Indiana Football Wakes Up in Second Half to Defeat Idaho 35-22
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Heavy rains delayed the start of Indiana's matchup with Idaho, as well as the Hoosiers' offensive production.
Indiana trudged into the halftime locker room with a zero next its name, trailing by 10 points to Idaho, an FCS opponent in the Big Sky Conference. The Indiana offense generated 110 yards in the first half, missed a 32-yard field goal, got stuffed at the goal line, converted 1-of-7 third down plays and turned the ball over twice.
“I got after them at halftime," Indiana coach Tom Allen said. "But it was also, ‘Hey guys, play football.”
Indiana quarterback Connor Bazelak said it was hard not to be frustrated after a first half where he completed 6 of 17 pass attempts for 49 yards and an interception, but his message to the offense was to stay the course. Inside a significantly less rainy Memorial Stadium in the second half, the Hoosiers woke up to secure a 35-22 win over Idaho on Saturday night.
For Allen, it wasn't much more than a win.
“We didn’t respond to the delay very well, didn’t respond to the weather very well and that’s on me," Allen said. "Really frustrating night, but we found a way to win the game."
Indiana looked like a completely different unit in the second half, scoring 23 points in the third quarter alone. It started with a 4-yard touchdown run from Donaven McCulley, who switched to wide receiver this year, but took this snap at quarterback. Allen and Indiana offensive coordinator Walt Bell hinted at a red-zone package for McCulley during fall camp, and they broke it out at the perfect time.
Allen is typically hands-off with Bell and the offense, but his input showed on Friday.
"I don't tell them what to do," Allen said. "But I tell them I want certain guys involved, and we're trying to get [Donaven] more involved because I feel like he's a special player."
Bazelak rebounded from a rocky first half to complete 10 of 12 attempts for 148 yards and two touchdowns after halftime. With less than nine minutes remaining in the third quarter, he hit tight end AJ Barner across the middle of the field, and he bounced off a pair of Idaho defenders and trotted 43 yards to the end zone. The touchdown gave Indiana its first lead of the game — and one it wouldn't relinquish.
“I don’t want to make an excuse about the weather, but the ball was definitely slick in the first half and that definitely plays a part in your confidence,” Bazelak said.
Even if it just means completing a simple screen pass, Bazelak said simply seeing his receivers secure a pass can go a long way for his own mental outlook on a drive. Following last week's win over Illinois, Bazelak said once the Indiana offense finds a rhythm, it really starts to roll. He'd obviously prefer the 23-point third quarter to come in the first 15 minutes, but he said the ability to overcome this adversity will be valuable down the road.
Unlike Week 1, when Indiana gained just 32 yards on 26 rush attempts, Shaun Shivers and the Hoosier run game took some pressure off Bazelak throughout the night. Shivers rushed 20 times for 155 yards and a touchdown, which was the most yards by an Indiana running back since Stevie Scott's 164 in the 2019 win over Rutgers.
“We had a heck of a third quarter," Allen said. "I just envisioned that to be the first quarter."
With the clock ticking below eight minutes in the fourth quarter, Indiana brought two tight ends into the game. Shivers said he saw the Idaho linebacker blitz, so he leaned to the right to fake him out before cutting to the left.
And once he broke past the line of scrimmage, Shivers had the rest of the field to himself. Shivers said tonight's rushing performance – 36 rushes as a team for 239 yards and three touchdowns – is what he pictures Indiana's rushing attack to be, and momentum is a big part of that.
"Today we were kind of slow in the first half. It was bad," Shivers said. "But once we got in the locker room and talked to each other like ‘Let’s pick it up’ we went out there in the second half and picked it up and started playing Indiana football how we’re going to play the rest of the season.”
From Allen's postgame demeanor, he was not pleased with how it happened, but it's a win, nonetheless. The Hoosiers are 2-0 – already matching last season's win total – with a home game against Western Kentucky next week at Noon ET.
“We just can’t wait until halftime to start playing football," Allen said.
Related stories on Indiana football:
- TOM ALLEN PRESS CONFERENCE: It wasn't pretty in the first half, but a win is a win. Hear what Indiana football coach Tom Allen said in the post game press conference about the Hoosiers' 35-22 win over Idaho. Read the transcript, or just watch the attached video of the full press conference. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA-IDAHO PHOTO GALLERY: Although it was a rocky and rainy start, there are some great pictures to show for Indiana's 35-22 win over the Idaho Vandals. Take a look at more than 20 action shots including plenty of touchdown celebrations. CLICK HERE
