Staff Picks: Predicting Indiana's Week 2 contest against Kennesaw State

Week 2 of the college football season is nearly here. Indiana football welcomes Kennesaw State to Bloomington this Saturday for a 12:00 p.m. ET clash, and with it comes another round of staff picks here at TheHoosier.com.

Each week throughout the season, our staff will break down the upcoming matchup and make their predictions on how things will play out. From big-picture storylines to score forecasts, our weekly picks aim to give fans a snapshot of expectations heading into game day.

This week, the focus is squarely on the Hoosiers’ Week 2 matchup — a chance to bounce back against the Owls after an underwhelming opener.

Zach’s Pick

We all know that Indiana, while getting the win, underwhelmed in the season opener against Old Dominion. Because of that, I think there will be a little bit more of an emphasis for the Hoosiers to not just beat the Owls, but to destroy them. Sure, Kennesaw State nearly knocked off Wake Forest last week — they really should’ve won that game — but Indiana and Wake Forest are not on the same level. The Owls will have a difficult time moving the ball against an Indiana defense that didn’t allow Old Dominion to take a snap in plus territory in Week 1. If the Hoosiers can eliminate those explosive plays, which I think they will, I just don’t see the Owls having enough offensive to really do much in terms of putting points on the board. On the flip side, I believe Indiana will have the offensive issues in the red zone ironed out, and I expect the Hoosiers to dominate this game from start to finish. I anticipate a much more convincing win for Indiana this weekend.

Prediction: Indiana 48, Kennesaw State 6

Alec’s Pick

After a subpar week one performance from a scoreboard perspective, Curt Cignetti and Indiana look to get back on track against a Kennesaw State team that doesn’t pose a ton of challenges for the Hoosiers. Led by Dexter Williams, who has struggled to be efficient in his career as a passer, KSU will look to rely a bit more on his feet and its entire rushing attack. KSU averaged just 16.5 points a game last year and had 9 in week one against Wake Forest. I expect it to be more of the same on Saturday. On the flip side, look for Indiana to get Fernando Mendoza and this passing attack going a bit earlier — and a bit more of an open playbook down the field. Indiana gets back on a good note and dominates.

Prediction: Indiana 45, Kennesaw State 7

Colin’s Pick

Luckily we’re not going into this prediction completely blind, as we have Week 1 to go off of before making our selections. Unfortunately, both Indiana and Kennesaw State’s openers were very odd, and sometimes ugly, games. With that being said, I think that the Hoosiers will be able to clean up the mistakes seen against ODU, resulting in a one-sided victory in favor of IU. Look for Fernando Mendoza to look more comfortable and for the connection between him and Elijah Sarratt to develop. The running game is of no concern, as Indiana might run for 300 yards for the second time in two weeks with another stellar performance here. Will Indiana cover? The spread is pretty hefty, and I think the final score will reflect a very solid line. Give me the Hoosiers big, and for the fans to stay until at least the third quarter.

Prediction: Indiana 41, Kennesaw State 7

Kyler’s Pick

I don’t think it was a stretch to say that Indiana had a “meh” showing in their first game last week. While rusty play was a little expected, the Hoosiers showed some things that were a little uncharacteristic of them (getting stopped at the goal line multiple times, missed defensive assignments, dropped balls, etc). This week however, I think we are going to see a much more well-oiled machine from the Hoosiers against a lesser opponent in Kennesaw State. Yes, the Owls nearly beat Wake Forest last week, but Wake Forest is not the program Indiana is nor has the talent the Hoosiers have. I expect there to still be some missed assignments, but Indiana will win comfortably.

Prediction: Indiana 52, Kennesaw State 14

Drew’s Pick

In Indiana’s week one victory over Old Dominion, we saw a lot of good, but also a lot of bad from the Hoosiers. The top of the list of struggles has to be the red zone offense, as the Hoosiers were not able to finish drives. Similar to last season’s opener, Indiana dominated the game more than the score reflected, and with Kennesaw State coming, it will be an opportunity to correct the mistakes seen in week one. Last week, Kennesaw State held Wake Forest to just 10 points, but with the talent disparity between the two rosters, the Hoosiers should have a much easier time moving the ball against the Owl defense. Like we saw a year ago, I’m expecting a much cleaner performance in week two from the Hoosiers as they should cruise to a comfortable victory.

Prediction: Indiana 42, Kennesaw State 10

Coach Griff’s Pick

Indiana takes this one by two scores, but it won’t be a total runaway. Kennesaw State showed last week against Wake Forest that they can shorten games with their ground attack, and with Dexter Williams at quarterback, the Owls have a playmaker who knows Indiana’s personnel well. If the Hoosiers’ front seven doesn’t read keys and contain the edge, Williams can extend drives the same way Old Dominion’s quarterback did with two explosive touchdown runs in Week 1. That said, Indiana has too much depth, speed, and offensive firepower. Fernando Mendoza should find balance through the air, and Roman Hemby can establish control on the ground. If IU converts in the red zone and forces a turnover or two defensively, they’ll pull away in the second half. This game will test Indiana’s discipline, but the Hoosiers’ talent wins out. X-Factor: Red-zone efficiency. The Hoosiers left points on the board in Week 1; touchdowns instead of field goals will be the difference in making this a comfortable win.

Prediction: Indiana 35, Kennesaw State 17

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