IU Football readies for Cream and Crimson Scrimmage

For the first time since Austin Starr’s 49-yard field goal sent his team to its first bowl game in 13 years, IU football fans will get a chance to see the Hoosiers in action at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. \nOnly instead of watching them battle rival Purdue, IU team members will play one another in the annual Cream and Crimson Scrimmage. \nThe team will look drastically different from the squad that defeated Purdue in \nNovember. Last year’s team MVP James Hardy, captain Tracy Porter and sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis will all be gone.\nHardy and Porter entered their names into the NFL Draft, while Lewis is suspended indefinitely.\nWith a lot of new players expected to see playing time, IU coach Bill Lynch predicted success for a few Hoosiers who could have bigger roles on the team.\n“I think (wide receiver) Brandon Walker-Roby will have a great year,” Lynch said. “He’s really going to make some plays for us.” \nLynch also gave names of players on the defensive side of the ball he thinks fans should keep an eye on.\n“Defensively, I think (freshman defensive end Kyle) Kozak’s showing some things as a young guy,” Lynch said. “I think all the corners have played well.” \nDespite many changes in who will be playing, the schemes IU used last season will remain the same. The offense will still run out of the spread while the defense will remain in its 4-3 scheme.\nThe biggest change will be the speed at which the offense runs, as it has decided to switch into a no-huddle offense in hopes of keeping opposing defenses off-balance. The decision to go to a no-huddle raised eyebrows among some of the players, but sophomore running back Bryan Payton said practicing with it has helped the team. \n“It challenged our conditioning,” Payton said. “I wasn’t too enamored with it going in, but it’s been going great.” \nLynch dismissed any worries that he won’t have enough playmakers to make up for the absence of Hardy and Lewis. Lynch said there are still players that have the ability to find the end zone, and it is up to the coaching staff to utilize them properly. \n“Tight end will be featured a little bit more,” Lynch said. “We’ve got enough weapons; we just need to find a way to get them the ball.” \nThe scrimmage pits teammates against one another, and puts members of the defense in the position of trying to take down people on the offense for whom they normally cheer. Sophomore linebacker Matt Mayberry said the scrimmage is still great for the team because of the work both sides get in, but he acknowledged playing against teammates does not evoke the same level of intensity as playing against a rival opponent. \n“In the scrimmage, you get a lot of work in on both sides,” Mayberry said. “It’s not quite as intense as a game, but it’s more intense than a practice.” \nThe only difference between the spring game and the upcoming fall games is quarterbacks aren’t allowed to get hit. IU sophomore defensive end and sack specialist Greg Middleton denied any frustration that might come from reaching a quarterback and not having the chance to sack him.\n“We don’t want to hurt any of our QBs,” Middleton said. “I feel like if I get to them and touch them, then I’ve done my job.”