How Indiana Pulled Off Momentum-Shifting Onside Kick Against Louisville
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Indiana looked dead in the water.
Trailing 21-0, almost nothing went right for the Hoosiers' offense or defense in the first half Saturday against Louisville at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indiana coach Tom Allen knew his team needed a spark to start the third quarter.
"Be ready for surprise right."
It was a simple message, but that's all Indiana kicker Chris Freeman needed to hear to prepare himself, both mentally and physically. When he lined up for the second-half kickoff, his first play of the game, Louisville showed the right look to green light an onside kick.
Freeman's confidence came from trusting his preparation, while safety Louis Moore looked to a higher power.
"Before we went off, I was like, 'In Jesus name,'" Moore said. "And then I knew I was going to get it."
Freeman struck the middle of the ball, inducing a low dribbler. After traveling about eight yards, the ball popped in the air and flew directly toward Moore, who lined up three players to Freeman's right. Moore timed the play perfectly, securing the ball 11 yards into its flight, just before a Louisville player could knock the ball loose or grab it.
Indiana ball, the referee signaled, as Moore, Freeman and the Hoosiers' sideline celebrated.
"It was exciting," Freeman said. "You could feel the atmosphere with our crowd and definitely on our sideline. I felt like that was something that really helped us move forward, just the energy."
"I told 'em I'd go get it," Moore said. "And that's what I did."
Everything from the ball's bounce to Moore's recovery seemed almost too perfect. That's because Indiana practiced it twice leading up to the game, and practice makes perfect, they say.
In order to make this call, Allen told special teams coordinator Kasey Teegardin he had to see the team execute it in practice.
Indiana held a fall camp practice on Aug. 18 at Lucas Oil Stadium, which proved valuable for Freeman. During the practice, he noticed the turf was more similar to Indiana's indoor practice facility turf than the outdoor surface in Bloomington, which is a bit thicker. Because of this, Freeman practiced mostly in the indoor facility, where he gained a more accurate comparison of how a future onside kick might bounce.
In the week leading up to the Louisville game, Moore, who claims to have the best hands on the team, recovered both of Freeman's onside kicks. Now they're 3-for-3.
"That was probably the best one," Moore said of Freeman's kick during the game. "I just congratulated him because that's a lot of pressure on him, too. He made it easy for me."
As a Colts fan and Zionsville, Ind., native, this play at Lucas Oil Stadium carried extra meaning for Freeman, who has practiced it thousands of times.
"I grew up going to the RCA Dome a little bit and then mostly Lucas Oil," Freeman said. "So just getting to be on the field and experience that environment was pretty special."
Allen said this moment represented a huge step for Freeman. It's one thing to do it in practice, but executing a play that requires perfect placement and force in a small window – not to mention the pressure-packed environment – is much harder than Freeman made it look.
Allen and Freeman agreed that his soccer background helped him accomplish this play, which was also one of the reasons Allen recruited him. Freeman's soccer history dates back to playing in the backyard as a four-year-old, when he first started to gain the simple yet complex knowledge of how a ball bounces.
Attending Zionsville High School, Freeman originally thought soccer would be his future. He recalled a conversation during his sophomore year when his father asked about his future goals, to which Freeman responded that he wanted to play college sports, likely soccer.
Zionsville Eagles' Chris Freeman (6) celebrates a goal against the Lake Central Indians during the IHSAA boys soccer Class 3A state final at Fishers High School on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019.
On the soccer pitch, Freeman earned first-team All-American honors, as well as Indiana Soccer Coaches Association’s Male Soccer Player of the Year and Indiana Soccer Gatorade Player of the Year. He helped Zionsville win the 2019 Indiana state soccer championship, avenging a runner-up finish the previous year.
In addition to his soccer success, Freeman also joined Zionsville football team as the kicker. He made a game-winning, 37-yard field goal against Pike High School, which ignited his passion for football.
"Everybody was on the field chanting my name and I was like, 'This is pretty cool, it's Friday Night Lights,'" Freeman said. "So that was the moment I was kind of like, 'This is the real deal.'"
A three-time all-state selection, Freeman made 31-of-43 field goals – three game-winners – and holds a Zionsville record for longest field goal at 52 yards. As his football recruitment started to take off, he put football first and soccer second.
He eventually joined Indiana as a walk-on in 2020, but his role has changed vastly since then. He attempted just four kickoffs and two extra points in his first two seasons in 2020 and 2021.
Freeman earned the role of Indiana's kickoff specialist last season, a responsibility he carries again this year, his fourth in the program. The biggest change for Freeman came after beating true freshman Nico Radicic for the starting field-goal kicker position. After not attempting a single field goal his first three seasons, Freeman is a perfect 2-for-2 on field goals this season, including kicks of 42 and 28 yards, as well as a perfectly placed onside kick.
"He's a guy that's growing in his confidence each time he takes the field," Allen said. "Just proud of him because he's worked really, really hard and he's earned a scholarship here. We put him on a year ago, and just really proud of him for coming here and earning it the way that he has, and [Freeman is] an excellent student, awesome young man and just a great representation of our program in every way."
Indiana's Chris Freeman lines up for a field-goal attempt against Ohio State on Sept. 2, 2023 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.
Indiana Athletics
The onside kick was impressive in its own right, but it also was by far Indiana's best play to that point of the game. The Hoosiers' first-half drives consisted of four punts and an interception. Allen said he elected not to go for it on 4th and 3 with 34 seconds remaining in the first half, and instead punt the ball and regroup because he was planning the onside kick to start the second half. He felt they had a good shot to recover it, and the staff finalized the decision after about one or two minutes of discussion in the halftime locker room.
The Hoosiers seemed to receive a jolt of energy to start the second half because of it, though it was kept secret to much of the team, Tayven Jackson, Phillip Dunnam and Aaron Casey all said.
"When we got the onside kick, I saw some heads pop up a little bit, some energy raised a little bit," Jackson said. "It was a great call by coach. It was a ballsy call honestly, and that's what coach Allen is all about. He's going to bring the energy."
On the first snap following the onside kick, Jackson hit Jaylin Lucas for a 21-yard gain, already pushing the Hoosiers to the Louisville 33-yard line. And two plays later, Jackson saw Lucas blaze past the Louisville defense and delivered a perfectly thrown ball down the seam for a 30-yard touchdown.
Dunnam came down with an interception two possessions later, which set up Jackson's best drive of his young career. Covering 13 plays and 97 yards, Jackson completed 7-of-9 passes during the drive, and running back Josh Henderson punched in a three-yard touchdown run. It was officially game on from that point, as the Hoosiers trimmed Louisville's lead to seven points.
Indiana had a chance to tie or take the lead with less than five minutes left in the game, but Jackson was ruled 18 inches short of a touchdown as he dove for the pylon. On the next play, 4th and goal, Henderson was stuffed short of the end zone on a play that never appeared to have much of a chance.
Louisville regained possession and picked up a few first downs to churn the rest of the clock away. The Hoosiers left Lucas Oil Stadium crushed as they missed an opportunity to pick up a pivotal win, which should have been remembered in large part for a gusty yet perfectly executed onside kick that ignited the comeback.
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