Game Wrap and Reaction: Indiana 24 Illinois 14
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(AP Photo/Bradley Leeb)
Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Opponent: Illinois Fighting Illini
Location: Saturday November 11th , Champaign, IL
Why They Played: The Hoosiers and Illini met for the first time since 2013 as an inter-division match-up
What The Game Meant:
The Hoosiers are in desperation mode and needed a win to keep their bowl hopes alive. Illinois was trying to snap a seven-game losing streak.
Top Offensive Performers
Cole Gest, RB, Indiana- Gest injected some life into a rushing attack that had been in a month long coma rushing for 82 yards on 17 carries. He added 27 yards receiving and lead the Hoosiers in all-purpose yards with 109.
Richard Lagow, QB, Indiana-Lagow was good, not great, but good. He completed 32-of-48 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns. He did throw a pick, but made the big plays when Indiana needed it.
Simmie Cobbs, WR, Indiana-Cobbs had four catches for 54 yards and a touchdown, including a beast-like 31-yard catch and run on a fourth down to set up an Indiana score.
Louis Dorsey, TE, Illinois- Louis Dorsey gave the Illini life before he left the game. He started the second half off with a 77-yard catch and run touchdown and added a ridiculous one-handed catch. He finished with three catches for 107 yards and a score.
Ricky Smalling, WR, Illinois- After Dorsey left the game Smalling came up big for Illinois. He made three catches for 73 yards for Illinois.
Top Defensive Performers
Jacob Robinson, DL, Indiana- Robinson had his best game as a Hoosier as he dominated a young Illinois offensive line. He made seven tackles along with 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.
Tegray Scales, LB, Indiana- Scales only made four tackles on Saturday, but he came away with two takeaways as he recovered a fumble and picked off a pass.
Chris Covington, LB, Indiana-Scales partner in crime had eight tackles and 1.5 sacks on the afternoon.
Rashard Fant, CB, Indiana-Fant could have had three interceptions, but had to settle for one. Illinois did not complete a pass in his direction all day.
Jamal Woods, DE, Illinois- Woods was second on the team in tackles with eight and added 2.5 tackles for loss.
James Crawford, DE, Illinois-Opposite Woods, James Crawford also had a big day making six tackles, 1.5 for loss, forcing a fumble and breaking up a pass.
Special Team Performance
Indiana’s special teams were great today. Haydon Whitehead put five punts inside the 20-yard line (he should’ve had two more), and helped control field position the entire game. He punted 11 times for a net average of 34.2.
The punt coverage/return unit nearly got to two punts and had 38 return yards on five attempts. There were no critical errors in this phase of the game.
Griffin Oakes was solid once again hitting his lone field goal attempt and all three extra points. He had one touchback on five kickoffs on a pretty blustery day. Devonte Williams added a 25 yard return on his only attempt of the day.
ey Stat(s)
10-56
The Hoosier defense came up big in Champaign with 10 tackles for loss that netted minus-56 yards for the Illini that put them in bad positions all afternoon.
Turning Point
The turning point came late for the Hoosiers when Tom Allen and crew decided to go for it on fourth-and-one at the Illinois 20-yard line with about seven minutes to play. Indiana running back Morgan Ellison gashed the Illini defense for 10 yards and a first down on a drive that would result in a touchdown.
I Knew it Was Over When…
Tegray Scales recovered a Jeff George Jr. fumble that was caused by Jacob Robinson at the IU 44 with 5:17 left in the game with IU up 10.
Players of the Game
Jacob Robinson, Indiana- Robinson dominated the Illini offensive line and keyed a defensive performance that created three takeaways.
Louis Dorsey, Illinois- Dorsey made the best catch of the game and the most explosive play of the game. The scary thing is this kid is only a freshman.
What I took away from the game
A win is what Indiana needed and a win is what Indiana got. Sure, it wasn’t the beauty that IU fans would have like to see, but it counts nonetheless.
The Hoosiers rode a mostly dominant defense led by Jacob Robinson who had a big day. They recorded three takeaways (Allen’s weekly goal) and held Illinois to just 33 yards rushing. Outside of the long Dorsey touchdown and a few penalties, you cannot ask for much more from this unit.
On offense, Richard Lagow played well despite throwing an early interception and getting sacked twice. He threw the ball 48 times, probably more than IU would ideally like, and completed 32 of them for 289 yards and two scores. Lagow hit 10 different receivers Saturday as Taysir Mack led the group in receptions and Luke Timian paced the team in receiving yards.
Cole Gest gave the running game a spark and has made his case to wrestle away the starting job from Morgan Ellison. While both backs played well today, Gest 109 all-purpose yards and Ellison 79 all-purpose yards, Gest just gave the offense a little more burst.
At 4-6 the Hoosier still have life, but will need to continue to play with the edge they did Saturday on defense and find more of a spark on offense. The Hoosiers host another team with a losing record next week in Rutgers. Can they get win number 5?