Indiana's football program has shown a difficult time rising above mediocrity. It is nearly impossible to ascertain what direction the Indiana program would have taken if it were not for the tragic death of former head coach Terry Hoeppner from brain cancer in 2007. Assistant Bill Lynch took over in 2007 after Hoeppner's death and delivered on his motto of "Play 13," which referred to playing in a bowl game. They went to the 2007 Insight Bowl, but lost to Oklahoma State, 49-33. Kevin Wilson took over in 2011 and the team struggled, going 1-11. Indiana improved in 2012 to 4-8 and did one game better in 2013 at 5-7. The 2013 season is looked at closer below.

2013 Indiana Hoosiers Season

2013 had some expectations of a possible bowl appearance in Kevin Wilson's 3rd year. 17 starters returned and the schedule was unbelievably favorable with the first 5 games at home for Indiana. In fact, Indiana did not leave Bloomington, Indiana for a game until October 12 when they traveled to face Michigan State. The Hoosiers alternated wins and losses to the start the year. They beat Indiana State easily, lost 41-35 to Navy, defeated Bowling Green, lost to Missouri, and beat Penn State. They opened 3-2, but things went south after that. They lost the next three games to Michigan State, Michigan, and Minnesota. They bounced back to defeat Illinois at home to get to 4-5. However, the next two games were both on the road at Wisconsin and Ohio State, which Indiana lost easily on both accounts. Indiana ended with a victory over Purdue for the Old Oaken Bucket and finished 5-7 on the season. The entire 2013 schedule is below.

Offense

Despite the 5-7 record, the offense was explosive. They averaged 509 yards and 38.4 points per game. In 2013, Nate Sudfeld and Tre Roberson shared snaps at quarterback, which worked at times. Now, the quarterback situation has been settled, but not the way Indiana would have like. Tre Roberson ended up transferring to Illinois State, which leaves Nate Sudfeld as the top quarterback. Sudfeld threw for 2,523 yards (60.2%), 21 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. Sudfeld is a pocket passer and should have a solid season getting the lion's share of snaps.

In 2013, Indiana had two solid running backs. Tevin Coleman finished with 958 yards and 12 touchdowns while Stephen Houston had 753 yards and 5 touchdowns. Houston departs, but Coleman remains and could have a big season. D'Angelo Roberts has seen plenty of action over the past three years and provides solid depth along with Laray Smith and Tommy Mister. Coleman should see a 1,000 yard season in 2014.

The hardest hit unit was the receiving corps. Three of the top 4 receivers from 2013 are gone. The third leading receiver from a year ago returns in Shane Wynn. He had 46 catches for 633 yards and 11 touchdowns. Nick Stoner is set to become a starting receiver, but he only totaled 12 catches, 226 yards, and 1 touchdown a year ago. Junior college transfer Dominque Booth was in for the spring and will also probably see a lot of action at wide receiver. Even with Sudfeld at quarterback, this unit is not nearly as formidable this year.

One of the strengths on offense will be the line. All 5 starters return as does two more starters from the 2012 season. Left tackle Jason Spriggs leads the way with 24 straight starts at the position. He has been an honorable mention for the All-Big 10 team the previous two years. Center Collin Rahrig has started 24 games the last three years. Dan Feeny and David Kaminski will battle for the right guard spot, but both have experience. The same goes for Peyton Eckert and Ralston Evans at right tackle. Left guard looks to be Bernard Taylor. This line should easily pave the way for Coleman at running back and give Sudfeld all the time he needs.

Defense

While the offense was explosive, the defense was incredibly porous in 2013. They allowed an average of 38.8 points and 528 yards per game. In each of their 7 losses, the Hoosiers gave up at least 41 points. The defense returns 9 starters, which is a mixed bag given how poor they performed in 2013. On the defensive line, two of the three starters return. Bobby Richardson will be on the defensive end spot after starting 10 games in 2013, recording 39 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, and 3 pass breakups. He will be helped by two young, but talented sophomores. Ralph Green was a starter in 2013 and recorded 25 tackles, 1 sack, and 3.5 tackles-for-loss. Darius Latham will be at the defensive tackle spot and he was one of the most sought after tackles in 2013. He played in all 12 games and finished with 22 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 tackle-for-loss. The line gave up an average of 238 rushing yards per game in 2013 and will improve in 2014 as they move to a 3-4 defense.

All three linebackers return from last year and defensive end Nick Mangieri is added in to give Indiana the 3-4 defense. Mangieri recorded 26 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 tackles-for-loss, 5 pass breakups, and 1 interception. 2013's leading tackler, David Cooper returns. He posted 85 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 3.5 tackles-for-loss last year. It was his second straight year posting at least 85 tackles. TJ Simmons started all 12 games as a true freshman last year. He recorded 68 tackles, 1 sack, and 2.5 tackles-for-loss. Forisse Hardin is the fourth linebacker at the outside slot. This group should be better than 2013 and improve the defense as they move to get more speed on the field in the 3-4 scheme.

The secondary was weak in 2013, giving up an average of 290 passing yards per game to opponents. They also allowed 61 percent completions. Now, three of the four starters return including safety Mark Murphy. Murphy finished second on the team in tackles with 84. He has started 31 games over his first three years and will be the top guy in the defensive secondary. The other safety spot will be taken over by sophomore Antonio Allen. Allen tore his ACL against Michigan in 2013, but recorded 35 tackles in the first 6 games. The cornerback position will be solid with both starters returning. Michael Hunter played at one of the corner spots in 2013, finishing with 42 tackles, 7 pass breakups, and 1 interception. The other corner was Tim Bennett and he posted a marvelous statistic. He had 20 pass breakups to go along with 73 tackles and 1 interception. This unit should perform far better in 2014 than they did last year.

Special Teams

Indiana's kicker in 2013, Mitch Ewald, is gone, which will hurt the Hoosiers. Ewad went only 9 of 11, but had a long of 50 yards. He also had 38 touchbacks on 77 kickoffs. Taking over will be redshirt Freshman Aaron Del Grosso. Del Grosso was a top kicker in 2012 during his senior year of high school. He had 47 touchbacks on 60 kickoffs. The punter will be Erich Toth. In 2013, Toth had an average of 40.6 yards per punt with a net of 35.4 yards. He also had two punts blocked. Returning kicks and punts will be Shane Wynn. Wynn had 7 punt returns for 98 yards and 1 touchdown while returning 18 kicks for an average of 23.1 yards.

2014 Season Outlook

Kevin Wilson has made improvements each year in charge at Indiana. One issue was the amount of attrition suffered at the beginning of Wilson's tenure. With 2014 being his fourth year, Indiana is full of Wilson's recruits. The offense is of little concern, but the defense may struggle again in 2014. Plus, the schedule is not nearly as favorable. The schedule is below.

Indiana played their first 5 games at home in 2013, but will see back-to-back road games in the middle of September this year. Both of those road games could be losses, though 1-1 seems most likely. The Hoosiers get the honor of being Maryland's first Big 10 opponent, which is in Bloomington and is considered a toss up. If Indiana can get to 4-1 by the time they travel to Iowa, they will have an excellent shot at reaching 6-6 for the season. In the final half of the season, the Hoosiers have winnable games against Penn State (they defeated Penn State by 20 last year), Rutgers, and Purdue. That would make them 7-5 and even if they lost one game against Bowling Green, Maryland, or Penn State, the Hoosiers would still be 6-6. Kevin Wilson could lead the Hoosiers to their first bowl game since 2007.

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About the author
Matthew Dixon
I follow College Football at all levels; FBS, FCS, Division II, and Division III. In addition, I am a horse racing enthusiast.