Hoosier Huddle's Game Day Primer: Indiana Hoosiers vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
/
Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
What: Indiana Hoosiers (2-0) vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (2-0)
When: Saturday, September 17 at Noon on BTN
Where: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN
How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and can be heard on the IU Radio Network.
Picks For Tonight:
Check out PicksforTonight college football computer picks to see which way their model is picking the Hoosier game and more this weekend
Series History
The Indiana Hoosiers and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers have played four times with the Hoosiers prevailing in each meeting. The first contest occurred in 2008 and was a 31-13 victory. In 2010, IU again knocked off WKU, this time 38-21. In 2015, Kevin Wilson’s Hoosiers beat Jeff Brohm’s Western Kentucky squad in a 38-35 nail-biter. The most recent meeting was in Bowling Green and Indiana escaped with a 33-31 win. This will be the fifth game and is the last scheduled meeting between the two.
What’s at Stake: Both teams are looking to improve to 3-0 after unbeaten starts to 2022. The Hoosiers would surpass their 2021 win total with a victory on Saturday and would get themselves halfway to bowl eligibility. With the schedule IU has the rest of the season, a win against Western Kentucky is a necessary part to the only realistic pathway back to the postseason. The Hilltoppers last beat a Power Five opponent in the season opener of the 2013 season (Kentucky) but Tyson Helton’s squad will enter this contest believing they have what it takes to win. ESPN’s Football Power Index actually gives WKU a 54% chance to win in Bloomington.
A FEW THINGS TO LOOK FOR
1. Takeaways Could Be Key
The Indiana Hoosiers turned the ball over twice against Idaho last Saturday night. Connor Bazelak sailed a receiver, throwing an interception, and Josh Henderson lost a fumble. Bazelak had drives where he was really good but he will need to get control of his tendency to overthrow his targets. That could be particularly important on Saturday against a team that has forced ten turnovers through two games. WKU has seven interceptions and three fumble recoveries. The Hilltoppers aren’t quite the offensive force they were a season ago but this is still a really good attack and giving them extra possessions would be a major issue for the Hoosiers. On the other side of the ball, Tom Allen’s defense will be hoping to overwhelm WKU’s offensive line and get to quarterback Austin Reed. If they can do that, the IU secondary could have chances to make plays on the ball and force some turnovers of their own.
2. Slowing Down the Hilltoppers
Western Kentucky had a historically strong offense in 2021. They ran a version of the Air Raid and did so incredibly effectively and used it to roll to a nine-win season. The 2022 version of this offense features some different personnel: Austin Reed is in for Bailey Zappe at quarterback and the top two pass catchers are gone with Daewood Davis and Malachi Corley stepping into those roles. WKU had 383 yards against Austin Peay in the opener and 412 yards in week number two against Hawaii. They averaged 6.9 yards per play against the Rainbow Warriors and Austin Reed is completing nearly 62% of his passes in the early going. The IU secondary will have a difficult matchup going against Davis and Corley and throwing off the timing of this attack will be critical. That could be done most effectively by getting into the backfield with pressure and overwhelming the Hilltopper offensive line.
3. Battling the Elements
The week two game against Idaho was delayed due to lightning and a steady downpour impacted the contest for much of the night. This Saturday should not be impacted by rain but the weather is still going to play a role. The expected temperatures in Bloomington on game day are going to be in the mid to upper 80s and the heat index on the field is likely to exceed 100 degrees. That is going to put a strain on the players and make depth a major issue as the game progresses. Indiana has talked a lot this offseason and so far in the 2022 campaign about the depth of this roster so we will see if that can be a deciding strength against WKU.