Five questions: Paul Gable from TheHoosier.com

Published Dec 31, 2020

Chase Parham • RebelGrove

Editor

Ole Miss and Indiana meet Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in the 2021 Outback Bowl. The Rebels are in their first bowl game since the 2016 Sugar Bowl and the Hoosiers are searching for their first bowl win since 1991.

For a closer look at Indiana, Paul Gable from TheHoosier.com gives us answers to these five questions.

Where is Indiana's roster from a health standpoint? Are there injuries or COVID issues that are relevant to Saturday?

After having 28 positive Covid-19 tests in the aftermath of the Wisconsin win, Indiana immediately paused all football-related activities and, as a result, had their regular season finale against Purdue canceled twice. With that said, Indiana has had a chance to rest and recover mentally and physically after playing seven straight weeks in the Big Ten. To your point, Indiana should be a full strength when it comes to player health in the wake of the Covid-19 issue and could be the healthiest they have been all season.

With Michael Penix, JR. out with the ACL injury, what's your take on Jack Tuttle to this point? How are they different and how does Indiana's offense change with Tuttle as the quarterback?

I'll admit, I wasn't sure what to expect from Jack Tuttle. Obviously, we knew coming into the Wisconsin game, which was his first career start, that he had a big arm and was highly recruited and touted coming out of high school, but he hadn't had any meaningful snaps. In that Wisconsin game, we saw a quarterback who looked like a seasoned veteran, who made all the throws and took quite a pounding and still bounced back up and led the Indiana offense to a 14-6 win at Wisconsin, a place they hadn't won at in 19 years.

Obviously, losing Michael Penix hurts, but with Tuttle in there, I believe you have an offense that doesn't miss a beat as far as a passing attack goes and could be a little more well-rounded as Tuttle has the ability to leave the pocket and run, as he showed against the Badgers.

Indiana should likely be in an access bowl this season instead of the Outback. With bowl games often decided by motivation, how are the Hoosiers approaching this game? There could justifiably be a chip on their collective shoulders but it's not the game they were hoping for. Also, there are a lot of personal connections with the Indiana staff and Ole Miss.

Head coach Tom Allen discussed that quite a bit this week and said when it became apparent the Hoosiers would not make a New Year's Six Bowl, the Hoosiers had a "family discussion" and decided to accept whatever bowl berth came their way. Look, there is no question Indiana is disappointed not to be in the Fiesta Bowl, but the Hoosiers are approaching this Outback Bowl as an opportunity to win their first bowl game in 29 seasons, finish the season strong and show all of America just how good this team truly is.

They will be fired up, and will follow the lead of Allen and have a huge chip on their shoulder when the ball is kicked off at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. As for the personal connections, it is very interesting to have a bowl game where there are so many ties in regards to staff working at the other school, and it makes for neat storylines and talking points, but the fact of the matter is that is coaching and Indiana would want nothing more than to win a bowl game, it just happens to be against Ole Miss, where Allen and many assistants previously coached.

With Ole Miss' opt outs and injuries, it's not the Ole Miss explosiveness that happened this season. I expect a heavier diet of the running game from the Rebels. What's the best way to attack the Indiana defense?

The best way to limit the Indiana defense is take away what they do best, and what they do best is intercept the football. If I were on the Ole Miss coaching staff, I would line up and run the football and utilize quarterback Matt Corral as a runner first. At times, the Hoosiers have struggled against mobile quarterbacks, especially when it comes to getting them on the ground. Look at the Ohio State game for proof. Many times, the Hoosiers had a grasp on Justin Fields only to watch him escape and prolong a play or a drive because Indiana was unable to wrap up and bring him down.

How do you expect the game to play out?

Indiana enters fresh, but they haven't played in almost a month. What does that mean with a quarterback making his second career start and if the offense will be in rhythm remains to be seen, but I do expect Indiana to be the better team. Even with all the players opting out and not playing for Ole Miss, I gave Indiana a slight edge in the game, simply because that defense is one of the premier defenses in the country.

I understand the Rebels put up a lot of points on teams, especially against Alabama, but so, too did Florida, Texas A&M and Georgia, but the defense of Ole Miss is where I have some serious questions. I believe Indiana comes out and establishes the running attack early with Stevie Scott and Co. and takes some pressure off Tuttle and the Indiana defense creates some different schemes and looks to confuse Corral, forcing him into a few turnovers. At the end of the day, the 29-year streak comes to an end and Indiana knocks off Ole Miss 28-20.