After the week one with against FIU, the Hoosiers looked solid, but have some things to clean up, especially on offense.
This week, the Western Illinois Leathernecks come to Bloomington on Friday, with IU favored by a significant amount.
Given the fact that IU is projected to win by substantial amount, here are three keys to not necessarily not just win against WIU, but clean up the mistakes seen in week one.
LIMIT THE PENALTIES ON OFFENSE
In what was mostly a sound performance from the IU in week one against FIU, there was one area in particular that was noticeably error-ridden and that was in penalties.
The Hoosiers totaled eight offensive penalties, accounting for 65 yards of penalty yardage, making IU play from behind the sticks on several occasions.
This is an area that coach Cignetti has specifically singled out as an area that needs work as, in terms of the offense, penalties were the biggest inhibitor of success, especially in the second half against FIU.
In that second half against FIU, the majority of the penalties occurred, preventing IU to score for most of the third and fourth quarters.
If this happens again vs. Western Illinois, Cignetti and staff will not be please, as well as it could make the game vs. the Leathernecks closer than it should be.
This is why limiting penalties is a huge key to making sure the game against Western Illinois is put away early, as the Hoosiers are expected to play soundly and win big.
ESTABLISH THE PASS GAME EARLY
Similar to the penalties, the pass game was not a strongpoint for the Hoosier offense in week one, with the offense mainly focused on the run attack for most of the game.
With only 180 yards passing the entire game, just 33 of those being in the second half, the pass game was not working for IU in the opener. This means that getting the pass game going early is very important, as Kurtis Rourke may need some more reps before Big Ten play starts.
With this game being a potential blowout, IU may look to just run the ball or may put in the second unit, making it even more important that the pass game gets established early.
While the outcome of this one isn't necessarily in question, IU will need its pass game later in the season, so establishing it now is critical. Doing so will allow the run game to take over when after the Hoosiers have the lead they need, while giving Rourke and his receivers valuable reps.
Rourke, with all his experience, should bounce back after a slow first game, but an emphasis needs to be put on the pass against WIU in order to make sure that happens, making establishing the pass an important key to improving in week two.
"PLAY IN THE LEAD"
The last key, and possibly the most important key is to "play the lead," as Cignetti put it in the FIU postgame press conference.
Cignetti noted that his team "needs to learn" how to play a lead, in reference to how IU responded after scoring three straight touchdowns against FIU.
After those touchdowns, the Hoosiers connected on a field goal, but went three straight drives without a score, something that seemingly the entire offense was frustrated with.
With Western Illinois coming in, IU will surely have a big lead, possibly even in the first quarter, meaning the Hoosiers may have to play the lead for the majority of the game.
Doing so means taking care of the ball, limiting mistakes and working on different parts of the offense to improve for later weeks.
Defense is also important too but, at least in week one, the offense had a much tougher time playing with the lead, meaning that a major key against WIU is the offense improving on this.
With the Hoosiers most likely playing with the lead throughout the game, look for things to be cleaned up, which is exactly what Cignetti, as well as Hoosier fans, are looking for.
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