allen is the seventh verbal commit in Indiana's 2013 recruiting class and is the only one who has a rating of 4-stars or higher. 

Zach Dirlam is the former lead editor of the college basketball section as well as Big Ten columnist for the FOX Sports/MSN/YardBarker affiliate website Sports at Work. Check out his blog, Dirlam's Dirty Dugout Sports Blog, which features this story, along with other articles and video reports on major sports.

Follow Zach on Twitter.

This is the latest in a series of articles previewing Big Ten football in 2012. A rough schedule of previous and upcoming preview articles is provided at the end of this article.

Overview

The only team that had a tougher 2011 than the last team we previewed (Minnesota) was Indiana, as the Hoosiers could not manage even the one conference win they achieved each of the past three seasons. Indiana started with a shaky 1-3 non conference record and then were swept in Big Ten play to finish 1-11.

The first season under new head coach Kevin Wilson was all about building for the future with youth. He is the type of coach to tell veterans "my way or the highway," and many veteran Hoosiers and starters left for greener pastures as a result.

However, the Hoosiers will now have an established core of young Wilson recruits filling most of the starting spots, with some upperclassmen committed to the cause. It will be a long road back to bowl eligibility in Bloomington, but progress should be evident in year two for Wilson.

Statistically, Indiana stagnated last season and stayed near the bottom of the conference on offense and defense. The passing defense, in particular, was a real weakness that has been a recurring theme throughout the past decade for this team.

Will Indiana find a way to slow passing attacks this season? Which young players will step up to continue the rebuilding of the Hoosiers? Will Indiana avoid another winless conference season despite a tough schedule? Let's take a look.

Offense

Just one year after having too many quarterbacks to play, Wilson appears to have a certain go-to guy in sophomore Tre Roberson. Roberson was almost moved to another position when Dustin Kiel and Edward Wright-Baker won the right to split the starting duties last August.

However, injuries and style of play led to Roberson getting some serious playtime and he became the first Hoosiers quarterback to start games as a freshman. Now the other two quarterbacks have transferred, leaving Roberson alone to build on his 937 passing yards and 426 rushing yards.

Although Wilson brought in a couple junior college transfers just in case the injury bug hits again, Roberson still appears to have the inside track thanks to having more experience and bringing a running dimension to the quarterback position. Don't sleep on JUCO Cameron Coffman though, as Coffman has a better arm and could make more throws to win the starting job in fall camp.

No matter who takes over at quarterback, the experienced and deep crew of receiving targets will help improve the woeful passing game from last year. Although Damarlo Belcher is gone, two of the top three receivers return in juniors Kofi Hughes and Jamonne Chester.

Hughes was the only receiver that could top 300 yards receiving on the entire year, but with a more steady hand at quarterback others should do much better in 2012. Of course, if Roberson is the choice at quarterback, Wilson may run a more zone-read run-heavy offense than normal.

However, Indiana will still be playing from behind quite a bit, especially in Big Ten play. Thus, it will be critical to get the Indiana passing game back towards the 300 yards per game output that was beginning to happen under previous coach Bill Lynch.

The offensive line welcomes back three starters from a year ago and RB Stephen Houston, who transferred in late last year and led the team with 833 yards, will likely thrive behind the experienced and more talented offensive line.

With Houston and Roberson potentially in the backfield, Indiana could create some serious match up problems for Big Ten defenses. But then Roberson will need to take advantage of cheating defenses by hitting receivers in stride when the opportunity arises. If Indiana is to pull an upset or two this season, it will be driven by the dynamic offense.

Defense

Defense has never been a real strong suit for the Hoosiers, and hiring an offensive-minded coach like Kevin Wilson usually does not lead to immediate results on this side of the ball. Nonetheless, Indiana is committed to becoming more tough up front and slowing the running games that crushed the Hoosiers a season ago (244 yards per game, 5.3 yards per play).

The first step will be to find some defensive linemen that can plug up the gaps that opposing offensive linemen try to open up to the next level of defenders. Despite losing three linemen with regular playing time from a season ago, three starters return including two seniors Larry Black and Adam Replogle.

