For the second time in as many seasons, Tom Allen was able to lead the Indiana Hoosiers to a winning season, a January bowl game and, at one point, the Hoosiers were ranked inside the Top 10 despite losing starting quarterback Michael Penix to another torn ACL.
Allen has raised the expectations of the program, but, with that have come some departures.
Gone from last year's magical season is defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, who is now the head coach at the University of South Alabama, as well as players Whop Philyor, Jamar Johnson and Stevie Scott, all of whom are in the NFL.
Despite the personnel losses, Indiana does bring back Penix under center, and if he can stay healthy, the offense can put up some numbers with the likes of Ty Fryfogle, Miles Marshall, Sampson James and Peyton Hendershot, along with transfers D.J. Matthews and Camron Buckley and new running backs coach Deland McCullough.
Defensively, Indiana brings back a wealth of talent, as All-Americans Micah McFadden and Tiawan Mullen are back, as well as Marcelino Ball and Raheem Layne, who missed last season due to injury.
A season ago, Indiana finished 6-2 in a Covid-impacted season and lost to Ole Miss 26-20 in the Outback Bowl, but they may find a much tougher go of it this season, which kicks off Sept. 4 at Iowa.
The schedule features a home contest against an improved Cincinnati squad, as well as road trips to Penn State, Michigan, Maryland and Purdue.
However, it is the first three games (at Iowa, vs. Idaho, vs. Cincinnati) that will go a long way in setting the tone for the 2021 season.
Below is our first in a four part series looking at the Indiana schedule.
Sept. 4 at Iowa
The Hoosiers jump right into the thick of things with what promises to be a Top 25 clash in Iowa City to open the season.
DraftKings has Indiana as a 5.5 point underdog in early betting lines.
The Hawkeyes started the 2020 season with back-to-back losses but closed out as one of the hottest teams in America, running their record to 6-2 before having their Music City Bowl game against Missouri canceled.
The series has been owned by Iowa, who has won seven of the last eight games between the two. Indiana's last win came in 2012.
Iowa returns All-American center Tyler Lindenbaum up front, but have to replace three starters on the offensive line. Quarterback Spencer Petras is back after throwing for 1,569 yards and nine touchdowns in eight games, but completed just 57.1 percent of his passes last year.
Sam LaPorta is back at tight end after leading Iowa in receiving yards a season ago, and the Hawkeyes bring back Tyrone Tracy, who reeled in 14 receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown and Nico Ragaini, who had 18 receptions for 191 yards.
The running game is led by Tyler Goodson, who led the Hawkeyes with 762 yards.
Defensively, Iowa brings back end Zach VanValkenburg, who had 8.5 tackles and 3.5 sacks, as well as six players in the secondary.
Returning at linebacker are Seth Benson, Dane Bolton and Jack Campbell, who combined for 109 total tackles and nine tackles for loss.
The Hawkeyes bring back punter Tony Taylor, who averaged over 44 yards a boot last season.
Allen understands what is at stake in the season opener.
""You think about Iowa and their program and the success they've had for a long time. There's history with what Coach Frye built and I have so much respect for Coach (Kirk) Ferentz and the consistency over time, it's just impressive. They are favored by many to win the west this year. They got a whole bunch of guys coming back off a very good football team that played really good football the second half of the season. Physical, it is on the road, and road Big Ten games are hard, that environment is hard and it will be a tough test right out of the gate. That's life in the Big Ten, and that's okay. That's part of it," Allen told TheHoosier.com earlier this year.
And, while it is a big game, Allen acknowledged it is only one game.
"Well now the expectations have changed, but you have to go there. Obviously, it's one game and it's not your whole season, but it is a very important game. It is our next game and we will talk about that. Why? Because it's our next game and that is our whole policy here. It is the biggest game because it is the next one. Ramifications are huge, but it is just one game. Our goal is we have to play our best football in that one moment. Right now, everything you do is for that, and that's why I like having a game like that first because it creates that sense of urgency the whole offseason, all summer long and we are talking about it in May. Playing that type of team in that type of environment makes it special. I am assuming it'll be a packed stadium and full. That is what you want. You want to play in games people want to talk about and you want to be in those moments. When you get there, you have to make the most of it. You do that by embracing the boredom of consistency and doing the little things right in May when there's nobody watching. That is how you make those plays," Allen told TheHoosier.com.
Sept. 11 vs Idaho
The Hoosiers and Idaho Vandals have never played before, so the home opener for Indiana will have a little bit of a different feel.
For starters, it is a night game (7:30 p.m. kickoff) against an opponent who has made its way back to the FCS ranks.
Idaho rejoined the FCS level and the Big Sky Conference prior to 2018 and are 11-18 since coming back up from FBS.
Idaho played in the spring, going 2-4 with wins over Eastern Washington and Southern Utah. Since then, offensive coordinator Kris Cinkovich has left the program after guiding Idaho to 23.3 points per game and a strong 20-of-21 performance in the red zone scoring opportunities.
Leading the way for the Vandals is quarterback Mike Beaudry, who has also played at West Florida and UConn. A season ago, he threw for 794 yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions and completed just over 59 percent of his throws.
Joining him in the backfield has been Zach Borish, who rushed for 287 yards in two games, and Roshaun Johnson, who ran for 211 yards.
Hayden Hatten reeled in the majority of the passes, amassing 43 receptions for 613 yards, while Logan Kendall is an FCS All-American, who can also line up in the backfield at fullback.
Defensively, Idaho is led by All-American linebacker Tre Walker, who had a solid spring and has led the Big Sky Conference in tackles, notching 13.5 a game. Walker was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the top defensive player in FCS..
Sept. 18 vs. Cincinnati
This game promises to feature two ranked teams when the Cincinnati Bearcats invade Memorial Stadium.
A season ago, Cincinnati was one of the top programs in the country, racing out to a 9-1 start and almost knocking off Georgia in the Peach Bowl before the Bulldogs connected on a 50-plus yard field goal to win.
With last year's success and a close Peach Bowl loss, Luke Fickell's Cincinnati team enters this year with high goals and expectations as the Bearcats hope to be a player in the College Football Playoffs.
Offensively, it all starts and ends for Cincinnati with quarterback Desmond Ridder, who helped guide an offense that averaged just over 37 points per game. Ridder was named the AAC Offensive Player-of-the-Year and can hurt teams with both his arm or legs, as he threw for 229 yards per game and added 59.2 yards per game on the ground.
In addition, he has experience, having won 30 games under center. Joining him on the offensive side will be Josh Whyle and Leonard Taylor, as well as Alec Pierce, who is back from an injury.
Jerome Ford will be the lead running back for a Cincinnati team that has some holes to fill on the offensive line.
Defensively, Cincinnati will also break in a new defensive coordinator this season, as Marcus Freeman is now at Notre Dame and Mike Tressel is the new leader for a defense that held opponents to 16.8 points per game and shut down opposing rushing attacks a season ago.
While the coordinator is gone, the Bearcats bring back Myjai Sanders at defensive end, and the defensive unit features plenty of talent and depth.
What Cincinnati does have is one of the best defensive backfields in the country in Coby Bryant and All-American Ahmad Gardner.
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