IU prepares for Heisman hopeful Ringer, Spartans

A year ago, the Hoosiers’ weakness was their inability to stop the run. One year has passed, but not a whole lot has changed.

And Michigan State knows it.

Hoping to exploit IU’s soft run defense, the Spartans employ one of the better running backs in all of college football – Heisman Trophy candidate Javon Ringer. A bruiser, Ringer has torched every defense he has faced. He leads the NCAA with 11 touchdowns and is second in yards with 699, averaging 174.75 per game.

“He’s a good running back, but we’re a good defense,” said linebacker Geno Johnson. “The guys that I play beside, I have belief and faith in them that each and everyone of them is going to do their jobs, and we’ll get the job done.”

IU coach Bill Lynch knows Ringer is going to get the football all day on Saturday. But whether he touches the ball 20, 30 or 40 times this weekend, Ringer has a knack for making big plays and has a monster offensive line to make the necessary holes.

Last year in East Lansing, Mich., Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick ran for 297 yards on 52 carries for five touchdowns in what turned out to be a 52-27 blowout.

MSU had lost the previous week to Northwestern, and while Lynch is not one to make excuses, he admitted the Spartans had a lot more passion entering the game as a result of their loss.

This time around, it’s the Hoosiers who are reeling after an embarrassing home loss to Ball State last week. While IU wants to see the same kind of urgency that the Spartans showed last year, they will have to do so with a banged-up secondary.

Junior safety Austin Thomas is doubtful, and Nick Polk is out – Thomas with a lower leg injury and Polk with a knee injury – and senior cornerback Chris Phillips was lost for the season with a torn ACL against the Cardinals. Senior Joe Kleinsmith will occupy Polk’s spot while sophomore Jerimy Finch is slated to back up Thomas. Freshman Richard Council will replace Phillips.

“Whoever is out there, they just have to be ready to come out and play,” said defensive end Greg Middleton. “It doesn’t matter who it is (in the secondary). We know what they’re going to do in certain formations. We just have to be prepared and stay disciplined.”

Without 75 percent of the starting defensive backs, the Hoosiers are well aware of what options the Spartans have. By committing more players in the box to stop the run, MSU quarterback Brian Hoyer will have ample opportunities to use the play-action fake against an injury-riddled secondary.

Johnson placed his confidence in the defense and said he had no problem making the Spartans a “one-dimensional team.” But if Ringer plays to his level, Lynch said the issues with the secondary is troublesome.

“It’s a real concern and point of emphasis,” Lynch said. “We’ve got to do a good job of staying on top because they did that to us last year as well and banged it at us pretty good.”

If the Hoosiers can stop the run, though, Hoyer has not had a great year, giving the IU secondary some needed help. Hoyer has only completed 44.6 percent of his passes and has thrown one touchdown to two interceptions.

Last year, IU survived a three-game losing streak in the middle of the season and still became bowl eligible. Knowing that, Middleton said this is not necessarily a “must-win game.” At the same time, it is just as important for the Hoosiers to come back with a strong performance after last week’s dud.

“I really don’t think that we should be concerned with last week,” Middleton said. “We can’t really do anything about it. We’re just looking forward to the challenge and getting off to the right foot.”