Coming off their first win of the season, the Cavs host the Indiana Hoosiers for homecoming tomorrow. At first glance, the match-up looks more suited to be on the basketball schedule as Indiana is best known for its storied hoops program, and the Hoos reside in one of the country’s premiere basketball conferences. With that in mind, it comes as no big shock this marks the first time Indiana’s football program has made the trip to Charlottesville. On top of that, when two basketball-heavy schools meet on the gridiron, it becomes a made-for-internet event. If you don’t have a ticket, you at least better have broadband, since this game can only be seen on ESPN360.
At the moment, these two teams are literally the complete opposites of one another (arguably it started in the spring when Tony Bennett accepted the UVa job after having turned down Indiana the year before). This is the last non-conference game for both teams, and Indiana is 3-0 on the season against non Big-10 teams while the Hoos are 0-2 when playing teams outside the ACC. Virginia maintains an unblemished conference record while the Hoosiers have yet to log a win in the Big-10. The Hoosiers limp into the Hook on a two-game skid while the Hoos return home after notching their first win. So, after rattling off some relatively meaningless trends in an attempt to build some sort of a back drop, here is some reading material to help fill time during your internet refreshes and site reconnections.
Usually a Big-10 cellar dweller, IU has hopes of going to a bowl game for only the third time in past 16 seasons. A 3-0 start followed by an impressive, hard-fought loss at Michigan has the Hoosier squad thinking this could be the year. Sophomore Tandon Doss makes up a big part of Indiana’s offensive attack. The wide receiver ranks second in the Big-10 with 94 yards per game and averages 131 all purpose yards per contest. Quarterback Ben Campbell has completed 64% of his passes on the season and has already amassed over 1150 passing yards this year. Last week, Campbell became the first quarterback this year to throw for over 200 yards against Ohio State. However, with 6 picks to 5 touchdowns on the season, Ras-I, Chris Cook, and the gang might be able to turn some defense into offense.
In terms of defense, the Hoosiers appear to match up well against the Cavaliers, and in fact, the whole opposite thing comes into play again, yet this time it's advantage Indiana. IU has notched 14 sacks on the season, which ranks second in the Big-10. Virginia, on the other hand, has allowed 17 sacks which is good for second most in the ACC. The Hoosier Defense is led by All-America candidates Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton, and the two defensive ends have a combined career total of 43 sacks which represents the most of any tandem in the country. Kirlew leads the way this year with 9.5 tackles for a loss (good for 2nd in the Big-10 and 8th nationally) to go along with 3.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. While Indiana's pass rush proves stout, the run defense appears a bit suspect after giving up 219 rushing yards and 4.7 yards per carry last week against the Buckeyes. This could be a weakness UVa can take advantage of as Mikell Simpson looks like he might be returning to form, and he looked a lot like the Simpson of 2007 last week against the Heels.
Typically, homecoming games are set up to be a cakewalk for the host team, yet Saturday's contest is an important game for both squads. In fact, it is a game Indiana circled on the schedule at the start of the season. Hopes of bowl games are still alive for both programs (albeit barely for the Hoos) and both teams probably like their chances on Saturday. On the surface, both teams recently started heading down somewhat opposite paths, yet the game likely proves to be good one. It will be interesting to see if the Cavs can continue the theme and keep the two squads moving in different directions.
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