Written By Sammy Jacobs (@sammyj108)
The Hoosiers defense kept the Illini offense at bay in a 31-17 win in Champaign.
Welcome back as we finally have another win to review in our
Throwback Series. This is one of
the weirder games when it comes to breaking down the statistics. Illinois lead in almost every major
category, yet lost the game by 14 points.
This was a crazy game filled with lots of twists and turns as the
Hoosiers pulled their starting quarterback in favor of a true freshman in the
first quarter and led the Hoosier comeback.
Opponent: Illinois Fighting Illini
Location: Saturday October 27th | 12pm | Memorial
Stadium | Champaign, Illinois
Why They
Played:
The Hoosiers face the Illini annually as they share the Leaders
division. The Illini came into the
game leading the board war series 45-22-5 over the Hoosiers.
What The
Game Meant:
This rivalry does not carry the same heat on
the gridiron as it does on the hardwood, however that does not take away from
the meaning of this game. Coming
into the game both teams were winless in conference and the Hoosiers were seeking
their first Big Ten triumph since Bill Lynch rode off into the sunset with a
win over hated Purdue in 2010.
Top Offensive Performers:
Stephen Houston, RB, Indiana– While the running back only totaled 87 yards for the game, Houston found the promised land three times. Houston settled the Hoosier offense down and kept Indiana in the game early and allowed them to pull away late.
Nate Sudfeld,
QB, Indiana- The true freshman came into the game and replaced a struggling
Cam Coffman in the first quarter.
Sudfeld filled in admirably as he threw for two scores and did not turn
the ball over.
Donovan
Young, RB, Illinois- The sophomore runner had himself a very solid day, rushing for
124 yards while adding 21 through the air. Young did the heavy lifting for an Illini squad who ran the
ball 55 times.
Nathan
Scheelhaase, QB, Illinois- The dynamic quarterback always gives it his all
when he plays the Hoosiers. While
he was not his usual dominant self, Scheelhaase did put forth a valiant effort
accounting for 2 touchdowns and 208 yards.
Top Defensive
Performers
David
Cooper, LB, Indiana- The man in the middle was a force for the Hoosiers all day as
he racked up 10 total tackles and a whopping three tackles for a loss. Cooper was a nightmare for the Illini
as he and the Hoosier defense held the normally pesky Scheelhaase to just 32
yards on 26 carries.
Jonathon
Brown, LB, Illinois- The future NFL draft pick did not disappoint as he was a monster
on the defensive side of the ball for the Illini. Brown recorded 11 total tackles and two for a loss.
Special
Team Performance:
The Hoosier special teams unit was solid in
the win versus the Illini hitting all four extra points and was a perfect
one-for-one on field goals. The
punt game took a step back as Erich Toth averaged only 39.3 yards on seven punts. However, the special teams came up with
one of the plays of the game, recovering a muffed kick that resulted in a
Hoosiers touchdown.
Key Stat: 7
The Indiana defense recorded seven sacks in the
game keeping the Illini offense at bay.
The Hoosier defensive front seven was a thorn in the side of quarterback
Nathan Scheelhaase all day, as he could not get into a rhythm.
Turning
Point:
This game was looking like a back and forth
battle until the Hoosiers decided to punt with the score tied 14 all and Illini
returner Tommy Davis muffed that punt.
The fumble was recovered by Indiana safety Greg Heban and the Hoosiers
went on to score 17 of the next 20 points and the Illini were never really in
the game after that.
I Knew it
was over when:
Nate Sudfeld completed a 17-yard touchdown pass
to Shane Wynn to give the Hoosiers a 14 point lead with five and a half minutes
left.
Players of
the Game:
Indiana, Defensive
Line- Its difficult to pick just one guy off the unit that recorded
four sacks and 6.5 TFL’s. The
whole line really put forth a top flight performance and wrecked havoc on the Illini offense all day.
Illinois– Donovan Young, Running Back- The running
back did his best to end the Illini losing streak, but his effort was in vain
as the Hoosiers prevailed 31-17.
Take Away:
When you look at the box score the Hoosiers
should not have even been in this game yet alone walk away with a 14-point victory, however, a win is a win. Kevin Wilson
showed a quick trigger in pulling Coffman for Sudfeld, after the sophomore did
not look sharp in the first quarter.
While on paper a 14-point victory on the road is quiet impressive,
especially for a team that had not won a Big Ten game in nearly two years, however this
Illinois team was bad and folded up shop as soon as the game turned in the
Hoosiers favor. Honestly this may
have been one of the worst offensive performances of the year for Indiana, as
they were held to under 300 total yards and were a dismal 1-13 on third down
conversions, but a win is a win especially against a Big Ten team on the road.