Game Wrap and Reaction: Indiana 38 Florida International 28

There was some good and bad in IU's win over FIU Image: Sammy Jacobs Hoosier Huddle

Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Opponent: Florida International Golden Panthers

Location: Saturday September 1st, 2018 Miami Florida

Why They Played: The Hoosiers and Golden Panthers played the back end of a home-and-home series after last season’s game was postponed until 2024.

What The Game Meant: Every season opener is big and opening on the road is a tough draw. IU needs to win all three non-conference games in 2018 and that started with a win at Florida International.

Top Offensive Performers:

Peyton Ramsey, QB, Indiana- Ramsey’s night started slow, but the redshirt sophomore rebounded nicely as he completed 20-of-27 passes for 156 yards and three scores. He also added 36 yards on eight rushes.

Donavan Hale, WR, Indiana- The good news for Indiana is that Hale looked amazing last night. After missing most of the 2017 season, the Hoosiers are happy this guy is back. He made four catches, most of them highlight reel quality, for 60 yards and two touchdowns. He also came up with a recovery of an onside kick attempt with 6:04 left to play.

Stevie Scott, RB, Indiana- The Hoosiers lost Cole Gest early in the second quarter on Saturday night and someone had to step up. Scott, a true freshman, was solid. He ran the ball 20 times for 70 yards and picked up a couple big first downs. The biggest thing is that he held on to the ball.

Anthony Jones, RB, FIU- Jones had a big night on the ground for FIU as he averaged 5.9 yards per carry. He only carried the ball 15 times but picked up 88 yards and two scores.

Top Defensive Performers

Jonathan Crawford, S, Indiana- Crawford provided a highlight moment when he intercepted a pass and returned it 33 yards for a score. He added three tackles and a forced fumble.

Gavin Everett, DL, Indiana- Everett didn’t rest on his laurels as he recorded four tackles, two coming for a loss.

Sage Lewis, LB, FIU- Lewis was all over the place for the Golden Panthers as he led the game in tackles with 18, double that of the next leading tackler, and had a pass break up.

Special Team Performance

Saturday’s special teams performance was encouraging as this unit had lots of questions heading into the season. Place kickers Logan Justus and Jared Smolar were impressive. Justus hit all five extra points and a 36-yard field goal, while Smolar averaged 62 yards a kickoff with four touchbacks on seven kickoffs.

J-Shun Harris nearly broke a big return on his only attempt to return a punt, he would have broken loose had a defender not had a hold of his undershirt. Bryant Fitzgerald was the only player to return a kickoff, a mistake as he only gained 11 yards and set IU up with poor field position. However, the hands team came up with an excellent recovery of an onside kick with 6:04 left.

Punter Haydon Whitehead struggled with a tough wind as his sidewinding punts either got held up or pushed too far based on the direction he was kicking. He had a poor 33-yard net averaged and one touchback on two punts.

Key Stat(s)

3 Takeaways

The Hoosiers only recorded 13 takeaways a season ago. On Saturday night they got three including a pick six. This bailed out a defense that struggled with growing pains much of the night.

Turning Point

The turning point Saturday night was when safety Jonathan Crawford stepped in front of a James Morgan pass and took it the other way for six. It gave the Hoosiers the lead they would not relinquish.

I Knew it Was Over When…

Michael Penix found running back Mike Majette for a nine-yard touchdown to make it 35-14 with 7:39 left in the third quarter.

Players of the Game

Donavan Hale, Indiana- You can’t say enough about Hale’s impact on the game as he scored twice and recovered an onside kick.

Anthony Johnson, FIU- The explosive running back had two scores and gave IU fits all night.

What I took away from the game

This was a solid win for the Hoosiers and the 38-28 score was not indicative as to how comfortable a win this was for IU. They kept FIU at arm’s length for most of the game, as the closest the Golden Panthers got in the final 34 minutes was 10 points. It was also great to see IU finish a game strong. The Hoosiers got the ball back on a short field after recovering an onside kick attempt with 6:04 left in the game and drove to the FIU one to run the clock out. While fans, and bettors, may have liked IU to punch it in to make it 45-28, IU flexed their muscles late in the game to finish.

While the Hoosier defense struggled with some growing pains it was great to see them take the ball away from FIU three times (two fumbles and an interception). Takeaways will be vital to help the defense survive breaking in lots of young players. The biggest concern on defense right now is getting pressure on the quarterback in passing situations. The mistakes they made in the run game are correctable as there should be plenty of teaching points in film study this week.

Offensively, I thought IU played well. They averaged 4.7 yards per carry which is a major improvement over last season. They took care of the ball and showed a little imagination as they got their playmakers the ball in space. Freshman dynamo Reese Taylor had 52 total yards of offense including a 32-yard run a fly sweep. Taylor also added two tackles on defense. The biggest concern here is the health of Cole Gest, who was taken to the locker room after a big hit early in the second quarter.

The use of the quarterbacks worked out really well as Peyton Ramsey played well and gave Michael Penix a chance to come off the bench and impress. Penix completed 8-of-10 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. He showed poise and a great arm. This has a chance to develop into a very good two-quarterback system.

Ten Hoosier receivers caught passes last night, a great sign for a unit that was largely unproven. Donavan Hale, if he can stay healthy, is going to be a more dynamic version of Simmie Cobbs. Ty Fryfogle and Luke Timian made a combing 11 catches for 88 yards and were reliable targets, while young tight ends Matt Bjorson and Peyton Hendershot had solid games. The could have had three touchdowns, but settled for one after one was wiped out on an offensive pass interference and another was reversed by replay.

The offensive line played well enough most of the night as the Hoosiers rotated players in all night long. They only surrendered one sack and the total tackles for loss.

Overall, a solid win for the Hoosiers. One that many in the national media thought they wouldn’t get. IU will open up the renovated Memorial Stadium against Virginia next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30pm and Big Ten Network will broadcast the game.