Hey guys, Adam J ready to do some more rocking analysis!
Indiana's going to need to score a lot of points this week. That's not really incisive commentary, because every team ever should score lots of points, but it's pretty much a given with this Hoosier defense that the opponents are going to put up at least 30 points, and probably closer to 40. So if Indiana's going to have any shot at contention, it's going to have to be as aggressive as possible on offense -- and that means throwing the ball.
With that, then, Micah Hyde is going to be the big guy on defense. Go to Scout Dot Com and do up the talking about Micah Hyde right there, because Scout Dot Com is giving us money to tell you to do that. That is capitalism!
Anyway, back to The Thing That Is Here: if there's one specialty to Hyde's game, it's his ball-hawking ability. Throw a bad pass, and Hyde's going to be there to adjust to the ball's path and make a play on it. Ask Hyde to keep someone from going over the middle, lay a big hit, or win a jump ball with a 6'5" receiver? Not quite in his wheelhouse.
Fortunately, Damarlo Belcher is out for this week's game, and while I appreciate Belcher's fortuitous case of the dropsies as much as anybody else, he is Indiana's top threat and best matchup problem to throw at Iowa. So while the rest of Indiana's top wideouts aren't midgets by any stretch, they're also going to be easier for Hyde and the rest of Iowa's DBs to body up on. Noted technician Greg Castillo will still probably struggle.
Oh, and the Incoming Hero, top-rated QB recruit Gunner Kiel (brother of current Indiana QB Dusty Kiel ), is reconsidering his commitment to the Hoosiers. You think Kevin Wilson has any interest in relying on the rushing game this week? Even if Indiana's struggling to accomplish anything through the air, Wilson's going to need to stick with it, if just to show Kiel The Younger, "We're here to throw the ball 45 times a game, and we need you to do it and not these schmucks. No offense to your brother."
So buckle up, Iowa secondary: the passes will be coming early and often. And they're probably not going to be placed very accurately. Micah Hyde, if ever there existed a game for you to go wild, this is it.