Game Wrap and Reaction: Indiana 56 Idaho 14
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Image: Sarah Miller, Hoosier Huddle
Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Opponent: Idaho Vandals
Location: Saturday, September 11, 2021
Why They Played: The Hoosiers paid Idaho $1.2 million to come make the trip to Bloomington for a non-conference game.
What The Game Meant: This was a “get right” game for the Hoosiers ahead of next week’s showdown with Cincinnati.
Top Offensive Performers
Stephen Carr, RB, Indiana-Stephen Carr sparked the Indiana offense with 118 rushing yards on 22 carries and found the end zone once.
Hayden Hatton, WR, Idaho-He was Idaho’s most productive offensive player with 10 catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns.
Top Defensive Performers
Cam Jones, LB, Indiana- Jones made five tackles and had a sack for an impressive night from the Indiana linebacking corps.
Micah McFadden, LB, Indiana-While McFadden didn’t put up gaudy tackle totals, his plays made big impacts. He totaled just three tackles, but two of those were for a loss including a strip sack that set up a touchdown.
Tre Walker, LB, Idaho-Walker led the game in tackles with 16 (11 solo) and is a possible future pro.
Special Team Performance
Special teams was outstanding. The kick and punt return units finally had their breakout game as they combined for 266 yards, two blocks and two touchdowns.
Charles Campbell was automatic on extra points and backup Chris Freeman also got in on the action. Jared Smolar found his groove on kickoffs. James Evans was more consistent, but was missing the booming leg we saw in the second half of the Iowa game.
Key Stat(s)
266
The number of return yards Indiana had in both the punt and kick return game. It took the pressure off the offense which lacked explosion for most of the game.
Turning Point
The game turned early on when Micah McFadden and Ryder Anderson burst through the Idaho line and forced a fumble that was recovered by Westin Kramer and set up IU’s second touchdown.
I Knew it Was Over When…
Noah Pierre blocked a punt and Javon Swinton picked it up and ran into the end zone for a 21-0 Hoosier lead.
Players of the Game
IU Special Teams Unit- Nearly matched the offense’s yardage output and accounted for two touchdowns, while setting up two more short fields for the offense.
What I took away from the game
Saturday night was a feel-good night for the Hoosiers who saw 47,417 fans file into Memorial Stadium for the first time since 2019. The atmosphere was electric, the Marching Hundred under new direction was fresh and the football team blew out Idaho 56-14 for a much needed win.
As for the game itself the Hoosiers evened their record at 1-1 and gained confidence heading into next weekend’s matchup with Cincinnati.
Was it a perfect performance? No, there are still plenty of wrinkles to iron out on offense and the defense needs to get healthy in the secondary.
The Hoosiers put up 56 points, its most since the 2013 Bucket Game, thanks in large part to a dominant special teams performance and hard running from Stephen Carr (118 yards). Quarterback Michael Penix looked more comfortable and accurate as he completed 11-of-16 passes for two touchdowns, but just 68 yards. Hey, it’s hard to throw for 50-yard touchdowns from the opponents’ 20-yard line. Jack Tuttle came in relief of Penix in the second half and completed 2-of-4 passes for 91 yards, including a 76-yard strike to tight end AJ Barner.
For me the offense still didn’t protect the quarterback well, giving up two sacks and four tackles for loss. The game plan was very vanilla, which was to be expected and the hope is that Nick Sheridan has something up his sleeve for next week.
Defensively IU played very well, but there were two drives where the effort was not where Tom Allen would have liked it.
Finally, the special teams broke out and turned a game that likely would have been a lot closer into a rout.
Take what you will from this game, but the Hoosiers will find out exactly what they are next Saturday against the Bearcats. Another lackluster offensive game plan likely means a loss, but if they open up the offense and protect the quarterback better, the sold out crowd in Bloomington should be treated to a great game.