Scouting Indiana: Five Questions with SI's HoosiersNow
What's the mood at Indiana ahead of Saturday's season-opener against Penn State? We checked in with Tom Brew of SI's Indiana channel HoosiersNow to find out.
Q: What's the level of excitement around Indiana football this season?
Tom Brew: It's interesting trying to gauge the excitement of the Indiana fan base, because they liked the idea of the Hoosiers winning eight games a year ago, but they are also realistic to realize they didn't beat a single team with a winning record. Without those three usual non-conference wins, they just aren't sure how good this team can be this year. Indiana has been historically bad for so long – they've lost more games than any other college team — that it takes a lot for them to buy into beating the big boys this year.
Q: What should Penn State fans know about Indiana?
Tom Brew: Indiana under Tom Allen has recruited at a much higher level than any of his predecessors, and a lot of the sophomores and juniors on this team already have a lot of experience under their belts. The focus since letting the Gator Bowl slip away against Tennessee has been to "FINISH.'' They went 8-5 a year ago and let leads slip away against Michigan State and Tennessee, and felt like they could have stolen one at Penn State too. They're a confident bunch and they feel like they can play with Penn State after two close games the past two seasons. We'll see on Saturday.
Q: What does Indiana expect from Michael Penix Jr. in his return as the starting quarterback?
Tom Brew: Big things! They've been excited since he picked Indiana over several SEC schools coming out of Florida, but he hasn't been able to stay healthy. When he has played, he's done a lot of good things. He has a strong arm, a full grasp of the offense and plenty of weapons to attack with it. He's also added 20 pounds of muscle and should be more durable this year. The sky is the limit for this team if he can stay healthy all year.
Q: Receiver Whop Philyor said he's making this game "personal." How will that impact the way Indiana approaches the game?
Tom Brew: Every game is personal to Philyor, who's the most talkative player on the team. He got hit in the head TWICE early in last year's game at Penn State and got knocked out. He's reminded Indiana's defenders about that, but they aren't a "REVENGE" type of team. They're all about one day at a time, and last year doesn't matter. Whop wants to have a big game though, that's for sure. He knows Penn State has struggled with defending the deep-passing game, and he'd love to break a big play or two.
Q: What do you expect the atmosphere to be like Saturday in Bloomington?
Tom Brew: Well, it's Game 1 of a full season with no fans in the stands. That's going to be very strange. Indiana also was very forceful in saying no tailgating will be allowed anywhere on campus, and they want people to follow CDC guidelines about large gatherings. It is what it is in 2020, because this should be a really exciting Big Ten season on the field. It's a shame fans can't embrace it more.
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