Black and Replogle both only had about 30 tackles a season ago coming from the inside of the 4-3 formation, and that will need to improve to save the linebackers from needing to make all the plays. A pair of JUCO transfers will fill in after winning the jobs in spring practice: sophomore David Cooper and junior Jaccari Alexander. Despite being new to the Hoosiers, Alexander could become the leader of this unit right away with his fast style of play.

Indiana has finished in the bottom 20 teams nationally in passing defense the past four seasons, but expect some improvement with CB Greg Heban, CB Antonio Marhsall, and SS Mark Murphy returning this year. These players learned that more physical play can lead to great results, but more big plays need to come from this unit than the five interceptions from a season ago.

Indiana needs to find a way to stop either the running game or the passing game consistently. If that happens in 2012, then a one-dimensional offense may not be able to keep up with the improved Hoosiers offense. With a few more turnovers than a season ago, the close losses in 2011 will become close wins in 2012.

Special teams

Despite replacing all kick and punt returners and losing a starting punter in August last season, the Hoosiers improved from where the special teams unit had fallen under Bill Lynch. However, the Hoosiers still have a lot of improving to do to avoid putting the offense and defense in a hole over the length of a game.

Junior kicker Mitch Ewald has been solid in both his years so far, only missing six field goals out of 35 total. One thing Ewald could improve on is his range, as any kicks over 40 yards are dicey and any over 50 have been impossible for him so far.

Four punters (three juniors) with precisely zero experience will battle for the starting duties. Hopefully whomever takes over will have at least as good a year as Adam Pines had in his sole season at the position in 2011. 

Shane Wynn will return and likely continue to return kicks following a 20 yard per return average last year. Wynn does have some explosiveness and may improve on his one touchdown from a season ago in the return game.

Schedule analysis

The Hoosiers' schedule for 2012 looks like this, with predictions on wins and losses in parentheses:

9/1—Indiana State (win)

9/8—@ Massachusetts (win)

9/15—Ball State (win)

9/29—@ Northwestern (loss)

10/6—Michigan State (loss)

10/13—Ohio State (loss)

10/20—@ Navy (loss)

10/27—@ Illinois (loss)

11/3—Iowa (loss)

11/10—Wisconsin (loss)

11/17—@ Penn State (loss)

11/24—@ Purdue (loss)

Projected record: 3-9, 0-8 Big Ten

Season prediction

The biggest problem with the Hoosiers is the same problem that teams like Michigan will face: a better team and a much tougher schedule. Unlike last year, the easier games on the schedule are now on the road in conference play, and that will make it tough to steal a game.

Expect a stronger start than last year, when the only win in non-conference play came against a lower division team. Despite losing two in a row to Ball State, the Hoosiers should only have trouble winning at Massachusetts in the first three games. Then an important and winnable road game at Northwestern follows a bye week, and that could determine how the rest of the season goes.

If a bowl is to be reached for only the second time in two decades, the Hoosiers will need to upset Iowa or Ohio State at home, or both. A possible road game upset could come at Illinois, although the Bucket game against Purdue in West Lafayette may also be a good one if Indiana improves as the season progresses.

At best, Indiana may steal one or two conference wins this season. However, the schedule will flip to be much easier next year and that will be when a lot of improvement should come.

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Thanks for reading! If you have any comments or questions about this or other articles in the 2012 Big Ten football preview series, please contact David on Twitter.

Big Ten Season Preview 2012 Summary

Team Previews: Minnesota preview, Indiana preview, Northwestern preview, Illinois preview; Iowa preview; Penn State preview; Michigan State preview; Purdue preview; Nebraska preview; Ohio State preview; Michigan preview; Wisconsin preview

B1G Scouting Reports: Sun Belt/WAC report

Top 10 Position Rankings: top 10 offensive linemen; top 10 linebackers

That's it for the preview...thanks for reading and now the season is here!

Rise and shine, friends. Here's what's going down in the Big Ten today.

