3 Storylines to watch for when Indiana football faces UCLA

Indiana Football travels out west to the Rose Bowl where they will face UCLA in their first Big Ten game of the season.

The Hoosiers are coming off of a massive blowout victory over Western Illinois where they set school records in both points and total yards. After two relatively easy non-conference games, Indiana football has its first test of the season against UCLA.

Through two games, albeit relatively easy games, some trends have stood out from Indiana football.

As they play their first game on the national stage Saturday night, it will be a chance for them to build off of their early success and also establish themselves as a legit threat to make some noise in the Big Ten.

Does the run game translate to Big Ten play?

Most of the talk surrounding Indiana football this offseason was about the potential improvements to the quarterback play and passing game. Despite that, it’s been the run game that has stood out for the Hoosier offense.

Through two games, Indiana has averaged 278.5 rushing yards and five touchdowns per game. Obviously, this has come against inferior opponents, but it is a sign of how this offense wants to operate.

Curt Cignetti wants to use the run to open up the pass, and establishing the run against the UCLA defense will be important. The run defense has been a strength for UCLA as last season they allowed just 80.8 rushing yards per game. UCLA allowed just 51 rushing yards in their opener and will be looking to continue that success against Indiana.

The Hoosier rushing attack has shown its versatility with Ty Son Lawton, Justice Ellison, and Elijah Green all having at least 100 rushing yards and multiple touchdowns through two games.

The surplus of talent means Indiana can keep their running backs fresh as they look to wear down the UCLA run defense.
The effectiveness of Indiana’s rushing attack will go a long way in determining the outcome of the Hoosiers’ first test of the season.

Can the run defense continue to dominate?

Through two games Indiana football has allowed just 32.5 rushing yards per game on 1.2 yards per rush. While those numbers have come against non-power four teams, they are still encouraging heading into the first conference game of the season.

Indiana’s ability to stop the run will be critical to beating UCLA on Saturday.

In their only game thus far, UCLA totaled just 71 rushing yards on 3.6 yards per carry against Hawaii. As a result of their poor run game, their offense struggled to move the ball and only scored 16 points.

UCLA head coach Deshaun Foster is going to look to establish the run against Indiana and if the defense can continue their dominance against the run, it could be a long night for the UCLA offense.

Linebackers Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker have both played crucial roles against the run for the Hoosiers. The duo has combined for 32 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss through two games.

In addition to the linebacker duo, the defensive line has been dominant for Indiana football. Led by Mikail Kamara who has three tackles for loss and three sacks through two games, the defensive line has been tremendous against the run.

Kamara and the rest of the defensive line will have a big opportunity to continue their dominance on the national stage.

How aggressive will the offense be against a Power Four defense?

Through two weeks the offense has relied on the run game, but there has been a clear difference in the passing offense between week one and two.

In week one Indiana was reluctant to push the ball downfield as their longest completion was just 30 yards on a broken play. In week two they completed passes of 30+ yards to three different receivers.

With new quarterback Kurtis Rourke having talented weapons including Elijah Sarratt, Omar Cooper Jr., and Donaven McCulley, the passing attack generated a lot of excitement coming into the season.

Rourke has played well but has not had to do too much with Indiana dominating both games to start the season. UCLA will provide an interesting test for Rourke as their defense was solid against the pass last season and forced two interceptions in their opener.

The question will be how aggressive will Cignetti be in the passing game? Will the Indiana offense be more conservative like in week one or will they try to push the ball down the field similar to last week’s win?

SEE ALSO: Coach Q&A: Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti previews Week 3 matchup at UCLA

Make sure to follow Hoosier Illustrated, part of the Full Ride Network, 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.

Looking for a place to get more Indiana content? Hoosier Illustrated has partnered with Tom Brady’s company ‘Autograph’ to streamline our coverage, so you can continue to do what you do best – follow IU sports. Use the CODE: Indianafr to get started today. For more info, you can start here.