Asking the Indiana Hoosiers beat writer about what to expect in the Penn State football game

Penn State hosts the Hoosiers at 3:30 p.m. Saturday — so we caught up with Indiana beat writer Mike Miller of The Herald Times in Bloomington.

He talked about the Hoosiers’ season thus far, star wide receiver Simmie Cobbs and more.

Q: Indiana opened as 18-point underdogs to Penn State. After watching the Hoosiers play three games — a four-touchdown loss to Ohio State and wins at Virginia and over Georgia Southern — how would you assess Indiana’s season so far, and do you think that spread is fair?

A: So far, it has gone as expected. IU was competitive against Ohio State before wilting late, then won those next two games in convincing fashion. That’s where this program seems to be. It’s a good team, one that would have nine-win potential if it were positioned in the Big Ten West. Much like last season, the question remains whether or not Indiana can consistently sustain drives, especially as it uses a two-quarterback approach. This is a good defense that returns all but one impact starter from last season and features two of the Big Ten’s best defenders in linebacker Tegray Scales and corner Rashard Fant. It’s remarkable how IU’s team identity flipped almost overnight last season, going from all-score, no-cover to becoming one of the Big Ten’s better defensive units. Experience went a long way toward fostering that transformation and, of course, new head coach Tom Allen also deserves a ton of credit. Even with this year’s schedule, IU has a shot at seven wins. I don’t expect one of those victories to come this weekend, especially as banged up as the Hoosiers seem to be at the moment, but I’m not sure I expect a blowout, either.

Q: Wide receiver Simmie Cobbs played out of his mind against Ohio State with 11 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown. Watching from home, it looked like quarterback Richard Lagow had success getting the ball out early and in Cobbs’ direction in the opener. What makes the wideout such a threat?

A: It’s funny to think about the 2015 season now. Cobbs was a 1,000-yard receiver that year but had a maddening case of the drops. Just not consistent enough. Last year, of course, he suffered a season-ending ankle injury on his first play of the year. This year, he just seems more confident. He’s bigger, too, and at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds he’s using that size to abuse smaller defensive backs. Cobbs also has great leaping ability, making it tough to defend against the jump balls that he and Lagow like so much. There was a sequence in the Ohio State game where Lagow went to him four times in a row approaching the goal line. Cobbs made the first catch for a big gain that took IU around the 20-yard line. He couldn’t come down with the next two passes in the end zone, but finally hauled in the fourth for a touchdown. There’s just a lot of confidence within IU’s offense that Cobbs is going to make catches few people can, even when he has an extra defender watching him. I get the sense that IU fans are trying to enjoy Cobbs as much as they can this season. From what we’ve seen so far, I’d be very surprised if he’s not in the NFL this time next fall.

Q: Speaking of Lagow, he was benched in favor of Peyton Ramsey — more of a mobile quarterback — in the Virginia game, and it worked. Ramsey ended up with three total touchdowns in the win against the Cavaliers. How do you expect that Lagow-Ramsey situation to play out on Saturday?

A: I’m still not sure. Lagow is still the starter. Tom Allen has made that very clear. He can be inconsistent, but he has the better arm. A much better arm. Beyond inconsistency and turnovers, the issue with Lagow is mobility. He doesn’t have great feet. Ramsey does, so IU is looking to implement more of that in the offense, especially with a run game/offensive line that has yet to prove itself against Big Ten competition. Forecasting the Lagow-Ramsey situation is difficult at the moment, only because Indiana almost exclusively leaned on its backfield last week against an overmatched Georgia Southern team. Both quarterbacks will play, and Tom Allen has said that he could look to settle on the hot hand as the game progresses.

Q: True freshman running back Morgan Ellison had 186 yards and a couple scores in last weekend’s game against Georgia Southern. Did he surprise you at all in that performance?

A: It was more impressive than surprising. Throughout fall camp, he looked like the guy IU needs in its backfield. But he’s also a freshman, and freshmen make mistakes. Ellison, though, has a really impressive skill-set that reminds those in IU’s program of former running back Jordan Howard, who’s now with the Chicago Bears. He’s physical, he gets downhill quickly, and he has a knack for falling forward. That’s important, especially with an inexperienced and inconsistent offensive line. He looked tremendous against a really, really bad Georgia Southern team. I think everyone’s fascinated to see what he does against bigger, quicker defenders.

Q: Who’s been an unsung hero for Indiana so far this season? Maybe someone not a lot of people have heard of that’s made a difference?

A: Tight end Ian Thomas. He’s been fantastic. Thomas is IU’s third-leading receiver with 11 catches for 163 yards and a team-high three receiving touchdowns. Most folks focus on IU’s receivers — with good reason, especially considering how tight ends seemed to be valued more as blockers than receivers during the latter years of the Kevin Wilson era. Thomas has been a revelation at the position through three games. He’s deceptively fast at 6-5, 248 pounds and has good hands. As a junior college transfer, Thomas has also built a rapport with Lagow during the past year.

This story was originally published September 29, 2017 at 12:07 PM with the headline "Asking the Indiana Hoosiers beat writer about what to expect in the Penn State football game."