Opponent: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Location: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN
Why They Played:
The Hoosiers and Hilltoppers played as a one-off non-conference matchup.
What The Game Meant
This was the final non-conference game for the Hoosiers and a chance to keep the momentum going as they head into Big Ten play.
Players of the Game
Offense
Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh, Indiana
This is what the Hoosiers wanted to cook up when they brought in Nick Marsh from Michigan State. The receiving duo combined for 12 catches, 209 yards and a touchdown.
Turbo Richard, RB, Indiana
The Hoosiers struggled to consistently run the ball, but Richard gashed the WKU defense for a couple of long runs. He finished with 15 carries for 149 yards and a touchdown.
Josh Hoover, QB, Indiana
People will focus on the three throws that ended IU drives prematurely, but Hoover was better Saturday than he was in week two. He finished 19-25 for 280 yards and two touchdowns. He finished the non-conference slate with 10 touchdown passes and no interceptions.
Brock Glenn, QB, Western Kentucky
Glenn deserves a ton of credit. He took a bunch of hits and delivered some big plays to keep drives alive and IU’s offense off the field. One can see why Tyson Helton chose to make the change at QB.
Defense
Rolijah Hardy, LB, Indiana
It was another day at the office for Hardy who led the Hoosiers in tackles with nine and two tackles for loss.
Isaiah Jones, LB, Indiana
Bones Jones had the biggest play of the evening for the Hoosiers as his interception late in the second quarter flipped the momentum of the game and helped put IU up 14-0 at half time.
Indiana Defensive Line
While the defensive line only registered one sack, they had a profound effect on the game. They hounded WKU quarterback Brock Glenn all night. Give Glenn credit, he stood in there and made so seriously good throws. The Hilltoppers could not run the ball up the middle either.
Special Teams Performance
Indiana needs Nico Radicic back sooner rather than later. While it may not have mattered in the outcome of this game, it did affect the play calling. Paddy McAteer badly missed a 54-yard field goal attempt and IU shied away from kicking another field goal until it was basically an extra point.
One of the more major changes IU made on special teams was moving Charlie Becker to punt returner in place of the struggling Tyler Morris. Becker was reliable and returned one punt 17 yards.
Key Stat(s)
12-12
Indiana’s success on offense started on first down and with the passing game. As Western Kentucky loaded up to stop the run, Indiana burned them with the pass going 12-12 for 215 yards on first down.
Turning Point
The turning point on Saturday came when Isaiah Jones picked off a Brock Glenn pass and returned it to the WKU two-yard line with 1:07 left in the second quarter. IU would punch it in a couple plays later to push the lead to 14-0
I Knew it Was Over When…
Indiana opened a two-score lead before halftime and then scored on the first possession of the second half. WKU was not going to score enough to win.
What I Took Away From the Game
The Hoosiers have seemed bored at times during their non-conference slate and the same could be said for Saturday. The game was never really in doubt, even when Western Kentucky was knocking at the door to take a lead. That door was slammed in their faces and IU rolled to a 38-0 win.
There is an angst in a portion of the IU fan base that is bubbling under the surface because IU hasn’t looked as good as they did last year. There were even boos or groans raining down on the defending champions as they settled for a short field goal to open the third quarter.
It took a little while for IU to click on Saturday, but there were plenty of encouraging performances. Josh Hoover got both Nick Marsh and Charlie Becker involved early and they combined for 12 catches and over 200 yards through the air.
The running game needs to get better, but the explosive run from Turbo Richard has been pretty consistent. WKU was geared up to stop the run, which is why Indiana was 12-12 passing on first down.
“A lot of that was RPOs when they bailed. We had, you know, the easy gift throw.” Curt Cignetti said of why IU was so successful on first down.
There are some valid concerns as the Hoosiers head into conference play with Northwestern coming in on a short week. Indiana needs to be more consistent with their running game, especially on first down and between the tackles. Quarterback Josh Hoover needs to be sharper with his precision passing the football.
IU’s offensive line also needs to improve, especially Adedamola Ajani at right tackle. There have been too many holding penalties in the first three games and one tonight from Carter Smith wiped out a long Hoover run. The tight end position has struggled blocking and has been a non-factor in the passing game through three games.
The defense has gotten better each week and is starting to get healthier as well. Jamari Sharpe returned to start and we saw Blake Smythe for the first time all year.
With all of that written, IU is still 3-0 and coming off back-to-back shut outs for the first time since 1993. The starts the gradual incline with Northwestern on Friday night.
What’s Next
The Hoosiers open up Big Ten play against Northwestern (2-0) on Friday night at Memorial Stadium.
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