Indiana Football: 3 takeaways from Ball State win

1. Kalen DeBoer’s well-rounded offense

The offense was a part of the game people were most excited to see, and the addition of Michael Penix into the starting lineup made it even that much more explosive.

Everyone knew the running attack was there for the Hoosiers but it was the addition of Kalen DeBoer that made people excited to see what the passing attack could be. The players have been there, especially this season, and on Saturday DeBoer made his presence felt.

On the first drive of the game for the Hoosiers, the ball was out early and often, making sure to take full advantage of the playmakers that surround Michael Penix. Not only did it get Penix in a rhythm but it also let the receivers make plays.

Six players touched the ball on that first drive, including four different players catching a pass. The best thing? Donovan Hale and Nick Westbrook, the starting wideouts, didn’t contribute a catch on that drive, and it still resulted in points.

Peyton Hendershot was someone who was going to thrive in DeBoer’s offense and on Saturday he came up with big play after big play on third downs. He finished with four receptions for 69 yards.

The balanced offensive attack that put up 474 yards saw five players with three or more receptions and four players rack up over 40 yards receiving. Though the offense was balanced with 40 passes and 33 rushes, only Stevie Scott and Michael Penix had more than one carry on the game – Scott receiving 19.

Again, this is a bit nit-picking, but with the talented backfield that the Hoosiers have, in order to keep Scott healthy for the entire season, I would love to see Ronnie Walker, Cole Gest and Sampson James receive around 10 carries combined – only had three on Saturday.