Quarterbacks: C+

A week before their first game, neither Reilly Murphy nor Ben Schmidt knew who would fill the role of starting quarterback.

The first logical choice seemed to be Schmidt. A senior, Schmidt had been used twice as a third string replacement in the 2004 season, going 2-0.

But then Murphy surfaced.

The California native transferred from Grossmont junior college, where he won a state championship, to Indiana State in January 2006.

Long battles persisted over the spring and into the late summer. Finally, within a week before the Sycamores’ first game, it was announced that Murphy had won the job.

In three games the six-foot-two 215 pound quarterback has thrown for 753 yards and three touchdowns. He’s averaging 251 yards per game and completing 55.1 percent of his passes.

Receivers: B+

Greek mythology tells stories of a vicious three headed dog named Cerberus who would go to any level to accomplish his feat.

Look no further into mythology for this tale, as Indiana State owns a real life triple threat in receivers Carl Berman, Sam Logan, and Brian Jackson.

Logan set a school record with 77 receptions in the 2005. The senior hasn’t missed a beat in 2006 with 210 yards in three games.

Fellow senior Berman looks to break from behind Logan’s shadow. The five-foot-ten receiver leads the Sycamores with 19 receptions.

Yet neither senior has caught a touchdown pass. It has taken the third threat in Jackson to solidify the receiving core.

Offensive line: B

The average weight of Indiana State’s front line is 12 pounds heavier than that of NIU. Not too shabby for a Division I-AA school.

Add into the mix that three upperclassmen starters are returning, a sophomore who played as a true freshman, and an all honors community college transfer and you’ve got a starting line ready to open some holes.

Making sure that they work collectively on the field is the job of center Mike Thorpe. But it took this leader time to become the staple on Indiana State’s line.

On opening day 2004 Thorpe suffered a season-ending knee injury against Miami-Ohio. After multiple surgeries the Florida native returned to the line in 2005 in a break- out season in which he was named to the all conference squad.

The addition of senior transfer Anthony “Big Hurt” Bulluck has been a crucial move for the Sycamores. The six-foot-six 330 pounder will be a major factor in giving quarterback Reilly Murphy and running back Tony West all the time they need.

Running backs: C

Father and son usually begin to drift away into their separate lives once college begins. But for running back Tony West, the father-son bond can’t drift away too far — his father is the Indiana State’s head coach.

Father and coach Lou West is finally having a chance to start his son in the 2006 season. Tony transferred from Western Kentucky to Findlay University, and finally to Indiana State.

In his first three games West has rushed for 421 net yards with five touchdowns. West is averaging six yards per carry and 140.3 yards per game.

The depth for the ground attack though is weak and empty. The second string running back has three players ahead of him in rushing.