Indiana Football Week 9 Stock Report: Who’s trending up? Who’s trending down?

The Indiana football program continues to struggle as it has now dropped there games in a row and remains winless in Big Ten play following its loss to Rutgers on Saturday.

Indiana, now sitting at 2-5, heads into another top-10 test against Penn State on the road.

So, after week eight of the season for Indiana football, who is trending up? Who’s trending down? We take a look at some coaches, players and position groups here.

TRENDING UP

Trent Howland: Once buried on the depth chart at one of the more talented positions on the Indiana football roster, Howland has continued to emerge with his limited touches as a guy who can contribute to the offense in a few ways. His hard work paid off last weekend as he had nine carries for a team-high 54 rushing yards. He also had 20 yards through the air. Howland played in just three of the first five games and totaled just eight carries. In the past two games, he has 16 carries for 89 yards — good enough for 6.5 yards per carry.

“Trent, so to me, is a guy that’s just really challenged about using his size and running with that kind of authority. Even though he’s a big guy, he’s always viewed himself a little bit more of a finesse type runner,” Indiana head coach Tom Allen said this week. “He’s got great ball skills. He’s a really good athlete. You should see him on the basketball court. He’s an impressive athlete.

“Big, physical guy that just needs to take that ball and get downhill, and he’s doing that now. You can see the benefits of that for him and for us, so excited for him and his development and the way he’s responded.”

Indiana ranks 12th in the Big Ten in rushing offense. It averages just 113.7 yards per game and 3.4 yards per carry.

With Howland’s recent emergence, however, it’s added another dimension to the running game. We’ll see what happens when Josh Henderson gets back from injury, but Howland has taken advantage of his opportunity and should be in line for additional snaps moving forward.

“Trent, starting the week before Michigan, showed enough to get more reps and then showed us enough here (against Rutgers) to get even more reps going forward,” IU offensive coordinator Rod Carey said this week.  “That that started in practice. His entire practice fall camp and then he certainly got his opportunities. And when you get your opportunities in games and you execute the way he has been, that deserves more. So that’s (snap count) going to continue to go up.”

Brendan Sorsby: The quarterback position hasn’t been good all season for Indiana but now it looks like there is a clear starter and any conversation about a QB change is a moot point. Despite getting the start on Saturday against Rutgers, Sorsby had an up-and-down performance. He was just 15-of-31 passing for 126 yards, but he did have one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown without a turnover. He also ran for 49 yards on 11 carries. His athletic ability and true dual-threat ability was on display at times. So was his toughness.

Because of that, the coaching staff feels good moving forward with Sorsby as the full-time guy under center.

“I thought he played tough. I thought he played gritty. I thought he competed. Just continue to grow and develop. I think he’s got to continue to speed up some of his reads, but that’s part of the process of growing and developing as a player,” Allen told reporters on Monday. ” … Felt like after watching the film and meeting as a staff, feel good about moving forward with him.”

“He played physical, used his feet, but still wasn’t in that category of good enough to win and he recognized that when we were talking,” Carey added. “There isn’t a ton of blatantly big things (he needs to work on). Some of the young quarterback things we have to work through but we aren’t young anymore in game eight coming up here now … for him, first full time, so you have a little more leeway on that. But there are little fundamental things, like some high throws to guys who were open that we have to clean up now that he knows how his body will react in those situations.”

Sorsby needs to step up his play, as does the entire offense, but getting a vote of confidence from the staff could boost his play in week nine.

TRENDING DOWN

Jaylin Lucas: This is a tough one because he hasn’t necessarily played poorly, but his usage continues to be off a bit. Lucas had just four carries against Rutgers and while he did add five receptions, he had just 45 yards total on the afternoon. Since Carey took over as the offensive coordinator two weeks ago, Lucas has six total carries, two against Michigan and four against Rutgers — both season lows. He does, however, have 10 receptions in those two games, five each — his second-highest reception total this year. It’s clear Carey wants to use him more as a pass catcher, but the inability to produce large chunk plays still exists. He has 10 receptions for just 71 yards in those two performances, including just 16 yards through the air last weekend.  In addition, he struggled as a returner against the Scarlet Knights, muffing a point that gave Rutgers points right before the half.

Rod Carey: The offense has been abysmal all season long and while there was a glimmer of hope with Carey through the first quarter of the Michigan game, and even at times throughout the Rutgers first half, there is still no consistency with this offensive unit. IU finished with 279 total yards and was just 2-of-11 on third downs. Rutgers had 37:38 minutes of possession while Indiana had just 22:22. Indiana had a first-series touchdown following a 35-yard touchdown pass on fourth down. The next two drives went for 13 yards total on eight plays. Indiana’s fifth drive was a short field, and the Hoosiers went on to score their final points of the game — a rushing touchdown from Sorsby. In the second half, Indiana had two drives that stalled in Rutgers territory, at the 33-yard line to start the fourth quarter and then at the 16, albeit with just a minute left.

MOST TO PROVE

Tom Allen: What’s left to say at this point? This Indiana team looks like it has nearly given up on the season and has shown very little fight when things get tough. Indiana is now 2-20 in the last 22 Big Ten games, with an average loss of 24.3 points. None of these games have been competitive and Indiana seems down and out. The season has clearly spiraled out of control once again and Indiana is on its way to yet another losing season and another year in which it is clearly one of the worst teams in the Big Ten, if not the worst. A $20 million buyout after this year now has some potential the way this year is going, but only time will tell whether or not Allen remains on the sidelines moving into next year.

SEE ALSO: ‘A tough reality’: 2023 season becoming a disaster for Indiana football with tough conversations looming

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