What Worked and What Didn't in Indiana's Win Over Idaho

Written by Andrew Walker

The Indiana Hoosiers are officially 2-0 after an interesting performance against Idaho on Saturday. Interesting is an understatement. After a scoreless first half, Indiana was able to find the performance switch and then proceeded to flip it. Today, we’ll take a birds-eye view at what worked and what didn’t for Indiana.

What worked 

Coaching Adjustments

Talk about adjustments. Indiana’s coaching staff has to pat themselves on the back somewhat after the complete turnaround between first half and second half. The Hoosiers were undoubtedly a completely different team in the second half. Was this all to do with the coaching staff? Perhaps. I’d wager to say it was a mix of some coaching adjustments and the insane fiery demeanor of head coach Tom Allen seeping its way into the players. A sense of desperation and confidence can do a lot to a team that looked as bad as Indiana did in the first half.

So I’d say what worked about Indiana’s performance last night, in addition to the offensive success Connor Bazelak and Shaun Shivers had, was Indiana’s ability to completely become another team when they needed to the most.

Run Game

IU did what they needed to do against an undersized opponent. Even in the first half the Hoosier line opened hole for the running backs, even if it ended in fumbles and missed field goals. On the whole, IU ran for 239 yards and 6.6 yards per carry. Shivers carried the ball 20 times for 155 yards, while Josh Henderson had seven carries for 58 yards. Both scored touchdowns on the ground.

What didn’t work

First Half Execution

Let’s talk about that first half. Regardless of how impressive it is that IU turned it around in such a dramatic fashion, the fact that the Hoosiers even let themselves get in that position was worthy of a deep dive. Slow starts from Bazelak, offensive line, and practically the whole defense found Indiana closing out the first half with a goose egg. Bazelak has an issue with overthrowing guys on deeper balls. Not only is he leaving points, yards and first downs on the field, but he’s also leaving some early confidence as well. His game has to be better early on, not only for his team, but for himself. Getting into a rhythm early is what didn’t work so well for Indiana.

Tackling, Again

Yes, it was wet but the Hoosiers tackling again was not what Tom Allen wanted. The Hoosiers let Idaho get to the edge and slip through their fingers too often. If the Hoosiers are going to continue to win games, they need to get back to tackling well.