Arkansas State @ Indiana preview
Memorial Stadium "The Rock"
Indiana could use a break from reality.
Fortunately for the Hoosiers, a visit from Arkansas State should provide one.
Indiana (3-2) hosts the Red Wolves (2-4) from the Sun Belt Conference on Saturday in Indiana's Homecoming game.
A definite trend has emerged in the Hoosiers' season. When Indiana plays outside the Big Ten, the results are good - 3-0 to be exact. When the Hoosiers play inside the Big Ten, well, the results aren't as sunny – or 0-2 if you're keeping score.
Indiana rolled through Towson, Western Kentucky and Akron by a combined total of 124-58. While those three teams didn't provide the stiffest test, the results did offer some hope that the Hoosiers might be competitive once the conference season began.
So far, the results have not been encouraging. The Hoosiers lost a high-scoring game at home to Michigan 42-35. A trip to Columbus showed the Hoosiers how far they have to go to play with the elite teams in the conference. Ohio State, ranked No. 2 at the time, rolled to a 38-10 win in a game that wasn't even that close.
The Buckeyes, who are now the nation's top-ranked team, led 28-0 midway through the second quarter. The deficit was 38-0 before the Hoosiers scored the game's last 10 points on Mitch Ewald's 36-yard field goal and Antonio Banks' 1-yard touchdown run.
The Hoosiers managed only 210 yards of offense and ran for just 69 yards. Quarterback Ben Chappell, who had put up outstanding numbers in the first four games, completed 16 of 22 passes for 106 yards and threw two interceptions.
Indiana's defense wasn't much better. The Hoosiers gave up 478 total yards, including 348 yards passing.
Chappell should have better results against Arkansas State. He has completed 132 of 188 passes for 1,476 yards while throwing for 12 touchdowns and only three interceptions.
Arkansas State, 2-2 in the Sun Belt, defeated North Texas 24-19 last week. Ryan Aplin ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, helping the Red Wolves build a 21-3 lead in the second quarter. Most of that lead disappeared as North Texas cut the lead to 21-19 in the fourth quarter before Bobby Zalud's 39-yard field goal accounted for the final points.
Aplin provides Arkansas State with a dual threat in the backfield. He has completed 117 of 204 passes for 1,579 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. He has also rushed for 362 yards and four touchdowns.
The game will mark the first meeting between the schools. Arkansas State is 0-3 all-time against the Big Ten. The Red Wolves played Iowa on even terms last season before dropping a 24-21 decision. Arkansas State has also lost to Illinois and Minnesota.