“The Hogs” Up Front Pave the Way for IU Rushing Success

Written By: Ben Gillard (@benjgillard)

Nothing gets Big Ten football fans excited like great offensive line play. For the past 100 years, the offensive philosophy throughout the conference has been “three yards and a cloud of dust.” Physicality in the trenches is especially important in the Red Zone, where the field shortens and safeties can begin to creep down and commit to the run.

Luckily for the Hoosiers, the Indiana offensive line has been playing lights out through the first six games of the season. This was a welcome surprise for the Hoosiers, who suffered major losses to the line in the portal this offseason as two starters, Matthew Bedford and Kalil Benson, transferred out. No offseason loss was bigger, however, than the preseason injury that ended veteran JMU transfer Nick Kidwell’s 2024 season. Losing Kidwell, who was poised to be the leader of the line, forced veterans like center Mike Katic to step up and anchor the line.

Step up is exactly what Katic and the rest of the line have done this season. The Hoosiers have been dominating at the line of scrimmage, especially in the red zone, where IU leads all Power 4 schools in rushing touchdowns through the first seven weeks of the season with 23 scores.

When asked about how he felt the offensive line was playing this season, Running Back Kaelon Black said, “[They’re playing] great man. We love those boys up front. Wish we could give them a name like ‘The Hogs’ or something, but those guys, they make the way for us, and we love having them.”

Fellow RB Justice Ellison echoed this saying, “They’ve been stepping up in a lot of different ways, and I keep telling them to keep on going…And you know, those guys are hungry to learn and to be able to grow and to be able to dominate. So every time we go out there. I'm like, I wonder what else they're gonna be able to do.”

In addition to “The Hogs” up front, Tight End Zach Horton has been key in the run game. RB Ty Son Lawton emphasized this saying, “Shout out to Zach. You know, last year at JMU he was getting the ball way more than he is now. So he definitely is doing a real good job blocking, you know, playing his part. He's also a guy that's not selfish, as you can see, he still does it every Saturday and only probably gets like, one catch a game. So I'm very thankful for that.”

Justice Ellison echoed this, emphasizing how Horton sets the tone for the team in the huddle, saying, “I mean, a lot of people don't see it, but when we huddle, he comes up, and he daps me real hard, and that kind of sets the tone of, you know, what he's gonna do on that play. You know, it sets the tone of what a whole offensive line is gonna do in that play.”

Horton and “The Hogs” have been creating huge holes for the running backs this season, allowing them to find the endzone 23 times. However, it has been their ability to step up and set the tone for drives that has got the Hoosiers’ offense rolling.