Hoosier State of Mind
Fansided

Indiana football: Three key moments from the Week 1 win vs. Illinois

By Connor O’Keefe

Indiana's AJ Barner celebrates Shaun Shivers (2) scoring the winning touchdown during the Indiana versus Illinois football game at Memorial Stadium on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022.Iu Il 2h Barner Cele
Indiana's AJ Barner celebrates Shaun Shivers (2) scoring the winning touchdown during the Indiana versus Illinois football game at Memorial Stadium on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022.Iu Il 2h Barner Cele /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next

Friday night’s Week 1 win for Indiana football against the Fighting Illini was filled with key moments from kickoff until there were zero’s on the clock at the end of the fourth quarter. While players on both sides of the ball were making plays for the Hoosiers, many of the key moments came down to players making big plays.

There were key players on the offensive and defensive side of the ball that allowed Indiana football to pull off a magical comeback win against Illinois and give Hoosier Nation the hope they’ve been searching for since before the 2021 season.

Indiana football 3 key moments from win vs. Illinois

Indiana football
Sep 2, 2022; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver D.J. Matthews Jr. (7) celebrates his touchdown with teammates in the second quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

#3. Connor Bazelak 52-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Matthews Jr. to give the Hoosiers the lead in 2nd quarter

After Bradley Jennings Jr. sacked Tommy DeVito as the Illini were driving, the Illinois punter launched a kick about 23 yards (yikes) to give the Hoosiers great field position at the Illini’s 48-yard line in the second quarter. On the first play from scrimmage for Connor Bazelak and Walt Bell’s offense of the drive, Bazelak throws an absolute dime of a ball to a streaking D.J. Matthews Jr. for a touchdown and the first touchdown score for Indiana football on the season.

Not just the first play of the drive and the first Indiana football touchdown of the season, it was a first of many other notable events; Connor Bazelak’s first touchdown as a Hoosier, D.J. Matthews Jr.’s first touchdown on the season (and just his second as a Hoosier). Matthews Jr. seemed to be one of Bazelak’s favorite targets for the opening game, which should continue to trend in that direction, and Matthews Jr. and Cam Camper are the best players on the outside for Indiana football this season.

This touchdown turned the momentum for the Hoosiers for a brief moment, despite Illinois marching down the field and finishing with a field goal just four minutes after that. One might say that yours truly spoke this moment into existence:

Home/Indiana Football