—Today marks the five-year anniversary of one of the saddest days in recent Big Ten history, as Terry Hoeppner succumbed to brain cancer on June 19, 2007. The report from the Herald Times that day is here. The Hoosier program is still trying to recover from the loss, but when a man—and a husband and a father—is taken away so swiftly, recovery can be elusive. He was 59.

—The Orlando Sentinel notes that the Champs Sports Bowl, currently a Big Ten bowl tie-in, has become the Russell Athletic Bowl. To celebrate, RussellAthletic.com has announced a 30 percent site-wide discount for the day, so in case you feel like buying something ugly that you don't want, now you only have to pay 70 cents on the dollar for it.

—In an interview with Eleven Warriors, Gene Smith takes a few swings at the viability of neutral-site playoff games, saying the possibility of a Big Ten championship in Indianapolis, a semifinal in Arizona and a championship game in Atlanta would likely be cost-prohibitive for fans.

We agree, but now Jim Delany will hit Smith with a taser until he genuflects before the Altar of Pasadena like a good Big Ten member.

—Ohio State revealed Urban Meyer's contract details yesterday, six months after his hiring, but according to the Columbus Dispatch, there's one last hangup: Technically, his contract still needs to be approved by the board of trustees.

That's likely to happen today, as there's nothing objectionable in the contract, and if the board nixed the deal, Columbus would burn.

—It's not sports-related, but this being a comment-driven website, this set of axioms about communication gathered by Civil War general Stonewall Jackson (via Futility Closet) is worth reading all the same—and adhering to. Rules 12 through 14 are particularly appropriate here. Do you hear me, commenters? 

No. 109: Chase Hoobler, #47, LB, Indiana

2011 Stats: 8 starts, 48 tackles, 5 tackles-for-loss, 2 sacks

Strengths

Indiana's defense has a long way to go to get back to respectability. If it's going to make that step this year, it'll do so under the leadership of Chase Hoobler, who broke onto the scene as a redshirt freshman last season and looks to be a four-year starter for the Hoosiers. He's physical, aggressive and relentless, and he makes plays on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

Weaknesses

Hoobler's athleticism isn't elite, and he's not who you want chasing a back in space—though he's a sure enough tackler that if he gets his mitts on someone, the play's over. At strongside linebacker, he's not going to put up gaudy stats without an aberrant string of rare plays (fumble recoveries, interceptions, anything else where if you get five in a year, you're doing great). Conference recognition for him will probably be limited.

2012 Prediction

Indiana's defense has nowhere to go but up, and as he mentioned in an interview with the athletic department after the 2012 spring game, Hoobler is acutely aware of that. If he's healthy, he's got 12 more starts coming his way; he's at worst the second-best player on that defense, and he's going to be counted on for as much production as he can give them. "Leading tackler" status is totally in play here, though anything more than 80 tackles on the year might be optimistic, just because of his position. Still, though, he's a good one.

I began by taking a broad overview of the Indiana football program, what it has done over the last five years and what that might tell us about what the Hoosiers will do this season.

Two weeks ago, I looked at the 2012 Indiana offense and what it projects to look like.

Last week, I looked at the 2012 Indiana defense and how it is shaping up.

This week, I'll look at the Hoosiers specialists, recruiting class, schedule and I'll give a final breakdown as well as my prediction for IU in 2012.

Specialists

Junior Mitch Ewald is a solid place kicker, having hit 82.9 percent of his career field goal attempts.

On the other hand, his kickoffs have left something to be desired. In 2011, IU ranked third-to-last in the conference in touchback percentage on kickoffs.

Punter and punt returner are wide open.

Finally, IU returns every player who returned a kickoff in 2011. The problem is, those players averaged a third-to-last 19.21 YPR, and that was with one touchdown to bolster the average.

Big Ten Position Group Ranking: 10

2012 Recruiting Class

Scout ranked Indiana's class No. 9 in the Big Ten, while Rivals ranked it No. 11.  

The Hoosiers signed 25 players, six of whom were JUCO transfers; all of the JUCOs will play this year.

