Indiana @ North Texas preview

THE STORY: Indiana leaves the confines of the Hoosier State for the first time when it visits North Texas. Indiana is 1-4 in its five trips to the Lone Star State, but hasn’t played in Texas since defeating Rice 41-14 on Sept. 10, 1988. The Hoosiers will try to ride freshman running back D’Angelo Roberts, who rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown - all in the second half - in a 38-21 victory over South Carolina State last week. Indiana tests its might against a Mean Green run defense that ranks ninth-worst in the nation. North Texas may be a little down after getting thumped 41-0 by Alabama and might appreciate the step down in competition.

TV: ESPN3. LINE: Indiana -6.5

ABOUT INDIANA (1-2): First-year coach Kevin Wilson, who picked up his first victory last week, was impressed by the offensive improvements his team made, but wasn’t pleased with the poor tackling and the lack of discipline. The Hoosiers were whistled for a school-record 20 penalties which totaled 176 yards. The Hoosiers are the sixth-most penalized team in the nation (86.3 yards per game). Indiana rushed for 257 yards led by Roberts, who earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. Quarterback Edward Wright-Baker passed for 273 yards and two touchdowns.

ABOUT NORTH TEXAS (0-3): The Mean Green, members of the Sun Belt Conference, didn’t put up much of a fight against the Crimson Tide, managing 169 yards and 11 first downs. Star running back Lance Dunbar couldn’t get going on the ground and hasn’t been the same since suffering a concussion in the off-season. That has left the North Texas offense flat at 13 points and 253.3 yards per game – both 113th in the country. Senior center J.J. Johnson is expected to return after missing two games with a hand injury.

EXTRA POINTS

1. North Texas will have a packed house on its side. The Mean Green will play their second game in their new home - Apogee Stadium - and first against a BCS foe.

2. The Hoosiers are 4-9 against teams from Texas.

3. The Mean Green have scored three offensive touchdowns this season, getting two of their five total scores from fumble recoveries versus Florida International. Only eight teams have scored fewer touchdowns.

PREDICTION: Indiana 17, North Texas 14 - It won’t be pretty, but the Hoosiers will edge out a win.