Quick Hitters: Early breakdown and initial thoughts on Indiana State

The Indiana football program got its season started on Saturday with a 23-3 loss to No. 3 Ohio State. While it was an underwhelming offensive effort, the defense stepped up and showed a lot of promise.

Indiana State heads to Bloomington after a 27-0 loss to Eastern Illinois at home. The Sycamores finished last season 2-9.

Here are some early thoughts on Indiana State and the matchup.

Will Gavin Screws be able to bounce back at quarterback? Screws came in after being the starter a year ago but was very underwhelming last weekend. He was 13-of-24 for 116 yards and two interceptions. Both came on back-to-back possessions to end the half and went back for touchdowns. Screws is a 6-foot-1 and 205-pounder who is much more comfortable in the pocket. In his career, he has never had a positive yardage game rushing the ball. In five games in 2022, he was sacked 13 times and in the season opener on Saturday he was sacked three times.

It’ll likely be a two-quarterback night for the Sycamores. Following a tough opener for Screws, backup Evan Olaes will likely see increased action against the Hoosiers. He was 0-of-2 and had two interceptions against Eastern Illinois, but found success running the ball. He had nine carries for 59 yards — leading the team in that category. Olaes is the opposite of Screws; he’s much more comfortable out of the pocket and on the run. It will be good to see what Indiana’s defense can do against a running quarterback, something Kyle McCord didn’t provide much of in week one.

Maddix Blackwell is a name to know in the secondary. If there was a bright spot for Indiana State in week one, it was Blackwell. He finished with 11 tackles and an interception. Blackwell is a 5-foot-11 and 190-pound defensive back who flies around on the field. He finished with 51 tackles and four tackles for loss a season ago. Indiana failed to get any momentum down the field in week one, so we’ll see what the offense can do in terms of explosive plays this week.

“I would say it was probably a little more conservative than we, even in that game, would like for it to be. But there’s certain reasons for that, without question. But, yeah, we got to be able to do that. That’s going to grow, for sure,” Indiana football head coach Tom Allen said about the offensive play calling. “We really felt like, coming in, you’re going to have to take about, you know, seven or eight shots. And a couple of those we had and then got pressured. And so, but at the same time, yeah, there’s no question we got talented receivers on the perimeter and got to do a better job of getting those guys the football. But I think you’re just going to see it continue to grow each week, there’s no question about it.”

It’s also a big game for him in general. He’s a Bloomington South High School graduate where he was named AP First Team All-State in 2019 and 2020.

How much fight will Indiana State show? The Sycamores are coming off of a 2-9 season and showed little on Saturday to show anything different this season. With just 217 yards of offense and four turnovers, it was an underwhelming performance.  This is a game that will likely go similar to week one, but will Indiana State be able to bounce back and at least show some fight? We’ll see.

Can Indiana State force the Indiana quarterbacks out of their comfort zone? ISU is going to provide a much different defensive lineup than Ohio State. While Indiana didn’t turn the ball over against Ohio State, the consistent pressure, speed and athleticism will be unmatched in this matchup. So, will it allow some confidence for the IU quarterbacks?

“We knew we didn’t have any margin for error week one because of our opponent. But at the same time the growth is still expected between week one and week two,” Allen said of the offense. ” … I’m not that going to sit here and be negative, because that’s not who I am. It doesn’t serve any purpose, doesn’t help us get any better. It’s just finding things we can do to get better from now until when we play again. There’s no off day this week.”

SEE ALSO: Evaluation process for Indiana football quarterbacks to continue heading into week two

Make sure to follow Hoosier Illustrated on Twitter @Indiana_FRN, Facebook and YouTube to stay up to date on all of the news, updates and coverage of Indiana University athletics. You can also listen to the Talking’ Bout the Hoosiers podcast on Spotify.