2022 Countdown to IUFB Kickoff: 101 Days (Overview)

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Memorial Day is right around the corner and that means the college football season is on the horizon. For the eighth-straight year Hoosier Huddle is conducting a Count Down to Kickoff for the 2022 Hoosier football season. IU will start the season under the lights in Bloomington on Friday, September 2 against the Illinois Fighting Illini. As of today, there are 101 days until kickoff, so we are going to give you some reasons to be excited for the 2022 IU football season.

1. Friday Night Lights and a Conference Game to Open the Season- The Hoosiers will open the 2022 campaign at home under the lights on Friday, September 2 against Illinois. The Hoosiers have a three-game win streak against Illinois, but it is the Illini’s first trip to Bloomington since 2013 and their first matchup against the Hoosiers since 2017.

If the Hoosiers are going to redeem themselves from the 2021 season, a win against Illinois is a must. A night kick should allow for plenty of tailgating ahead of the holiday weekend as well as attract a large student crowd.

2. Trip to Nippert Stadium- The Hoosiers have not played at Nippert Stadium since 1998 and this road trip could be a special one as he back end of a home-and-home series that saw the Bearcats knock off the Hoosiers in Bloomington last season. Nippert Stadium is one of the most historic stadiums in college football. It opened its doors in 1901 and is the third-oldest FBS stadium. 

3. Bucket Game Back in Bloomington- For the first time since 2018 the Old Oaken Bucket game will be held in Bloomington. The tide has shifted a bit in favor of Purdue as he Boilermakers have won three-of-the-last-four in the series. While the game does come on Thanksgiving weekend, it still should be one of the more anticipated matchups of IU’s season.

4. New Coordinators on Both Sides of the Ball- The Hoosiers will have two new coordinators when they start the 2022 season in Walt Bell (offense) and Chad Wilt (defense). While Tom Allen will call the defense and get try and recapture the success the group had in 2020, Wilt will be his right-hand man in practice and running the defensive meetings. Bell comes in after a struggle as the head coach at UMass, but will bring an up-tempo offense to try and jump start a group that was horrendous in 2021.

5. Cam Jones Back for One More Season- Cam Jones is one of the more important pieces on defense and will be returning at linebacker in 2022. The graduate senior was part of one of the best linebacking duos in the conference. His return will help ease the loss of Micah McFadden to the NFL. Jones is a two-time team captain. He has made 154 career tackles including 10.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. He has picked off two passes and has two fumble recoveries to go along with a defensive touchdown.

6. Plenty of Position Battles- When fall camp kicks off there will be plenty of position battles to follow, most notably at quarterback where Connor Bazelak, Jack Tuttle and Dexter Williams will duke it out to be QB1 on opening night. Other battles include guard, wide receiver, tight end and several rotation spots in the secondary, at linebacker and along the defensive line.  

7. Tailgating- It is arguably the best part of the college football experience. Last season fans missed out on early season tailgating due to IU playing on the road and an early bye week, but this season is primed for some warmer weather tailgating as IU hosts five games by mid-October. So, get the coolers and grills ready because September 2nd is right around the bend.

8. Infusion of Talent on Both Sides of the Ball- The Hoosiers will have plenty of new names on both sides of the ball thanks to the highest-rated recruiting class in IU history and the transfer portal. The Hoosiers welcomed 20 new faces in spring practice including transfers at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, defensive line and linebacker. The rest of the newcomers will join the team over the summer before fall camp. The team will look very different from the squad that went 2-10 in 2021 and that should give fans a glimmer of hope.

9. Tom Allen Back Calling Defense- The 2021 IU defense was shredded and looked very different from the aggressive, swarming defense he Hoosiers played in 2020. That should change in 2022 as Tom Allen has decided to take over the defensive play calling again after giving it up in 2019. Fans should look for the defense to get back to its DNA roots of takeaways, tackling and effort.

10. It’s College Football Season!- Enjoy it because it goes by quickly. It’s a fantastic time of year to spend with friends and family while rooting on your favorite teams.