Saturday, September 19
Bloomington, Ind.
4:00 p.m.
Indiana University
vs
Western Kentucky
High-Powered Offenses Set to Collide
9/15/2015 3:33:00 PM | Football
By: Sam Beishuizen | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - If recent history is any indication of how Saturday's game between Indiana and Western Kentucky will play out, at least one thing appears already certain:
It will be close.
The Hoosiers (2-0) enter the 4 p.m. matchup at Memorial Stadium having won their last two games by a combined 15 points. Both wins required second-half rallies and late defensive stops to clinch the victories in the fourth quarter.
Dating back to last season, the Hilltoppers (2-0) have won seven straight games. The last four, though, have come by a combined seven points, including a 14-12 win against Vanderbilt before a 41-38 victory against Louisiana Tech to start the season.
"We know it could have easily gone the other way," Western Kentucky head coach Jeff Brohm said. "What we have to do is understand what it took to win those two games."
Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson joked that winning in tight games "beats losing" and that he, like Brohm, is using the marginal victories as teaching points. Come Saturday night, one of the two head coaches will have suffered their first loss of the season.
"I prefer those (close) games," Wilson said. "It's nice that our team has maturity, has the confidence and we keep playing four quarters and we're playing the next play."
Indiana's ability to overcome adversity could prove beneficial against a Western Kentucky team looking to achieve its goal of winning two of its three games against Power 5-conference opponents.
The Hilltoppers--led by sixth-year senior quarterback Brandon Doughty--have strung together the nation's fourth-longest winning streak behind a high-powered offense that often makes up for an inconsistent defense.
After a slow start in week one, WKU returned to form against Louisiana Tech in putting up 590 yards of total offense. Doughty accounted for 441 of those yards through the air, completing 28-of-38 passes.
The experienced quarterback's effort made up for the loss of senior running back Leon Allen, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first half of WKU's week two win after rushing for 1,542 yards last season. A year ago, Doughty led the FBS with 4,830 passing yards and 49 touchdowns.
With that in mind, senior defensive end Nick Mangieri said that makes it all the more important he and the rest of Indiana's front seven is able to disrupt Doughty and force him into making mistakes, which happens rarely. The Hilltoppers have a plus-four turnover margin through two games.
"He's an experienced guy," Mangieri said of Doughty. "Obviously he's smart. He's comfortable in his offense. He gets the ball out quick...He's going to be a huge test for us."
IU's own veteran quarterback, senior Nate Sudfeld, said he's looking to clear some of the "clutter" from the offense this week. He said he wasn't pleased with Indiana settling for two field goals in five red zone trips against Florida International.
Sudfeld said the team is mostly relying on game film from Western Kentucky's first two games of 2015 to prepare for Saturday's game. The Hilltoppers added some changes to their defense in the offseason after ranking 111th against the run, 121st against the pass and 120th in total yards per game allowed in 2014.
Western Kentucky's defense managed to contain Vanderbilt in week one but was unable to repeat its opening-week performance against Louisiana Tech.
"We need to really connect on third downs, making those competitive plays, making good decisions," Sudfeld said.
Two ex-UAB defenders, tackle Jontavius Morris and linebacker T.J. McCollum, will be among a group tasked with slowing down Sudfeld's passing attack and their former Blazers teammate Jordan Howard.
The junior running back rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns against WKU last season and currently leads the Big Ten in rushing with 304 yards.
"The confidence is very high, but we know there are things to improve," Howard said. "We haven't reached our pinnacle yet."
Howard, like Sudfeld, said it's going to be key this week to score touchdowns instead of settling for field goals against a proven offense like Western Kentucky. He said he has a lot of respect for the Hilltoppers, having seen them play firsthand already.
"They're a very talented team," Howard said. "They'll big a big challenge."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - If recent history is any indication of how Saturday's game between Indiana and Western Kentucky will play out, at least one thing appears already certain:
It will be close.
