Game Wrap and Reaction: Indiana Hoosiers 33 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 30 OT
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Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Opponent: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Location: Bloomington, Indiana
Why They Played: The Hoosiers and Western Kentucky wrapped up a home-and-home series.
What The Game Meant: This game was huge should the Hoosiers want to get to that coveted sixth win, it was a must-win in order to keep those hopes alive.
Top Offensive Performers
Connor Bazelak, QB, Indiana- Bazelak got off to a hot start on Saturday and while he struggled in the middle of the game, he finished with a flurry. He completed 33-of-55 passes for 364 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, he did not turn the ball over.
Josh Henderson, RB, Indiana- The UNC transfer had a big day and is making his case to take over as the starting running back. Henderson had 65 yards rushing on just 11 carries, including a 19-yard touchdown. He added a nice one-handed catch for 32 yards.
Austin Reed, QB, Western Kentucky- Reed was as good as advertised. He runs the air-raid to perfection. He completed 33-of-43 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 32 yards after adjusting for sacks and scored on the ground. He did throw an interception that took points off the board for WKU.
Top Defensive Performers
Cam Jones, LB, Indiana- Jones was stellar and willed this team to victory. He made 13 tackles including a tackle for loss and forced a fumble.
Aaron Casey, LB, Indiana- Casey had an under the radar huge game. Three of his eight tackles came for a loss. He is quickly becoming a big play linebacker for the Hoosiers.
Kahlef Hailasse, DB, Western Kentucky- Hailasse was a thorn in the side of IU’s defense. He had nine tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and two pass breakups.
Special Team Performance
Indiana’s special teams won the day for the Hoosiers. Kicker Charles Campbell shook off a poor game to hit four field goals, including a clutch 51-yarder to win the game.
Punter James Evans had a solid game again averaging 44 yards per punt, including a long of 50 and two punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
However, the unit was not without its misfires. A holding call wiped out a nice Omar Cooper return on a kickoff and Connor Delp miss played a punt into poor field position.
The Hoosiers may need to re-evaluate their kickoff specialist Chris Freeman. Freeman had been solid in the first two games, but kicked two out of bounds, including one on WKU’s final possession of regulation. IU can either turn to Campbell or JUCO transfer Alejandro Quintero.
Key Stat(s)
17
The Hoosiers scored 17 fourth quarter points to get the game even at 30.
Turning Point
The turning point of this game came when Myles Jackson picked off an Austin Reed pass in the end zone. Western Kentucky was up 11 at the time and a score would have put the game away for the Hilltoppers. IU would drive 90 yards to score a touchdown on the ensuing drive.
I Knew it Was Over When…
Charles Campbell blasted a 51-yard field goal in overtime to clinch the walk-off win.
Players of the Game
Charles Campbell, Indiana- Campbell accounted for 13 of Indiana’s 33 points. He was four-of-four on field goals and had ice water in his veins for a 51-yarder to win it. Campbell is four-of-five from 50+ yards in his career.
Austin Reed, Western Kentucky- Reed accounted for three WKU touchdowns and threw for 329 yards.
What I took away from the game
3-0 is 3-0 and the Hoosiers are finding ways to win games that should be losses. Is it concerning for the rest of the season? Sure, but it’s makes it a lot easier to deal with flaws being 3-0 than 0-3.
The Hoosiers walked out of Memorial Stadium with another thrilling win, in a season where it seems that the Heart Attack Hoosiers identity is to come from behind.
IU did some really good things on Saturday, that did get off to an ideal start. The Hoosiers lost center Zach Carpenter in warmups and had to play third-string center Caleb Murphy. Murphy stepped into the role well, especially when he settled down.
Indiana quarterback Connor Bazelak found a grove early and easily played his best game as a Hoosier, but needs to carry that consistency through all four quarters
The running game was more solid than the numbers indicate. IU ran for 135 non-sack yards, a 4.2-yard per carry average. Do the Hoosiers have a battle for RB 1 heading into the rest of the season? Maybe, as Josh Henderson showed his ability in a 12 touch, 97-yard performance. Shaun Shivers, the current starter, had a decent game as well, but Henderson seems to give IU just a little bit more as an all-around back.
The biggest concern on offense right now is IU’s efficiency, or lack thereof, in the red zone. IU had seven trips inside the red zone. They scored on six of them. However, three of those scores were fumbles. IU also, fumbled a backwards pass in the red zone as well. It’s a little shocking that IU is not better in the red zone with the weapons they have. Late in the game, the Hoosiers did get two touchdowns down close to the goal line.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Hoosiers bent to the tune of 545 yards, but came up with two takeaways and a fourth down stop to hold Western Kentucky to its fewest points in a regular season game since 2020. Head coach Tom Allen vows this defense is not just a bend don’t break unit, but it certainly was that to an extent on Saturday.
Up next, the Hoosiers hit the road to face Cincinnati. If IU wants to win, they will need to clean up all of these aspects. But for now, IU fans can enjoy being 3-0.