What Went Right and What Went Wrong in Indiana's Win Over Illinois
Indiana quarterback Connor Bazelak led a 75-yard two-minute drill, and Shaun Shivers plowed forward for the game-winning touchdown to beat Illinois 23-20 on Friday night.
Indiana coach Tom Allen recognized areas of necessary improvement after the game, but he was proud of the character, toughness and grit his team showed in overcoming adversity.
"We’ve got a lot of things to work on, there’s no doubt about it," Allen said. "But there’s a lot of power in finding a way to win a game like that. There’s so many positive that it creates in your team, the belief. What we’ve been through the past year, finally getting a Big Ten win in our first one, it’s just massive. I can’t put enough words into how important this game was and how important it was to find a way to win."
This game will be remembered for Bazelak's poise in leading the Hoosiers on a 75-yard two minute drill, which was finished off with a Shaun Shivers two-yard touchdown to win the game. But plenty of storylines unfolded at Memorial Stadium prior to that drive, both positive and negative, and we'll break that down below.
What went right
1. Indiana found its leader
There was skepticism entering the game regarding how Indiana's offense would gel with a new coordinator, quarterback and a handful of new running backs and wide receivers.
Tom Allen said during fall camp that whoever started at quarterback would need to win the confidence of the locker room. After Friday's win, it's clear that Connor Bazelak has done just that. Wide receiver Cam Camper said he built trust and chemistry with Bazelak this offseason, but saw a different side to him on Friday.
"Honestly, that's kind of the first time I've seen him talk for real, and I was happy to see that," Camper said. "It was good to see him keeping us up. After certain plays he was like 'We're good, we'll get the next one.' He just went out being a leader, honestly."
Allen said poise is one of Bazelak's best qualities, which became apparent as he calmly led the Hoosiers down the field to win the game.
2. Explosive playmakers
Throughout the offseason, Allen said Indiana increased its focus on creating explosive plays. It seems obvious on the surface – big plays make for easier drives, and in turn, more points. But when D.J. Matthews went down with a torn ACL in Week 4 of last season, a player with that kind of game-breaking talent was nowhere to be found.
Matthews returned fully healthy on Friday against Illinois, and paired with junior college transfer Cam Camper, Indiana appears to have two big play-threats for Bazelak.
Indiana put up 16 points in the first half on Friday, which was already more than eight of its nine Big Ten games in total in 2021. Camper led the Hoosiers with 11 catches for 156 yards, followed by Matthews, who hauled in seven receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown.
"That was my goal," Camper said. "Come in and try to be the guy."
3. Defense regains takeaway identity
A contributing factor to Indiana's drastic drop-off from 2020 to 2021 was turnover margin. The Hoosiers were second in the nation with 17 interceptions in eight games in 2020, but picked off just five passes in 12 games last year.
Allen cited frustrations stemming from Indiana getting away from core defensive principles in 2021, so he decided to take over defensive play-calling duties this season. And if Friday night was any indication, that could mean a return to Indiana's ball-hawking ways.
Lance Bryant delivered a big hit to force a fumble, which was recovered by Cam Jones in the first quarter. Noah Pierre collided with an Illinois receiver on a backwards pass and pounced on the ball for Indiana's second turnover of the game. And with the game on the line with less than six minutes to go, Josh Sanguinetti dove to intercept Tommy DeVito's overthrow near the goal line to keep Indiana in the game.
"In this game, the way it's played today, they're going to get yards," Allen said. "You've got to limit them from scoring touchdowns and you've got to get takeaways, and that's what we did tonight."
What went wrong
1. Offensive line, run game
Indiana mustered just 32 yards on 26 rushes on Friday. To win a game with 1.2 yards per carry is a rarity, especially in the Big Ten, and the Hoosiers are fortunate to start 1-0 in that regard. But when it mattered most, the offensive line got perhaps its best push of the night on the game-winning two-yard touchdown run from Shaun Shivers.
Allen said Illinois played a defensive scheme stacked to stop the run, but he recognized that Indiana has to get better in that area of the game. The stat sheet will say Bazelak was sacked just once, but he felt pressure throughout the night, especially in the third quarter when Indiana punted on four straight possessions.
"Not good enough to win games consistently," Allen said. "But we won this game."
Senior right tackle Matthew Bedford went down with an injury on Friday, and Allen said they'll know more about his status in the coming days. Losing a four-year starter like Bedford would be a huge set back for an offensive line that struggled in game one.
The offensive line was arguably Indiana's biggest area of concern at the end of the 2021 season, but the personnel is largely the same this season. At this point, Indiana can only hope for internal development from this unit.
2. Run defense
Allen admitted he was concerned about Indiana's tackling ability over the course of an 80 to 90-snap game entering Friday. Because of the plethora of injuries to Indiana's defense in 2021, Allen took a more conservative approach to spring practice and fall camp
"We tackled less live in the history of my coaching career," Allen said.
Illinois running back Chase Brown carried the ball 36 times for 199 yards on Friday. Everyone knows he's the go-to guy for the Illini, but that doesn't make it much easier to stop him.
"Chase Brown is a really good running back," Allen said. "He is put together, he's quick and he's explosive, and I think he's one of the top running backs in the Big Ten without question and we didn't tackle him very good
While the Indiana defense struggled to stop Brown for most of the night, the Hoosiers came up with a pair of stops in a crucial moment in the fourth quarter. With 10 minutes left in the game, Illinois handed the ball to Brown on third and goal from the two-yard line, but he was immediately stuffed by Cam Jones and Josh Sanguinetti. The Illini decided to go for it, trusting their All-Big Ten running back, but JH Tevis burst through the middle of the line and Aaron Casey crashed down off the edge for a three-yard loss.
Related stories on Indiana football:
- BAZELAK LEADS INDIANA ON GAME-WINNING DRIVE In his first game in an Indiana uniform, quarterback Connor Bazelak led the Hoosiers 75 yards down the field, eventually handing the ball to running back Shaun Shivers for a 2-yard touchdown run to give Indiana a 23-20 win over Illinois in their season opener. CLICK HERE
- WHAT TOM ALLEN SAID AFTER INDIANA'S WIN OVER ILLINOIS Indiana defeated Illinois 23-20 on Friday night in the Hoosiers' season and home opener at Memorial Stadium. Here's what Tom Allen said after the game in a press conference. CLICK HERE
- PHOTO GALLERY: Take a peek at 30 photos from Indiana's season opener win over Illinois, the Hoosiers' first Big Ten victory in two seasons! Relive the magic inside Memorial Stadium under the Friday night lights. CLICK HERE
