So why Thigpen up the middle so much?

Thought I would address our running back situation a little bit and some of the play calling on goal line situations. I've spoken with some folks over the last week or so, and here's what I've been able to piece together.

First, let's look at the numbers a little bit. First off, we've ran for 776 yards in 3 games for an average of 258.67 yards/game. Pretty good, but our opponets, save Akron, probably haven't given our Line too many problems yet. However, still a very good average/game considering we've passed for 657 yards at 219 yards/game. Lynch said he wanted to run the ball more, and so far, we have, and we've done very well.

After a huge game on Saturday, Lewis leads the rushing attack with 317 yards on 42 carries. Thigpen is next at 222 yards on 43 carries, McCray has played in only 2 games, yet has amassed 135 yards on 21 carries. Payton gives us 56 yards, Burgess 50, and Sears has25 yards on 18 carries. To further give some numbers, Lewis gives us7.5 yards/carry, McCray is next at 6.4, Payton at 5.1, Burgess at 5.0, Thigpen at 4.5, and Sears at 1.4/carry.

Now, what has been the biggest questions about the IU running attack especially during the first couple of games did they try and run Thigpen up the middle for 1 over and over. Well, the answer was 2 fold from what I can gather. First, IU was very vanilla against ISU and WMU. Lewis didn't run that much, unlike the Akron game. Secondly, and probably most importantly, is the staff is trying to get the ball to Thigpen as much as possible and trying to use his 4.25 speed to make a play. Now, it's hard for a guy like Marcus to do much going straight up the middle, but nonetheless, they tried to do that. Also, I think they did this to set up the play action later on.

Now it's my opinion that Marcus is more of a 3rd down type of back because of his size and speed. In the NFL he'll be a returner and probably a WR, but with "Wrong Way" Ray or "Big Play" Ray (whichever you call him) occupying that spot, you can't really put Marcus over there either. So the staff used him a little more on the outside against Akron, and I think as the season progresses, you'll see him more on the outside. As, McCray isn't 100 percent healthy either, so as he continues to get healthy, I think you'll see him more and more do the inside running.

As for goaline situations, Sears isn't necessarily the problem, it's really the OL. They are not getting the push that's needed and I think that's pretty obvious to everyone. This week against Akron, we saw a lot of Troy Wagner and 2 TE sets down there, but it still didn't help. Robinson and Lively had haydays against Wyss and Sandberg pretty much all day long. Those 2 OL really struggled down inside the goaline. I think we are going to see more KL sneaks from now on. Also, I'd like to see them use Sears as the blocking full back and use Payton or Burgess down there. I think the staff is kind of searching for answers as well, as they try and find the right formulas. Yet, even with the struggles, IU has continued to rack up 133 points in 3 games at 44 points/game, so we can't complain too much, but it's still something that is concerning.

One thing I did notice that they also tried was bringing Hardy into motion and using him as a blocker, but that didn't work either. That merely brought another defender into the box. I think for these goaline situations to work, Wyss and the Guards have got to do a better job at getting a push. Wyss has the heart of a lion, but he's small, so he needs to use technique and get low. Sandberg is strong as an ox, but he has to get low too. He doesn't bend all that well. Saxon also had his issues Saturday and at 315 pounds, needs to do a better job. If these 3 guys take care of the inside, this is a non-issue. Right now, there is no push forward, and until there is, it's gonna be an issue with short-yardage. Hopefully, this will work itself out sooner, rather than later! Believe me when I say this, the coaches are trying all kinds of formations to try and work this issue out. However, I think because of the lack of a push and the time it takes to do a handoff, IU would be much better off to just sneak KL or use the play action pass to a TE or Sears, like they did on the 4th and 1 play on Saturday.

Now for my Non conference Awards:
1. Offensive MVP- It goes to James Hardy. He's dominated so far, as he should really, and he's improved more than any player on offense for IU so far this season. 10 catches for 245 yards and 5 TDs already. Great performances game in, game out for him the first 3 games.

2. Defensive MVP-I gotta go with Greg Middleton and I want to personally thank Tiller and company for letting this guy get away. Greg has just been a monster so far this season. We all were concerned about the DEs coming in and who would start opposite Kirlew, but Greg is turning into an All Big Ten type of DE, and he's only gonna get better! So far Greg has 11 tackles and 5 sacks and 5 more Tackles for loss leading the team in the 2 latter categories.

3. Special Teams MVP-I'm going with Austin Starr. Last year, this was a HUGE question mark, but not this year. Austin has done a great job on FGs, PATs, and is improving on Kickoffs. He's got a big leg and his confidence is soaring. He's 7 of 8 on FGs with a long of 48 yards, has had 4 touchbacks in 25 opportunities, and he's perfect on extra points. Couldn't really ask for much more from him.

4. Most improved MVP-I'm gonna go with the entire front 7 of the IU defense, including the non-starters. There are a lot of improved players across the board, but these guys have really done a fabulous job in helping IU lead the nation in sacks and they are in the top 5 for tackles for loss. Just a great job so far in an area where we had question marks. Also, very good and productive depth along the front 7 as well. Many, many guys have contributed and/or played very well here.

Finally, I've seen an awful lot to be optimistic about so far and hopefully we can start the conference season off right next week with Illinois. Also, I want to mention Mike Stark and his performance Saturday. Here's a guy that's been 3rd and 4th team OL all spring and fall and because of injuries played the whole game Saturday, and I thought played a very good game. Made some mistakes, but he held his own, and toward the end of the game, IU was running on his side, which was great to see. He also eases my mind a little for next season and who would replace Emerson over there. Great job Mike!