Comments on: 2009 Opponent Preview: Indiana

By: TV Times, Channels for First 3 Weeks | Varsity Blue

TV Times, Channels for First 3 Weeks | Varsity Blue — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:49:20 +0000

[...] announced to be played at noon, ends up there, especially if the Hoosiers are as bad as everyone (including me) predicts, and Michigan struggles to start the [...]

By: Ray P

Ray P — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:12:48 +0000

Kleinsmith was at safety 08 after Austin Thomas’ ACL injury. AT leading tackler in 07 and known as hardest hitter out there so unless problems with rehab, he’s starting SS in 09. Agree with others re Fisher…think he will be more efficient there and we will see someone else a better fit at WR and more use of TE

By: Weekend Open Thread | Varsity Blue

Weekend Open Thread | Varsity Blue — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 15:18:24 +0000

[...] 2009 Opponent Preview: Indiana [...]

By: Jimmy

Jimmy — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:31:29 +0000

As John said, if we were planning on relying on Fisher at WR, we would be screwed. He mostly caught passes off of bubble screens. We actually do have a lot of young talent at WR (including Duwyce Wilson, a 6′4 true freshman). Fisher is a good athlete and played CB in high school, so I have problem with the move.

Also, Mitch Ewald (Rivals has him as the #3 K in the 09 class) will likely be our kicker.

And Thomas is a DE.

By: Phil

Phil — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:39:20 +0000

Overall very good, an addition quibble might be DL. Thomas is a back up DE, not tackle. We have 3 DT’s that redshirted last year (all better sized at 285-300) that will be a factor. That certainly may not be enough, but the outlook isn’t quite as bleak

By: John M

John M — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:13:59 +0000

A solid and fair preview. My only quibbles are:

1) I think you are too tough on the decision to move Fisher. Fisher is a solid receiver, but he’s also quite undersized at 5-9 (not great for a DB, either, but less of an impediment). For IU to have any hope on offense, Damarlo Belcher (6-5) and Terrence Turner (6-3) have to be good. In other words, if Ray Fisher is our #1 receiver we are screwed anyway. If Belcher and Turner live up to their potential, then Fisher is doing more good on defense than he would be doing as the #3 guy. I’m far from a Bill Lynch apologist and I give better than even odds that he will be unemployed in 6 months, but I think this move is reasonable and defensible.

2) IU’s line was young last year, but was terrible. The line was ravaged by injury, so there is reasonable hope for improvement, but IU’s good rushing numbers were almost entirely related to the speed of Marcus Thigpen.

3) You would have no way of knowing this unless you paid more attention to our program than we deserve, but redshirt freshman Darius Willis, Indiana’s 2007 Mr. Football and a top-shelf recruit by our standards, is expected to be in the mix at RB. Also, IU has an incoming freshman kicker named Mitch Ewald who was considered by some services a top 5 prospect, so the PK position may not be as dire as it looks.

Overall, well done.