Indiana football: Five key Hoosiers from the win vs. Illinois

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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 /

#4. D.J. Matthews Jr. – WR

Week 1 stats vs. Illinois: 7 receptions, 109 yards, 1 TD

D.J. Matthews Jr. was one of Connor Bazelak’s favorite targets for the opening game against the Illini. Matthews Jr. notched his third game of his career with 100+ receiving yards (120 receiving yards vs. Cincinnati in 2021 and 133 receiving yards vs. NC State in 2018).

Matthews Jr. recorded his first receiving touchdown since November 2019 on a 52-yard touchdown dime from Bazelak in the second quarter.

DJ Matthews from 52 yards out for Indiana 🤯 https://t.co/WuiEYJ4Pk7
— The Transfer Portal CFB (@TPortalCFB) September 3, 2022

Matthews Jr. had a very big impact on the game and was also targeted on six of the 12 plays of the game-winning drive and brought in five of those six targets for 44 receiving yards. Bazelak went for his best wide receivers on the final drive, and Matthews Jr. is definitely one of his top targets moving forward.

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