What Went Right and What Went Wrong in Indiana's Win Over Western Kentucky

Indiana football defeated Western Kentucky 33-30 on Saturday to improve to 3-0 on the season. Here's what went right and what went wrong.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana coach Tom Allen couldn't contain his excitement following the Hoosiers' 33-30 win over Western Kentucky on Saturday. He capped off the postgame press conference with his signature, "Have an awesome day. LEO," then pounded the podium twice and shouted, "3-0!"

What matters most three weeks into the season is that the Hoosiers have dug deep to win a trio of games they trailed at halftime. The way Indiana is winning might not be sustainable as the schedule becomes increasingly difficult, but that they have eked away with three wins says something about the belief and character of the 2022 Hoosiers.

"Ugly at times, but found a way to win the football game," Allen said. "We've got a lot to learn from and a lot to build off of."

Here's what went right and what went wrong for Indiana on Saturday.

What went right

1. Crunch-time offense

Indiana trailed by 11 points when the Hoosiers' offense took over possession at their own 10-yard line with less than three minutes left in the third quarter. It started with a 30-yard completion from Connor Bazelak to Emery Simmons, and the nine-play, 90-yard drive finished with a 19-yard rushing touchdown by Josh Henderson early in the fourth quarter.

With less than four minutes to play, Indiana faced an eight-point deficit. Three Western Kentucky penalties gave the Hoosiers 33 yards, and Bazelak hit Cam Camper for a 16-yard gain near the red zone. Bazelak found Camper wide open in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion from Bazelak to Donaven McCulley to tie the game

In total, Indiana rallied to score 17 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime. 

"Honestly, we knew we had to go down and score. It was mandatory," Camper said. "We just had to buckle up and get it done."

Bazelak finished the game connecting on 33-of-55 passes for 364 yards and two touchdowns, which included completions to 12 different Hoosiers.

2. Both field goal units

Charles Campbell was the hero on Saturday, winning the game with a 51-yard field goal in overtime. Indiana's fifth-year kicker hit 4-of-4 field goals and extended his extra-point perfection to 52-for-52 in his career. 

"Proud of Chuck," Allen said. "He's a great, great kicker because great kickers make kicks like that when the team needs him. So proud of that guy."

But Campbell wouldn't have had a chance to win the game if it wasn't for a vital defensive play in overtime. Indiana cornerback Jaylin Williams and safety Devon Matthews both got a hand to Western Kentucky kicker Brayden Narveson's 38-yard field goal attempt. 

"We made a huge emphasis this whole spring and fall camp on blocking kicks," Allen said. "Coach Randolph, our new D-line coach, has brought a really good attitude about that, and our guys have bought into it. You couldn't see a bigger one than you saw right there at the end."

3. Turnover battle

Western Kentucky's defense created 10 takeaways in its first two games. If the Hoosiers were going to keep up with the high-powered Hilltoppers' offense, they had to take care of the ball.

Indiana's lone mistake in this area came early in the second quarter in the red zone. On first down from the Western Kentucky 11-yard line, Bazelak swung the ball out to Shaun Shivers in the flat. The ball hit the turf before Shivers could haul it in, and Western Kentucky's B.J. Wagner scooped it up. The referees ruled it a backwards pass, resulting in a costly red-zone turnover. 

The Indiana defense was able to make up for this blunder by forcing a pair of turnovers late in the game. Western Kentucky quarterback Austin Reed looked toward the end zone, but his pass was tipped by Indiana linebacker Bradley Jennings Jr. and intercepted by Myles Jackson. 

Midway through the fourth quarter, Indiana linebacker Cam Jones punched the ball out of Joshua Simon's grasp, and Jackson recovered it for the Hoosiers' second takeaway of the game. Both turnovers led to Indiana points in crucial moments down the stretch.

“Coach Randolph says ‘The ball finds energy,’” Jackson said. “So if you play with relentless effort, the ball is going to find you.”

What went wrong

1. Run defense

Western Kentucky ran the ball 36 times for 216 yards and a touchdown on Saturday, which is good for six yards per carry. Running back Kye Robichaux gained 135 yards of his own, including runs of 36 and 59 yards.

"Had some bad fits on a couple of those long runs," Allen said. "So yeah, just really disappointed to be honest with you. That's probably the most disappointing thing."

Allen said a few mistakes on run fits turned what could have been a two-yard gain into 50-yard runs.  

“We're going to be very critical of how we play. We're going to do a great job of holding our guys accountable for getting the little things right,” Allen said. “But to be able to do that with an understanding that we found a way to win three football games at this level, which is not easy to do.”

2. Big plays through the air

Stopping a dangerous Western Kentucky offense was always going to be difficult. The Hilltoppers led the FBS in passing yards per game last year and could be in contention for that title again in 2022. Quarterback Austin Reed completed 33-of-43 passes for 329 yards, two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and an interception. 

Reed completed nine passes that went for 15 or more yards, including a 44-yard touchdown to Daewood Davis. Indiana struggled to contain Reed and the Hilltoppers' passing attack for much of Saturday's game, but came through with a pair of crucial turnovers.

"We're not trying to be a bend-don't-break against these kind of teams," Allen said. "I'm not saying that at all, but there is a level of recognizing what they can do, and you've just got to get in a that score zone and choke them out. You've got to get takeaways, which we finally got two in the second half, which were huge."

3. Another slow start

Indiana has scored 91 points this year. That's good for 30.3 points per game, which would have ranked fourth in the Big Ten across the entire 2021 season. 

But only six of those 91 points have come in the first quarter, and only 26 have come in the first half of the first three games. It's a good sign that Bazelak and the Hoosiers find composure in pressure-packed scenarios late in games, and it also shows offensive coordinator Walt Bell has made necessary adjustments to improve over the course of games. 

But if Indiana wants to continue its winning ways as the schedule becomes more challenging, it can't dig first half holes and hope for continued late-game magic.

Related stories on Indiana football:

• CHARLES CAMPBELL'S HEROICS: Charles Campbell's 51-yard field goal in overtime gave Indiana a 33-30 win over Western Kentucky on Saturday. Campbell had an uncharacteristic miss the previous week against Idaho, but bounced back to hit 4-of-4 field goals on Saturday. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA DEFEATS WESTERN KENTUCKY IN OVERTIME: Indiana football trailed Western Kentucky for the majority of Saturday afternoon, but a pair of late takeaways by the Hoosier defense and composure from quarterback Connor Bazelak forced overtime, where kicker Charles Campbell came through in the clutch. CLICK HERE
• WHAT TOM ALLEN SAID: Indiana football came back to defeat Western Kentucky 33-30 in overtime, moving the Hoosiers' record to 3-0 on the year. Here's what coach Tom Allen said after the game. CLICK HERE
• WHAT CONNOR BAZELAK SAID: Indiana football defeated Western Kentucky 33-30 on Saturday, and quarterback Connor Bazelak completed 33-of-55 pass attempts for 364 yards and two touchdowns. Here's what he said following the win. CLICK HERE