After the biggest loss of the Tom Allen Era in week three, Indiana hopes to put the Ohio State loss as far into the past as possible with its final non-conference game against a struggling Connecticut program.
Prepare for the week four matchup with a primer from TheHoosier.com.
Setting the Scene
Coming off of the biggest loss of the Tom Allen Era, the Indiana plays and coaches are eager to put the Ohio State loss as far behind them as possible, and their week four game against Connecticut is the first step.
UConn is coming off of a 1-11 season but has needed to replace nearly all of 2018’s starters, which has actually proven to be an improvement. Two-star true freshman quarterback Jack Zergiotis is now the quarterback, and true freshman wide receiver Cameron Ross is leading the receivers room. The only returning starter at an offensive skilled position is running back Kevin Mensah, who was the first 1,000-yard rusher for the program since 2011. It’s a young group, but it’s a good foundation for head coach Randy Edsall to build upon.
Related: Ten Things To Know About Connecticut
But for 2019, Connecticut will continue to struggle. It defeated Wagner by three points and ended its week two game against Illinois within one possession of the Illini, though the game wasn’t nearly as close as the scoreboard showed.
Despite the 2019 resume Connecticut has put together, it is still one of the worst teams in the FBS, which sets up a prime tune-up game for the Hoosiers, who are favored by 28 points, before they travel to Michigan State next week and Big Ten play gets into full swing.
Some areas IU’s staff will be looking to address are the run game, tackling, new blocking schemes and run fits, and forcing turnovers on defense.
Positional Matchup to Watch
Indiana offensive line vs. Connecticut defensive line
Indiana is searching for answers in the run game, as Tom Allen stressed the need to structurally counter stacked boxes. If Peyton Ramsey starts again, the box will certainly be stacked against UConn. The only problem for the Huskies is that Pro Football Focus grades their run defense No. 107 among 130 FBS teams.
Related: Thursday Notebook: Tom Allen Previews Connecticut
Expect Indiana to run the ball early and often to wear down Connecticut’s defense, as offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer said he’d like to do more often moving forward. It’s a good opportunity, and the last opportunity for the Hoosiers to straighten out the running game before running head-first into Big Ten play in week five.
Connecticut owned the worst defense in FBS history last season – allowing 50 points and 617 yards per game – but it has made some improvements, mainly in Notre Dame linebacker transfer DJ Morgan. But if Indiana wants to gain confidence in the rushing attack, forcing a defense like UConn’s to struggle and maintaining some consistent tempo will be imperative.
Related: IU Searches for Answers in the Running Game Before Big Ten Play
X-Factor for Indiana
Turnovers and Takeaways
Illinois couldn’t escape Connecticut in week two because it compounded mistakes and allowed UConn to jump to an early 13-0 lead. A pick-six followed by a turnover on downs, a lost fumble on the first play of the second half and another lost fumble with a chance to go up by three possessions is not an ideal game against one of the weakest defenses in the country. But that game showed more about Illinois than it did about UConn.
Indiana hasn’t struggled with turnovers much this season, but it hasn’t forced them either – only two in three games after forcing 26 in 2018.
It seems obvious to claim that Indiana needs to win the turnover battle, but if the Hoosiers can compile several takeaways on defense and protect the ball on offense, it would provide a level of confidence on both sides of the ball that Tom Allen is searching for, particularly on defense.
Players to Watch for Connecticut
Kevin Mensah
As noted above, Mensah was the first 1,000-yard rusher in the Connecticut program since 2011. He’s on track to hit that mark again in 2019, and Connecticut feeds him often. He’s carried the ball 50 times in two games this year, which is 13 more times than Stevie Scott has carried the ball in three games. The Huskies have also handed it off to Toledo backup transfer Art Thompkins 25 times, so Connecticut likes to run the ball, and Mensah is its primary building block on offense.
DJ Morgan
Of the several transfers added to Connecticut’s 2019 roster, linebacker DJ Morgan is probably the most productive. In just two games, Morgan has recorded 19 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass deflection. He’s all over the field for UConn, and the most positive plays of the season for Connecticut, according to Pro Football Focus, have come when Morgan rushes the passer, which he’s done on 11 occasions. Teams cannot escape Morgan, so he will have an effect on the game Saturday.
Prediction
Indiana will likely run the ball more often than it passes, especially if Mike Penix is not available. Tom Allen said one of the two two things he wants to see out of his team before entering Big Ten play is the ability to create seams and build play action off of a successful running game and the offensive tempo that comes with that.
The other is stopping the run and finishing tackles on defense.
With that being noted, the clock will likely be drained fairly quickly with as much running as is expected to happen. It won’t be as high-scoring as Eastern Illinois, but Tom Allen and Kalen DeBoer probably won’t take their foot off the gas if they feel they’re in a productive offensive tempo.
Score: 38-10 Indiana
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