Indiana Hoosiers Analysis and Season Projections

The Indiana Hoosiers came close to making their first bowl appearance since 2007, but came up one game short finishing 5-7 overall and last place in the Big Ten for the third consecutive year with a 1-7 record in conference play during the 2010 season. 

A late game drop by wide receiver Damarlo Belcher in a heartbreaking 18-13 loss to Iowa, continuous defensive mishaps in a 42-35 shootout defeat at the hands of Michigan and several blown chances in the fourth quarter, were too much for the Hoosiers as they were bested 20-17 by Northwestern. 

All of this led to the firing of head coach Bill Lynch, who finished with a 19-30 record in Bloomington at the end of last year's campaign. 

Indiana's new head coach Kevin Wilson, who is coming off of a nine-year stint as the offensive coordinator for the Oklahoma Sooners, has a daunting rebuilding task ahead of him if he is to lead the Hoosiers out of the cellar of the Big Ten in the 2011 campaign. 

The Hoosiers will likely take a step backward this season after losing their top three offensive weapons and no signs of improvement in their secondary, which finished dead last in the Big Ten in passing defense a year ago. 

Offense:

The only reason Indiana had much success last season was because senior quarterback Ben Chappell, who completed his final year of eligibility in 2010, threw for close to 3,300 yards and 24 touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Dusty Kiel is a prototypical drop-back passer and will likely win the starting job for the 2011 campaign, but junior Edwin Wright-Baker will push Kiel during summer practices. 

The Hoosiers' talented receiving tandem of Tandon Doss and Terrance Turner, who combined for 130 receptions, 1,387 yards and 10 touchdowns, are also not returning for the 2011 season. 

There is good news for Indiana though: Damarlo Belcher is primed to have a breakout senior year and will be their best offensive player coming off of a season in which he made 78 catches for 832 yards and four touchdowns. The success of the Hoosiers offense will likely depend on whether or not Belcher is putting up big numbers. 

Indiana's leading rusher from a year ago, Trea Burgess, graduated as well. The Hoosiers hope junior running back Darius Willis can return from a knee injury last season and make an impact in the running game in 2011 and take some pressure off of their inexperienced quarterbacks. 

Sophomore tailback Nick Turner and true freshman D'Angelo Roberts have stood out in the first few practices and will get plenty of chances to tote the rock this season. 

The offensive line should be strong this season with senior offensive tackles Andrew McDonald and Justin Pagan, along with junior center Will Matte, all returning from last year's squad. 

Junior guard Marc Damisch has made seven career starts and will fill one of the spots left behind by James Brewer and Aaron Price, who combined for 31 starts in their careers at Indiana. 

Defense:

The Hoosiers' abysmal pass defense allowed 238 yards per game, 27 touchdowns and only managed to snag eight interceptions last year. Indiana finished 90th in the country in total defense and surrendered an average of 34 points per game, which was 102nd in the nation. 

The secondary will still have major problems in 2011, but the Hoosiers' front seven will be significantly better.

Look for senior linebackers Jeff Thomas and Leon Beckum to make a ton of tackles this season. Also, the defensive line returns three starters and junior defensive tackle Larry Black Jr. could be one of the best players on the defensive side of the ball in the entire country after dropping 25 pounds of fat and adding some muscle to his frame in the offseason. 

Senior defensive end Darius Johnson led the Hoosiers with 4.5 sacks in 2010 and will look to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks again this season coming off the edge. 

If Johnson and Black can apply pressure and slow down opposing running games this year, the Hoosiers' problems in the secondary may not be as apparent as they were a year ago. 

Prediction:

The Hoosiers will not have anywhere close to the same amount of firepower they had on offense last season and the defense will still struggle despite being better up front this season. 

Indiana's schedule is also very rigorous with road trips to Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State and Iowa. The only winnable games for the Hoosiers this year will come in non-conference play and the lone chance they will have at knocking off a Big Ten team is in their season finale against arch-rival Purdue. 

Indiana has only finished with a winning record once since 1995 and have not won the Big Ten since 1967. Do not expect any of that to change in Wilson's first season as head coach, but one thing that will change in 2011 is the team's mentality entering each and every game. 

"Our mindset is different," Belcher said. "All we're thinking about is winning."

Projected Record: 3-9 (0-8 Big Ten)

9/3 - Ball State* - Win

9/10 - Virginia - Loss

9/17 - South Carolina State - Win

9/24 - at North Texas - Win

10/1 - Penn State - Loss

10/8 - Illinois - Loss

10/15 - at Wisconsin - Loss

10/22 -  at Iowa - Loss

10/29 - Northwestern - Loss

11/5 - at Ohio State - Loss

11/19 - at Michigan State - Loss

11/26 - Purdue - Loss

* - at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis

Zach Dirlam is a Big Ten Columnist for the new 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 the major sports. You can also follow his blog on Twitter, which will provide you with the latest updates about what will be posted on the blog!