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

#2. Connor Bazelak – QB

Week 1 stats vs. Illinois: 28/52 (53.8 pct), 330 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

If not for Cam Jones’ dominant performance in Week 1, the clear MVP for Indiana football was definitely Connor Bazelak. Bazelak finished his first game in a Hoosiers’ uniform with 330 passing yards, which makes him the first Indiana quarterback to throw for 300+ passing yards since Antwaan Randle El in 1998.

If any moment would show Hoosier Nation the kind of quarterback and leader that Bazelak is, it was the final drive of the game where all things were on the line and Bazelak led his offense to a touchdown score with less than 30 seconds remaining. On that final drive, Bazelak completed seven of his nine passes for 70 yards and also set up Shaun Shivers’ game-winning touchdown run with a four-yard scramble to the one yard line. Indiana’s offense does not perform and score two touchdowns without Bazelak’s performance and things will continue to trend in the right direction, as long as the offensive line protects Bazelak and gives him an opportunity to perform.