Indiana @ Massachusetts preview
Gillette Stadium
Baby steps. That's the message first-year Massachusetts coach Charley Molnar must preach to his team, which is new to the FBS. And that means for once, downtrodden Indiana will look across the field Saturday and see a non-FCS team it should beat. With that in mind, the Hoosiers travel to Gillette Stadium looking to earn their first win over an FBS program in nearly two years in the first-ever meeting between the schools. The Minutemen, who spent the previous four years in the Colonial Athletic Association, totaled a mere 59 yards in a 37-0 season-opening loss to Connecticut. Indiana, on the other hand, opened with a 24-17 win over FCS opponent Indiana State. The Hoosiers have already matched their win total from all of last season.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3.com LINE: Indiana -13
ABOUT INDIANA (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten): Second-year coach Kevin Wilson won’t have to worry about his team being overconfident after it barely edged the Sycamores. Sophomore QB Tre Roberson threw for a career-high 280 yards, but five of the Hoosiers’ six second-half drives came up empty. The good news is Roberson’s transformation to more of a pocket passer is off to a great start. He was 26-of-36 with a touchdown pass and a TD run. And while Indiana’s horrid run defense (243.7 ypg - 118th out of 120 FBS teams last season) gave up 171 yards, the unit came up with big stops when it needed them.
ABOUT MASSACHUSETTS (0-1, 0-0 Mid-American Conference): Welcome to “Big Boy Football,” UMass. The Minutemen were embarrassed by UConn – one of the weaker big-time programs in the country – in their FBS debut last Saturday. UMass had just three first downs and didn’t advance into UConn territory. True freshman QB Mike Wegzyn (9-of-22, 56 yards, INT) struggled running the newly-installed no-huddle offense. The defense, which switched to a 4-3 this season, was gashed for 147 yards on the ground.
EXTRA POINTS
1. UMass played six true or redshirt freshmen against UConn.
2. “Will it be better next week? It damn well better be.”— Molnar after the loss at UConn.
3. Indiana’s last win over an FBS school was a 37-31 season-ending victory over Purdue on Nov. 27, 2010.
PREDICTION: Indiana 27, UMass 10