Welcome to Two Game Tuesdays! This is our newest, most simple segment of the offseason. We’re going to release game by game previews of this year’s Indiana football schedule. Always released on Tuesdays! This week’s games are a bit slow, but it’ll ramp up quick! Make sure you subscribe below.
Week 1: North Texas Mean Green
All time series: Tied 1-1
Indiana starts their title defense as 40.5 point favorite against North Texas on September 5th at noon on FOX.
North Texas Last Season
Last year North Texas went 12-2, and finished atop the American conference, reaching as high as number 20 in the AP Poll. They ended their season with a thrilling 49-47 win over San Diego State in the New Mexico bowl, which gave the Mean Green their first ever 12 win season. However, this season’s Mean Green team will look a lot different, as they lose most of their talent to Oklahoma State. Their coach, Eric Morris, left to take over for legendary Cowboy coach Mike Gundy, and as expected, many of his players followed him to Stillwater. Among the players transferring to Oklahoma State is quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who was actually a target of the Hoosiers in the portal this past cycle. He was recently named the Newcomer of the Year for the Big 12 this preseason.
This Year
Adding to the IU-UNT connections is Tayven Jackson, who is projected to be the starting QB at North Texas this year. Jackson played two seasons as a backup for the Hoosiers, and most notably filled in for Kurtis Rourke in a win over Washington when College Gameday was in Bloomington. UNT brings in Neal Brown to be the head coach, who last year was a special assistant to Steve Sarkisan at Texas after stops at Troy and West Virginia. He is an offensive minded coach, but the system is different from the high flying one that Eric Morris deployed last year. North Texas basically will be starting from scratch this year with a lot of talented, yet unproven, players on offense. Jackson is one of them, along with Henry Fenuku, a guard from Missouri. A very intriguing piece is Jahiem White Jr., a standout RB at West Virginia who was marred by injuries last year. If he can stay healthy, he could become a beast in the American this year. The defense returns less than the offense, but they do have talent on the line, and depth in the secondary. Udoka Ezeani had 5 sacks last year for UTEP, and former Rutgers commit David Onuoha had 2.5 sacks for UMass a season ago. This room has the potential to get to the QB, and as long as they hold up in the run game, could cause some problems. At linebacker, Aaron Alexander led Arkansas State in tackles, and brings experience and stability to the middle of the defense. The secondary is where UNT did the most work in the portal. They bring in Ja’Bree Brickham (Boise State), Caden Jenkins (Baylor), and Zach Johnson (SE Louisiana). Their defense, much like the offense, is littered with former power conference players who are looking for an opportunity to shine at a lower level.
Outlook
With all the new additions to North Texas, it will be interesting to see how Cignetti and Co. try to scout them. As everyone knows by now, Cignetti is a film junkie, and he might have to watch 22 different schools in preparation for this game. The biggest question mark for North Texas is their ability to mesh and gel effectively in such a short amount of time. The talent is unquestionably in the locker room, but finding the right combinations of players will more than likely take a few weeks to figure out completely. This bodes well for Indiana, who does have some transfers of their own, but not to the extent that North Texas does.
Overall, this is a great game for the Hoosiers to start the season with, as it is a win (should they get it) that has the chance to look better as the season goes on and UNT comes together as weeks go on.
Week 2: Howard Bison
First Meeting All Time
Indiana’s second game is a battle of the Bison as they take on Howard on September 12, at noon, on BTN.
About the Program
Antoine Bethea, former Colts standout in the secondary, is a graduate of Howard. Also in the defensive backfield, former Chief and current Bengal Bryan Cook spent two years at Howard before transferring to the University of Cincinnati. Howard has six total National Championships, with the last one coming in 1996.
Team Preview
Howard went 5-7 last year in the MEAC, and lost 55-7 to Temple in their only game against FBS competition. They struggled to find their footing, but did end the year with an emphatic 44-15 win over Norfolk State. Former Howard star Ted White takes over as head coach, and he looks to breathe new life into this program that is just three years removed from a Celebration Bowl appearance in 2023.
Outlook
This game should not be much of a contest, but it will be a good chance to see some of the younger IU players in action against an inferior opponent. Last year, we saw Khobie Martin shine in a similar type of game against Indiana State, and this will be an opportunity for young players to make a lasting impression on the coaching staff. I will be watching for QB Tyler Cherry, who is coming off of an ACL tear, to see how he performs in a game atmosphere. Additionally, this will be another chance to see how the running back touches are divided, and the different utilizations of the backs themselves.
This will be by far the easiest game of the season for the Hoosiers, and will be a great opportunity for the backups to get valuable in-game reps, especially with the new nine game redshirt rule. They call it a buy game for a reason, and Indiana should have no issues in this game. As long as nobody gets hurt, this game will be a success for the Hoosiers.
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Cover picture courtesy of CBS Sports.