Game Wrap and Reaction: Indiana 20 Virginia 16
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The Indiana defense stepped up on Saturday night Image: Sammy Jacobs Hoosier Huddle
Written By Nathan Comp
Opponent: University of Virginia Cavaliers
Location: Saturday September 8th, 2018 Bloomington Indiana
Why They Played: The Hoosiers and Cavaliers played the back end of a home-and-home series after last season’s game in which Indiana defeated Virginia 34-17 in Charlottesville.
What The Game Meant: When playing in the Big Ten East, the most likely way to find Indiana in a bowl game at the end of the season is through winning all of its non-conference games. This was another step in achieving that, and was the first game in the newly-renovated Memorial Stadium.
Top Offensive Performers:
Stevie Scott, RB, Indiana- After Indiana lost Morgan Ellison to suspension and Cole Gest to an ACL tear, the running back room was beginning to look a bit thin. If not thin, it was certainly looking young. Stevie Scott ignored this critique, stepped up to the challenge, and delivered just shy of a record-breaking performance. Scott bulldozed his way to 204 yards and a touchdown. He is just the 12th true freshman in program history to rush for over 100 yards and finished just three yards shy of the single-game IU freshman rushing record.
Donovan Hale, WR, Indiana- Hale had an impressive game last week at FIU tallying two touchdowns. In a game this week that did not favor the passing game, Hale backed up his impressive play with another score in which he showcased his frame and essentially boxed out his defender to make the catch on an underthrown ball. Hale came into the year with 2 TDs on 44 targets. This season, he is up to 3 TDs on just 9 targets.
Bryce Perkins, QB, UVA- Bryce Perkins continued to showcase his dual-threat capabilities tallying 123 rushing yards and 106 passing yards. He tacked on two passing touchdowns as well. His best drive of the game ended up being his first, one in which he broke off an over-40-yard rush and threw for a score. He became the first UVA quarterback to rush for 100+ yards multiple times in a season since Bill Dudley in 1941, accomplishing this feat in his first two games.
Top Defensive Performers
Jonathan Crawford, S, Indiana- Although he did not put up the same takeaway numbers as he did last week, Crawford led the team in tackles with seven.
Andre Brown, CB, Indiana- The weather in this game was in no way built for the passing game. However, when UVA turned to Perkins to put the ball in the air, Brown showcased his coverage skills multiple times. He had 3 tackles, 1 for a loss.
Joey Blount, S, UVA- Blount led the UVA defense with 13 tackles, 12 of which were solo and 1 of which was for a loss. He also tallied a pass defended.
Special Team Performance
It was the tale of two stories for the Indiana special teams unit. Delivering the bad news first, the Hoosiers’ right side of the line in their field goal unit struggled mightily. Two kicks were blocked, one of which was returned by UVA to complete the 2-point conversion. On the bright side, punter Haydon Whitehead had a great night. He helped Indiana win the field position game and most notably forced Virginia to drive 91-yards down the field at the end of the game to win, a task they were unable to complete.
Key Stat(s)
0 Second Half Points
Despite Indiana only scoring in the first half, Tom Allen’s defense was able to improve on its vulnerabilities week one and clinch the victory.
Turning Point
After IU scored a touchdown and UVA fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, the Hoosiers were able to tally their second touchdown in just 34 seconds of game time. Although the game was far from over, this series of events built a lead IU would not relinquish.
I Knew it Was Over When…
In true IU football fashion, even when there were 0 seconds left in the 4th quarter, an untimed down did not allow me to feel like the game was over. I did not know it was over until I saw Bryce Perkins pass fall incomplete on the last play of the game.
Players of the Game
Stevie Scott, Indiana- The true freshman stepped up in an epic fashion and bulldozed his team to a victory.
Bryce Perkins, UVA- The dual-threat quarterback forced the Indiana defense to always have their eye on him and tallied over 200 all-purpose yards.
What I took away from the game
The weather was horrendous. Coming into the game, Indiana had question marks lingering with their running backs and their defensive front seven. Both these positions were going to be even more vital in a game taking place in a monsoon. Fortunately, both were able to step up. True freshman Stevie Scott was an absolute workhorse and the defensive front seven was able to slow down the potent duo of Bryce Perkins and Jordan Ellis. It was in no way a glamorous win. But it was a win, and in conditions like that against an ACC opponent, that’s all that matters.