Last season, Kevin Wilson played 16 of his true freshmen. This year, with so many returning starters, Wilson is likely to have more redshirts.

Among the true freshmen who could see immediate playing time are offensive linemen Dan Feeney and Dimitric Camiel. While offensive line is the position a freshman needs the most time to work his way into, both Feeney and Camiel are already at playing weight, tipping the scales at more than 300 pounds each.

Both could work their way onto the depth chart, given that IU doesn't have any established linemen after the top five.

Indianapolis' Jordan Wallace also could grab playing time as a linebacker. He committed to IU over Pitt, Illinois and a number of MAC schools. The Hoosiers' starting three are probably set, but everything is up in the air after that.

Schedule

A pound sign (#) indicates must-win for Indiana.

An exclamation point (!) indicates a probable loss.

A dollar sign ($) indicates a swing game.

Sept. 1: Indiana State Sycamores (#)

Sept. 8: At Massachusetts Minutemen (#)

Sept. 15: Ball State Cardinals (#)

Sept. 22: OPEN

Sept. 29: At Northwestern Wildcats ($)

Oct. 6: Michigan State Spartans (!)

Oct. 13: Ohio State Buckeyes (!)

Oct. 20: At Navy Midshipmen ($)

Oct. 27: At Illinois Fighting Illini (!)

Nov. 3: Iowa Hawkeyes ($)

Nov. 10: Wisconsin Badgers (!)

Nov. 17: At Penn State Nittany Lions (!)

Nov. 24: At Purdue Boilermakers ($)

Best-Case Scenario: 6-6 and a bowl bid

In order for this to happen, Indiana needs:

• A clean bill of health for both Tre Roberson and the offensive line.
• Roberson doesn't have to be Robert Griffin III, but he does need to play beyond his years.
• Consistent wins in the field position game via turnovers and special teams.

Worst-Case Scenario: 2-10

In order for this to happen:

• The Hoosiers offensive line and potentially the quarterback would have to be decimated by injuries.
• The defense only nominally improves.
• Indiana moves the ball, but turns it over far too often.

The Season Will Be a Success If...

...IU wins five games, at least one of which at the hands of a fellow Big Ten team. It would be icing on the cake if that team was Purdue.

My Prediction

The IU defense noticeably will improve. In fact, statistically, the Hoosiers could wind up as the most improved defense in the conference, giving up 5-6 fewer points per game than in 2011.

However, that will still leave them as the worst scoring defense in the Big Ten.

The offense also will improve, which will leave the Hoosiers as a more competitive team than last year. As mentioned above, field position and turnovers will be the difference, and I feel that with a young quarterback, they will come out on the losing end of that equation far too often.

I have the Hoosiers going 3-9, with all three wins coming out of conference. However, they will put a scare into Iowa and Purdue.

I began by taking a broad overview of the Indiana program, what it has done over the last five years and what that might tell us about what the Hoosiers will do this season.

Last week, I looked at the 2012 Indiana offense and what it projects to look like.

This week, I'll look at the 2012 Indiana defense.

Defensive Overview

2011 scoring defense: 37.3 PPG (12th in the conference), total defense: 458.7 YPG (12th), rushing defense: 5.30 YPC (12th), passing efficiency allowed: 156.79 (12th)

Average scoring defense conference ranking over last five years: 10.4

Best scoring defense conference ranking over last five years: ninth (2007)

Worst scoring defense conference ranking over last five years: 12th and 11th (2011 and 2008)

Returning starters: DL Larry Black, Jr., DL Bobby Richardson, DT Adam Replogle, DE Ryan Phillis, LB Chase Hoobler, CB Greg Heban, CB Lawrence Barnett, S Mark Murphy

Open positions: LB, S

Defensive formation: 4-3

Defensive philosophy: moderate

Defensive Breakdown

Kevin Wilson went into his new job with an understanding of what was needed to bring success to Bloomington: defense.

In effect, he hired five defensive coaches to go with four offensive coaches, when most coaching staffs go in the opposite direction.

