Hoosiers looking to minimize penalties when they face Akron

Scoring 92 points in two games might look nice on paper, but IU coach Bill Lynch knows better than that.\nAfter witnessing his team commit 11 penalties for 93 yards against Western Michigan Saturday – mistakes that could have cost his team the game – Lynch hinted that those penalties will be a focus in this week's practice.\n"We're going to address it this week," Lynch said. "Let's put it this way, pre-snap and post-snap, you'd like to alleviate that."\nPre- and post- snap penalties accounted for nine of the 11 penalties the Hoosiers committed Saturday. In the season opener against Indiana State, IU also committed another seven penalties for 75 yards.\nAnd while the Hoosiers have been able to put points on the board in their first two games, Lynch is well aware of how badly penalties can kill a drive.\nAgainst the Broncos last weekend, IU experienced firsthand how penalties can cost them points during a game.\n"I know at one point, there was a time in the red zone and that kind of hurt us," junior defensive lineman Greg Brown said. "Not to point fingers or anything like that, but as a whole we need to work on the pre-snap penalties that could affect us during the game."\nControlling those pre- and post- snap penalties this weekend against Akron – a team that held Ohio State to only three points in the first half of their matchup last weekend – will be crucial when playing the Zips' talented defense, he said.\n"They were really solid, they're a good defensive football team," Lynch said. "They'll play that 3-5-3 scheme that Indiana State played, and they've got the big guys up front that you need in that defense, and then they've got five guys that are really active. They didn't back off Ohio State, they came right after them."\nThough Akron had a hard time moving the ball last week – the team scored two points, recorded 69 yards of total offense and gained only three first downs against Ohio State – Lynch credits that to the Buckeyes' defense, not to a lack of offense on Akron's part.\n"Ohio State's defense is awful good," Lynch said. "I've been in games against Ohio State, so I know what that's like."\nBut while penalties played a big part in last weekend's game against Western Michigan and will certainly be a focus of this week's practice in preparation for Akron, they weren't the only miscues that nearly cost the Hoosiers a 27-point lead last weekend.\nSophomore wide receiver Ray Fisher, who caught a career-high seven passes for 77 yards against the Broncos, said the reason for the comeback was because the team lost focus.\n"Coming back out, it was raining and we had a couple of players complaining about how it was slippery," Fisher said. "You just can't think about that. You have to get jacked up and play to the best of your ability."\nDuring his press conference, however, Lynch disagreed with his wideout and said the Hoosiers didn't lose their focus or poise. Rather, they did not take advantage of opportunities in the end zone, and they allowed a game-changing play at the wrong time.\nWith just less than five minutes to go in the third quarter, Broncos running back Brandon West returned junior Austin Starr's kickoff 98 yards for a score.\n"The kickoff return was the big play," Lynch said. "That was one where we kind of kicked ourselves right into the situation, because they'd set up a different kind of return than what they'd been running. That got them their momentum back."\nAfter a week of practice, Lynch said he is confident his team will limit the miscues that could have cost them a victory against Western Michigan.\nAnd though penalties can hurt a team more than they can help it, Fisher echoed his coach's confidence.\n"It damages your team, but you have to bounce back from it," Fisher said. "You just have to go play-by-play. If you jump offsides, you have to refocus and regain your confidence"