Indiana Offensive Tackle Matthew Bedford Out for Season With Torn ACL
Indiana coach Tom Allen delivered some unfortunate news on Monday. Senior starting right tackle Matthew Bedford will miss the rest of the 2022 season with a torn ACL.
Bedford went down late in the first half during Indiana's field goal drive that gave the Hoosiers a 16-10 lead heading into halftime.
"Tough blow for Matt," Allen said. "I feel for him and he's an amazing young man, but he's got an unbelievable attitude about it. In talking with him, he's going to have a great recovery and come back and play his final season a year from now. But reality is is that it's part of this game, and you hate it for him and for our team. But next man up, you know. That's what happens."
Friday night's 23-20 win over Illinois marked Bedford's 28th start for Indiana, dating back to his freshman season in 2019 when he won Indiana's Offensive Newcomer of the Year Award. It's a huge loss for Indiana, as Bedford was an All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2021 and a nominee for the Outland Trophy, which is given to the nation's top interior lineman.
Allen related Bedford's injury to the situation Indiana faced in 2019 when Bedford made his first start as a Hoosier. Team captain and starting left tackle Coy Cronk suffered a season-ending ankle injury during Indiana's win over UConn, and Bedford stepped in as the replacement, making his first collegiate start at Michigan State. Allen admitted on Monday he didn't think Bedford was remotely ready at all to play as a true freshman, but he stepped in and has since become a leader for the offensive line.
"Matt, he's been a leader, been a friend since I got here," Indiana quarterback Connor Bazelak said. "Obviously it's terrible for him. I shared a moment with him yesterday, and he's still going to be a leader on this team and he's not going to quit. Even though he's not going to be on the field, he's still going to be one of our leaders."
And now, Bedford's replacement will be Parker Hanna, who stepped in on Friday against Illinois after Bedford went down. Hanna transferred to Indiana this offseason after spending five seasons at West Texas A&M, a Division II program in Canyon, Texas.
"That's why Parker came here," Allen said. "For this opportunity and a chance to get on the field and compete and play in the Big Ten and prove to everybody that he can."
At 6-foot-5, 302 pounds, Hanna started 33 at left tackle for West Texas A&M, and he was an All-Lone Star Conference honorable mention in 2021. He helped the team average 34.3 points and 205.1 rushing yards, while allowing 1.3 sacks per game last season.
"I thought [Hanna] did a lot of positive things [against Illinois], without question," Allen said. "He's very smart. He's played a lot of football. Not at this level, but the good news is he got a chance to play 44 snaps against a really good defensive line and a good scheme, so that makes you feel better."
Behind Hanna, Allen believes Indiana has a handful of promising young linemen. He mentioned Joshua Sales Jr., a 6-foot-6, 311-pound redshirt freshman from Brownsburg, Ind. Sales took a redshirt year at Indiana in 2021, and he was a three-start recruit and the No. 53 offensive tackle in the class of 2021.
Allen also recognized Bray Lynch, a 6-foot-5, 282-pound true freshman who joined Indiana this offseason. Lynch started every game at left tackle during two undefeated seasons at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, which Allen considers the best high school program in America.
Lynch arrived at Indiana as a three-star recruit and the No. 65 offensive tackle in the class of 2022. Indiana offensive line coach Darren Hiller said during fall camp that he noticed early on that Lynch was ahead of the curve from a knowledge standpoint due to his high school experience.
"When we're in meetings and going through our installs, a lot of the freshmen typically early on in their careers are asking very basic questions," Hiller said "Bray was asking questions that were a little more advanced, so you could tell early on in the summer time that he had some natural football instincts."
Allen also noted that Khalil Benson could see his role expand as guy who can play inside and outside along the offensive line. Benson stands at 6-foot-6, 313 pounds, and is in his redshirt sophomore season at Indiana. He tore his ACL during the 2020 season and did not see any game action last year, but Benson was a highly-regarded recruit out of Southaven, Miss. ESPN ranked Benson as the No. 17 prospect in Mississippi and the No. 38 offensive guard in the class of 2020.
Losing Bedford's production and leadership at right tackle is major loss for the Indiana offensive line that already experienced its fair share of struggles in Week 1 against Illinois. The Hoosiers rushed 26 times for 32 yards, and despite being sacked only one time, Bazelak felt the pressure of Illinois' pass rush throughout the game.
Indiana will now rely on the development of Hanna and the rest of the offensive line room following the loss of Bedford.
"It's amazing how sometimes guys when they're forced to really rise up, they do," Allen said.
Related stories on Indiana football:
- OFFENSIVE LINE POSITION PREVIEW: Starters Caleb Jones and Dylan Powell are gone, but the offensive line personnel is largely the same from 2021. Led by Matthew Bedford, Luke Haggard and Mike Katic, Indiana is hoping internal development under coach Darren Hiller leads to better protection in 2022. CLICK HERE
- BAZELAK LEADS GAME-WINNING DRIVE TO BEAT ILLINOIS: 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
- POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES FROM INDIANA'S WEEK 1 WIN: Indiana football started its season with a 23-20 win over Illinois on Friday night. Here's what went right and what went wrong for the Hoosiers in their Week 1 win. CLICK HERE