He hired Doug Mallory and Mike Ekeler as co-coordinators. Before last season, I questioned the hiring of Mallory given his track record—he had been the New Mexico defensive coordinator for two years. Both of those squads were amongst the bottom 10 in the country. With the 2011 Indiana D now on his resume, he is 3-of-3.

Both Mallory and Ekeler are still in place, and the Hoosiers will attempt to pick up the pieces of the No. 114 scoring defense in the country.

It seems that player development will not be the focus next year, given that Indiana signed five defensive JUCO transfers in its 2012 recruiting class.

Either way, IU has had six different head coaches since 1993, which was the last year opponents scored fewer than 25 PPG against the Hoosiers.

Given last season's ineptitude, it's hard to imagine Indiana's opponents failing to break the 25-PPG mark in 2012.

Defensive Line

Indiana returns all but one key contributor to its defensive line and two multi-year starters inside, so that's a good thing, yes?

Maybe not, when one considers that IU allowed 5.30 YPC in 2011. That was 114th in the country. To put that in perspective, for every one yard the Michigan State rush defense—the best in the conference and seventh in the country—allowed last year, Indiana let up almost two.

The Hoosiers also had the second-fewest sacks in the Big Ten.

Amongst the returning players are two multi-year starters in the middle: seniors Adam Replogle and Larry Black, Jr.

Black is a utility man that has moved inside and out during his career; however, given his size—6'2", 305 pounds—he is most suited for run stuffing. Meanwhile, Repogle is faster and is the better pass-rusher of the two. He led last year's Hoosiers with four sacks.

The returning ends are sophomores Ryan Phillis and Bobby Richardson. Phillis is a converted linebacker that needs to use his speed to beat tackles, as he's undersized—6'3", 244 pounds.

At just over 270 pounds, Richardson can play inside or out. Last year, he became the starting strong-side end where he had a team second-best three sacks. The future should be bright for Richardson, but he is probably a year away from being a high-impact player.

Other players in the mix at end include junior Javon Cornley, who started two games in 2011, and JUCO-transfer Justin Rayside. At defensive tackle, senior Nicholas Sliger will press for playing time.

This season, the Indiana defensive line will take some steps forward, but it won't be as formidable as one would expect given its returning experience.

Big Ten Position Group Ranking: 10

Linebackers

Last season, with two experienced starters, head coach Kevin Wilson preferred to employ nickel and dime packages, as opposed to traditional 4-3 looks.

This year, those two starters are gone and Wilson has looked for, and presumably found, help from the JUCO ranks, bringing in Jacarri Alexander and David Cooper.

Alexander is a junior that comes from Iowa Central Community College, where he split time between linebacker and defensive end. He will compete for playing time on the weak side.

Cooper will be a sophomore. He comes from Coffeyville (KS) Community College, where he played a more traditional linebacker role than did Alexander. Look for Cooper to compete for playing time at middle linebacker.

The Hoosiers' lone returning linebacker is sophomore Chase Hoobler. Last season, he started on the strong side, where he will likely end up this season.

Junior Griffen Dahlstrom earned playing time on special teams last season, while sophomore Jake Michalek grabbed one start as an undersized and out-of-position defensive end. Both will compete for a starting job.

Otherwise, a hodgepodge of inexperienced players will look to make names for themselves.

Don't expect much, if any, improvement from the IU linebacking corps, though it will receive help from an improved front four.

Big Ten Position Group Ranking: 12

Secondary

The Big Ten's worst pass defense—No. 116 in the country—returns most of its key defensive backs.

However, head coach Kevin Wilson isn't taking any chances. He dug into the JUCO pool and came up with Tregg Waters and Ryan Thompson, both of whom will compete for immediate playing time. Both can play safety or cornerback, though each physically resembles the latter.

The two key returning cornerbacks are juniors Lawrence Barnett and former walk-on Greg Heban. Sophomores Michael Hunter and Kenny Mullen also gained playing time last year and will push for a starting spot in 2012.

