With Welcome Week being so close for so many Hoosiers, it’s only a matter of weeks before the first football game and tailgates for Bloomington. Football may not be king at Indiana but it does hang pretty high on the totem pole, and it seems to be gaining momentum- particularly with students.
Although the fan base at Memorial Stadium isn’t particularly strong, the sense of re-building of the program is, and that’s what is getting fans excited. Maybe it’s the momentum of having a basketball team ranked number one in the pre-season that is getting not only fans more invested in our football program, but recruits as well.
With recruits like Brownsburg’s all around player Chase Dutra who just recently committed to Indiana, or Antonio Allen defensive back from Ben Davis who wanted to be close to home after decommitting from Ole Miss. Both of these players have big rankings, with Allen being the highest rank recruit so far in the 2013 recruiting class. And the momentum is still going strong. With recruits from junior colleges transferring in to give our guys some more size and speed Wilson and his staff are definitely rebuilding.
[caption id="attachment_59" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Brownsburg's Chase Dutra"]
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With the work that the Hoosiers are putting in, it makes this season seem hopeful, and students are taking notice. “I’m actually pretty excited for this season, which isn’t something that many students have been saying. The team has been working hard and people are starting to feel like this season will be different.” Said Abbey Coobs, Indiana junior. She isn’t the only one who feels this way, ticket sales are up in for the football program from last season by almost 5,000 tickets. Some of these could be from the package students buy to get both football and basketball tickets but that’s still 5,000 people who now have more incentive to go to the games.
With ticket sales up and more recruits looking at the school, this can only lead to more wins. With hopeful wins over ISU, Massachusetts, and Ball State the Hoosiers should get a few wins in before they get into the meat of their season. Wilson has tweeted that the team still has a lot of work to do but are looking good from last season has the team looking forward. With Tre Roberson maintaining the starting QB spot but with Wilson’s other quarterbacks getting plenty of reps in practice, they all may see playing time. Wilson also states that his running backs and defense need some work but are improving everyday. Although Chapman has been out for a concussion, he should be back in his pads soon.
The season is looking brighter for the Hoosier and if they can harness the momentum that the students and fans are starting to put into the team they can really start to make big plays and go somewhere as a team. They are still a little rough around the edges but they will get there. This season could be a big turning point for the team- for better or worse, and as a student I plan to be there and watch it happen.
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