The Hoosiers (2-0) enter the 4 p.m. matchup at Memorial Stadium having won their last two games by a combined 15 points. Both wins required second-half rallies and late defensive stops to clinch the victories in the fourth quarter.
Dating back to last season, the Hilltoppers (2-0) have won seven straight games. The last four, though, have come by a combined seven points, including a 14-12 win against Vanderbilt before a 41-38 victory against Louisiana Tech to start the season.
"We know it could have easily gone the other way," Western Kentucky head coach Jeff Brohm said. "What we have to do is understand what it took to win those two games."
Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson joked that winning in tight games "beats losing" and that he, like Brohm, is using the marginal victories as teaching points. Come Saturday night, one of the two head coaches will have suffered their first loss of the season.
"I prefer those (close) games," Wilson said. "It's nice that our team has maturity, has the confidence and we keep playing four quarters and we're playing the next play."
Indiana's ability to overcome adversity could prove beneficial against a Western Kentucky team looking to achieve its goal of winning two of its three games against Power 5-conference opponents.
The Hilltoppers--led by sixth-year senior quarterback Brandon Doughty--have strung together the nation's fourth-longest winning streak behind a high-powered offense that often makes up for an inconsistent defense.
After a slow start in week one, WKU returned to form against Louisiana Tech in putting up 590 yards of total offense. Doughty accounted for 441 of those yards through the air, completing 28-of-38 passes.
The experienced quarterback's effort made up for the loss of senior running back Leon Allen, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first half of WKU's week two win after rushing for 1,542 yards last season. A year ago, Doughty led the FBS with 4,830 passing yards and 49 touchdowns.
With that in mind, senior defensive end Nick Mangieri said that makes it all the more important he and the rest of Indiana's front seven is able to disrupt Doughty and force him into making mistakes, which happens rarely. The Hilltoppers have a plus-four turnover margin through two games.
"He's an experienced guy," Mangieri said of Doughty. "Obviously he's smart. He's comfortable in his offense. He gets the ball out quick...He's going to be a huge test for us."
IU's own veteran quarterback, senior Nate Sudfeld, said he's looking to clear some of the "clutter" from the offense this week. He said he wasn't pleased with Indiana settling for two field goals in five red zone trips against Florida International.
Sudfeld said the team is mostly relying on game film from Western Kentucky's first two games of 2015 to prepare for Saturday's game. The Hilltoppers added some changes to their defense in the offseason after ranking 111th against the run, 121st against the pass and 120th in total yards per game allowed in 2014.
Western Kentucky's defense managed to contain Vanderbilt in week one but was unable to repeat its opening-week performance against Louisiana Tech.
"We need to really connect on third downs, making those competitive plays, making good decisions," Sudfeld said.
Two ex-UAB defenders, tackle Jontavius Morris and linebacker T.J. McCollum, will be among a group tasked with slowing down Sudfeld's passing attack and their former Blazers teammate Jordan Howard.
The junior running back rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns against WKU last season and currently leads the Big Ten in rushing with 304 yards.
"The confidence is very high, but we know there are things to improve," Howard said. "We haven't reached our pinnacle yet."
Howard, like Sudfeld, said it's going to be key this week to score touchdowns instead of settling for field goals against a proven offense like Western Kentucky. He said he has a lot of respect for the Hilltoppers, having seen them play firsthand already.
"They're a very talented team," Howard said. "They'll big a big challenge."
Players Mentioned
FB: Aiden Fisher - at Iowa Postgame Press Conference (09/27/25)
Saturday, September 27
FB: Fernando Mendoza & Elijah Sarratt - at Iowa Postgame Press Conference (09/27/25)
Saturday, September 27
FB: Pat Coogan - at Iowa Postgame Press Conference (09/27/25)
Saturday, September 27
FB: Week 5 (at Iowa) - Curt Cignetti Post Game Press Conference
Saturday, September 27