What Worked and What Didn't in Indiana's 33-30 Win Over Western Kentucky

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

The Indiana Hoosiers had another thrilling come from behind win on Saturday afternoon as they knocked off Western Kentucky 33-30 in overtime. While IU did get the win there is plenty to focus on in this week’s ‘What Worked and What Didn’t”.

What Worked

Connor Bazelak- Bazelak completed 60-percent of his passes for 364 yards and two touchdowns. It was his most accurate game as a Hoosier as well. He has shown to be poised when the pressure is high late in the game and can make all the throws. While some of his throws sail high, he was not victimized for an interception Saturday.

Josh Henderson- Henderson is making his case to be IU’s number one running back. He gained 97 yards from scrimmage on just 12 touches. He provides elusiveness and decisiveness in the run game and can make plays in the pass game as we saw Saturday.

Special Teams- Indiana’s special teams unit accounted for 13 points, a blocked field goal and two punts inside the 20-yard line. There were a couple gaffs, but IU doesn’t win this game without this unit giving an ‘A’ effort.

Spreading the Ball Around- The Hoosiers had 12 different players catch passes against Western Kentucky. That is far more depth than the Hoosiers had a year ago. Are there players who need to see the ball more? Yes, but the fact IU can roll out 12 players who can make plays in the passing game is impressive.

What Didn’t Work

Red Zone Offense- Indiana had seven trips into the red zone on Saturday and walked away with three field goals, three touchdowns and a turnover. Out of a possible 49 points, IU netted 30. They left 19 points on the field against a team where you can’t do that. IU has some tall receivers and bigger running backs as well as Donaven McCulley who can give them versatility as well close to the goal line, so it shouldn’t be this much of an issue.

Tackling- While there is no official stat for missed tackles it has been a bugaboo all season for IU. The Hilltoppers are a tough team to bring down and missed tackles are going to happen, but early in the game IU missed some open field tackles that need to be made. The schedule only gets harder from here on out, so the tackling must be better.

Kickoffs- Indiana kickoff specialist Chris Freeman put two kickoffs out of bounds on Saturday. The second one gave Western Kentucky 10 free yards when they were starting their final drive. IU cannot afford to give teams free yards that way.