Last season, IU started seven different players at the two safety positions. Four of those players return in 2012: senior Alexander Webb and sophomores Mark Murphy, Drew Hardin and Forisse Hardin.

Wilson likes using a number of nickel and dime packages. In fact, he started a fifth and/or sixth defensive back in lieu of a linebacker five times last season. One has to wonder if that was because he had no confidence in his linebackers or because he didn't realize he was no longer in the pass-happy Big 12.

Either way, expect the Indiana secondary to take some steps forward this season. Greg Heban proved himself to be a solid, if unspectacular cornerback, and Wilson is sure to find at least three other decent defensive backs, given all the players jockeying for a place on the depth chart.

Big Ten Position Group Ranking: 10

Defensive Outlook

Last season, the Indiana defense was a train wreck. It finished at the bottom of the conference in every key statistic and was near the bottom of the country in most.

This season, there looks to be improvement, but anything is an improvement over 37.3 PPG allowed, which was the worst Big Ten scoring defense since 2005 Illinois let up 39.5 PPG.

The 2012 IU defense will still be lousy, but it will be notably better than its 2011 counterpart.

This defense will not raise itself up to middle-of-the-pack status, but it won't be the unquestioned bottom of the conference. In effect, it should be good enough to keep what should be sacrificial lambs such as Massachusetts, Indiana State and Ball State at bay—something the 2011 defense would have had trouble doing.

It will also be good enough to keep the Hoosiers in games against mid-tier conference teams, though it will be up to the offense to win the games. 

Coming next Tuesday, an overview and breakdown of Indiana's specialists, schedule, recruiting class and a prediction as to where I think the Hoosiers will finish the 2012 season.

Last week, I got my feet wet with Indiana, looking at the program, what it has done over the last five years and what that might tell us about what the Hoosiers will do this season.

This week, I'll look at the 2012 Indiana offense.

Offensive Overview

2011 scoring offense: 21.4 PPG (10th in the conference), total offense: 360.4 YPG (eighth), rushing YPC: 3.93 (11th), passing efficiency: 111.91 (10th)

Average scoring offense conference ranking over last five years: 7.8

Best scoring offense conference ranking over last five years: third (2007)

Worst scoring offense conference ranking over last five years: 10th (2008)

Returning starters: QB Tre Roberson, RB Stephen Houston, WR Kofi Hughes, WR Jamonne Chester, TE Ted Bolser, C Will Matte, OL Collin Rahrig, OL Bernard Taylor, OL Peyton Eckert

Open Positions: OL, WR

Offensive formation: Spread

Offensive philosophy: Up tempo

Passing scheme: Big play

Rushing scheme: Zone read

Offensive Breakdown

Head coach Kevin Wilson runs an up-tempo, no-huddle offense. Like any spread offense he is looking for mismatches. Moreover, like any up-tempo offense, he is looking to maximize his possessions and wear the defense down.

His offensive coordinator from 2011, Rod Smith, has left Bloomington to take the OC job at Arizona.

In effect, Wilson hired former Arizona coordinator Seth Littrell for the job.

The only difference between this season and last season might be more of an emphasis on a possession passing attack.

Otherwise, it will be more no huddle, coaches calling audibles from the sidelines and a lot of men in motion, with the goal being to catch the defense off guard.

Quarterbacks

Last season, true freshman Tre Roberson ascended the depth chart and started the Hoosiers final five games. They lost those five games, but they lost six of their seven other games as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMMBR1a5Thk

More to the point, IU averaged 22 points per game in Roberson's starts compared to 21 points per game in the previous seven contests.

Roberson finished the year having completed 57 percent of his passes for 937 yards, three touchdowns, six interceptions and a 110.99 passer efficiency rating. He also rushed for 426 yards, two touchdowns and 3.91 YPC.

Roberson may have the tools to be another Antwaan Randle El, but his passing game will need another year of polishing before he is ready to be anywhere near as dangerous as the former Indiana signal-caller.

