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Hustle Belt: With a backfield that totaled 455 yards last week, what would you put the mark at for the Hoosiers to pull out a win in Bowling Green? For the defense, how many points would they need to hold the Falcons offense to?
Ben Raphel: It's hard to say exactly how many rushing yards we would need to beat the Falcons on Saturday. What I am hoping for from the IU offense is a more balanced attack than what I saw against ISU - I joked to my friend during that game that Kevin Wilson must have challenged his assistants not to call a single pass play throughout the first quarter. Nate Sudfeld only threw for 111 yards in that game and had an interception, so hopefully he will be more productive against the Falcons. To answer your initial question though, I'd be comfortable with 250-300 yards on the ground - this amount would mean that we were able to establish a running game and control the tempo.
Hustle Belt: The Hoosiers are winless on the road since 2012 (0-6), has it been poor play on their part or was it the other teams going above the mark to win at home?
Ben Raphel: Poor late-game play by IU in some of those road games led to defeats (such as the 2012 Purdue game). However, most of our road woes were likely due to the strength of our opponents in these games. Last season, we only played 4 road games, and these were against MSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio State. So not a lot of chances to come away with wins in that bunch.
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Hustle Belt: We all saw Tevin Coleman last year and noticed the first game stats against Indiana State, who are some other playmakers that are set to break out this season for the Hoosiers?
Ben Raphel: Coleman is awesome, that's for sure. D'Angelo Roberts had over 100 yards rushing himself against ISU two weeks ago. In the passing game, Sudfeld has to find new targets, now that Cody Latimer and Ted Bolser are in the NFL. Simmie Cobbs showed some promise against ISU, and fans are excited about the potential of Dominique Booth. On the other side of the ball, linebacker David Cooper led the team in tackles two weeks ago, and defensive lineman Bobby Richardson had three sacks.
Hustle Belt: Since there’s been so much debate about the Power 5 conferences being superior, how many wins do you think the Hoosiers could pull out with the schedule of Bowling Green?
Ben Raphel: Hmm, that's a good question. With that schedule, I'd want to say IU ideally would go 10-2, with losses to Wisconsin and Ball State (for some reason, we always have trouble against the Cardinals). However, WKU, Buffalo, and Toledo wouldn't be easy games either, especially considering the B1G's struggles against the MAC so far this season. Not having to play CMU or NIU is a nice perk for you guys.
Hustle Belt: How do you see the game playing out and a prediction?
Ben Raphel: In our staff's season predictions, I predicted a 38-17 victory. I stand by that prediction, despite our road woes and passing struggles in the last game.