Stock Up, Stock Down from Indiana's 4-Overtime Win Over Akron
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — That was about as unsatisfying as any win can ever be.
Indiana improved to 2-2 on Saturday with a 29-27, four-overtime win over Akron, but both Hoosier fans and the Hoosiers themselves appear pretty displeased with the performance. Coach Tom Allen and his team came out sloppy and unprepared, letting the Zips hang around, and almost completely blowing the game in both regulation and in overtime. In what was supposed to be one of Indiana's two "guaranteed wins" for the 2023 season, the Hoosiers probably deserved to lose.
Here's who boosted their stock in Week 4 for IU, and whose stock took a hit in the two-point win over Akron:
Stock Up
Louis Moore
Given that Indiana loses to Akron if not for Louis Moore's pick six late in the third quarter, he has to be here in the stock up section.
Even though Indiana's offense failed to score off his first interception that set the Hoosiers up inside the Akron 5-yard line (which we'll touch on later), posting two interceptions in a two-point win is mighty impressive.
Moore is one of the most vocal players on this IU team, and he's played well through the first third of the season. He's also talked about the close relationship he holds with Phillip Dunnam in the safety room, and those two are now in the lead for takeaways forced this season, having five of Indiana's six.
Keeping track of the pairing's race to be "Mr. Takeaway" in Bloomington should be a fun subplot for the remainder of the 2023 season.
Cam Camper
Four receptions for 103 yards is a good enough stat line as is. Throw in Cam Camper mossing a helpless Akron defender in overtime for the game-tying touchdown, and you already know he's in the stock up section for today's story.
Aside from the late touchdown grab, Camper also added two deep catches down the sideline during regulation play. His 25.3 yards per reception in the game was a spectacular mark, and it's clear he's developed chemistry with Tayven Jackson on those routes.
On a night where almost every Indiana offensive player had brutal moments, Camper came through time and time again. He's a star.
Indiana's Field Goal Luck vs Group of Five Teams
There were going to have to be some stock up's drawn from the bottom of the barrel after how rough that game was.
Akron should have won in regulation and left Memorial Stadium with a 20-17 victory. Instead, Dante Jackson pushed the 32-yard field goal attempt wide left, giving Indiana new life that eventually paid off with a victory.
It's reminiscent of last season, when Western Kentucky kicker Brayden Narveson pushed a 44-yard attempt wide right. The Hoosiers went on to win that game 33-30 in overtime after blocking Narveson's next field goal attempt.
Is it greatly concerning that Indiana needed their opponents' kickers to whiff on fairly makeable field goals in back-to-back years to avoid home losses to Group of Five teams? Yes, yes it is.
But as Indiana's quarterback said after the game on Saturday night, a win is a win, no matter how it looks. To whoever the next Group of Five kicker to enter Memorial Stadium is — beware, you potential game-winning kick is not going through the uprights.
Stock Down
Goal Line Offense (Again)
There is no way to sugarcoat it. Indiana's goal line offense is terrible, mainly because the play calling really, really stinks.
The Hoosiers once again failed to convert in a goal-to-go scenario, with the offensive line getting caved in and pushed back despite being so very close to the end zone.
The stakes were much lesser for this short yardage failure than they were in Week 3. That matchup vs Louisville saw Indiana offensive coordinator Walt Bell call a wide power run just 18 inches away from the goal line. That play never had a chance and resulted in a three-yard loss.
This Saturday, Bell tried to outthink the Akron defense with two straight wildcat runs for Donaven McCulley. The first ended with McCulley and his lead blocker accidentally bumping into each other. The second ended with McCulley short of the end zone, meaning IU had taken field position inside the Akron five-yard line, and failed to score a single point.
That just cannot happen.
The McCulley wildcat experiment is more memorable, but Bell's offense also failed in a goal line scenario during the fourth quarter, causing Allen to settle for a 19-yard field goal that kept the game within reach for Akron. Indiana has no idea how to score in short yardage situations and it is a major problem.
Tayven Jackson
Fans and media have been much more critical (and deservedly so) of Allen and Bell after the 29-27 win over Akron than they have of the redshirt freshman quarterback.
But still, Jackson had a truly brutal outing last night. An 11-for-26 passing line that results in 190 yards, one touchdown and one interception should be the stats for the MAC quarterback, not the Big Ten quarterback.
From the telegraphed interception that set up Akron's first points on the night, to missing a wide open Jaylin Lucas in the third overtime two-point attempt (which Jackson later defended by saying that Lucas isn't a read for him on that play), it was the worst game he's played in an Indiana uniform by far.
Positive Feelings for the 2023 Season
There were some decent reasons to feel good about the 2023 Indiana Hoosiers before Saturday night. Sure, they were 1-2 and had some really frustrating moments, but it wasn't impossible to talk yourself into a 4-6 win season.
IU's defense hung tough against Ohio State all game, and the second half vs Louisville was undoubtedly encouraging until the fourth-and-goal play call disaster. With several Big Ten teams looking mediocre to straight up horrible so far this season, there was no reason to think Indiana had no shot at beating three of four of them this year.
Well, there was no reason to think that until after the Akron game had ended.
The Zips were picked to finish second-to-last in the MAC East entering the 2023 season. They went 2-10 last year and only beat Morgan State 24-21 earlier this September. This is a game where Indiana should have rolled to a 30-point victory, or at least won a slightly disappointing 24-10 game that was still never in doubt.
Instead, it's Akron who feels like it let victory slip right through its hands, while the Hoosiers are breathing a sigh of relief, knowing that they caught a lucky break on Saturday.
Related Stories on Indiana Football:
- IU-AKRON COLUMN: Indiana could have easily lost Saturday night against Akron due to offensive failures and attitude concerns, but it somehow eked out a 29-27 win in quadruple overtime. A win is just about the only positive takeaway, as the Hoosiers have plenty to fix heading into Big Ten play. CLICK HERE
- GAME STORY: In one of the craziest games of the Tom Allen era, Indiana escaped Memorial Stadium with a 29-27 win over coach Joe Moorhead and the Akron Zips in four overtimes. CLICK HERE
- WHAT TOM ALLEN SAID: Following Indiana's 29-27 win over Akron in four overtimes, here's everything coach Tom Allen said in his postgame press conference. CLICK HERE
- WHAT TAYVEN JACKSON SAID: Indiana quarterback Tayven Jackson spoke to media following the Hoosiers' 29-27, quadruple-overtime win over Akron. Here's everything he had to say. CLICK HERE