Due to Roberson's seeming lock on the starting job, all of the other Indiana quarterbacks have transferred out of Bloomington. Consequently, Wilson signed JUCO quarterback Cameron Coffman. He, along with the true freshman Nathan Sudfeld, will be the only quarterbacks on the roster besides Roberson.

This is an issue because Roberson is a dual-threat quarterback that is listed as just south of 190 pounds. There is potential for injuries there, and that is a recipe for trouble with only Coffman and Sudfeld on the bench.

On the bright side, according to Indiana blog Crimson and Cream, Coffman had a good spring game and "could make things interesting in the quarterback battle."

Big Ten Position Group Ranking: 11

Running Backs

One of the more pleasant surprises of the Hoosiers' unpleasant 1-11 season was the emergence of JUCO transfer Stephen Houston.

The sophomore finished the year with 802 yards, 5.31 YPC and eight touchdowns. Only one team (Ohio State) held him to fewer than three yards per carry. Houston also had 17 receptions for 164 yards.

It is difficult to fully assess Houston's productivity, given that many of his yards came against opponents' second-team defenses. For example, he racked up 135 yards and 7.11 YPC against Wisconsin, but the Hoosiers lost 59-7.

That said, he will be a solid starter for IU, and the three sophomores behind him—D'Angelo Roberts, Matt Perez and Isaiah Roundtree—will make for able backups.

Big Ten Position Group Ranking: Eight

Pass Catchers

Somehow, Indiana regularly has sub-par defenses, offensive lines and running backs—and overall lousy football teams—but it manages to field quality receivers. It must be the basketball lineage. This season will be no exception if the returning receivers live up to their potential.

The Hoosiers return all but three players that caught a pass last season.

The best of the bunch is Kofi Hughes, who had 35 catches for 536 yards and three touchdowns. Also, tight end Ted Bolser had a strong season, posting 14 receptions, 165 yards and one touchdown.

The other notable pass catchers include juniors Jamonne Chester and Duwyce Wilson; and sophomores Shane Wynn and Cody Latimer.

Each of the above posted more than 12 receptions last season. Expect their productivity to go up in 2012, now that they have had one year in Wilson's offense, as well as a more experienced quarterback to get them the ball.

Especially look for Wynn to make some waves, as he is the slot-receiver type that Wilson covets, and got so much out of at Oklahoma in the form of Ryan Broyles.

Big Ten Position Group Ranking: Seven

Offensive Line

Veteran center Will Matte will anchor the offensive line, which paved the way—or failed to pave the way—for second-worst Big Ten rushing offense (YPC) in 2011. It also allowed the fourth-most sacks in the conference.

Joining Matte will be sophomores and returning starters Collin Rahrig, Bernard Taylor and Peyton Eckert. All three are small—average weight of 279 pounds—but that is what Wilson is looking for, as his line does not need to dominate.

Fellow sophomore Cody Evers will be in the mix for the open spot. He is bigger than his linemates—304 pounds—but got extensive playing time last season, including one start.

There isn't much depth after the top five. The only notable upperclassman is junior Charlie Chapman.

Part of the issue last season was installing head coach Kevin Wilson's no-huddle offense, which is particularly hard on offensive linemen. Another issue was a quarterback carousel that finished with a true freshman starting the final five games of the season.

There should be improvement on the line, as long as the starting five can stay healthy. How much improvement there will be remains to be seen, as—no matter the head coach—Indiana has never been known for its play in the trenches.

Big Ten Position Group Ranking: 10

Offensive Outlook

Next season, the Hooisers have the players and experience to improve dramatically from 2011's offensive showing.

This is especially true when one considers they were learning a new, and physically demanding, offensive system. A year in that system—even with new terminology via a new OC—will help this group considerably.

The issue concerns depth, particularly on the line and at quarterback.

If Roberson and the line stay healthy, expect the offense to move from the bottom of the conference to middle of the pack. In effect, expect the offense to do enough to hang with all but the best of the conference's defenses.

If there are injuries, expect a number of struggles and what might seem to be a step backwards for Wilson's young program.

Coming next Tuesday, an overview and breakdown of Indiana's defense.