Hoosier State of Mind
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Indiana football: Three key Hoosiers in tough loss to Cincinnati

By Connor O’Keefe

Sep 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Cam Camper (6) rises to catch a pass over Cincinnati Bearcats safety Ja'quan Sheppard (5) in the third quarter at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar/Cincinnati Enquirer via USA TODAY NETWORK
Sep 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Cam Camper (6) rises to catch a pass over Cincinnati Bearcats safety Ja'quan Sheppard (5) in the third quarter at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar/Cincinnati Enquirer via USA TODAY NETWORK /
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Indiana football
Sep 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Connor Bazelak (9) throws to the end zone as Cincinnati Bearcats defensive lineman Mario Eugenio (94) gives chase in the third quarter at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar/Cincinnati Enquirer via USA TODAY NETWORK /

#2. Connor Bazelak – QB

Week 4 stats: 31/66 (46.9 pct), 280 passing yards, 2 TD, and 2 INT

The redshirt junior was taking a beating on Saturday from the Cincinnati defense, especially Ivan Pace Jr., who finished the game with 15 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 4.5 tackles for loss. Not only was Bazelak being pressured and sacked on a lot of his drop backs, he also attempted a career-high 66 pass attempts. Bazelak now leads all quarterbacks in the Big Ten and in all of college football in pass attempts, with 202 this season and ranks sixth in the country in pass completions, with 108. Who would’ve thought that the player with the most pass attempts and the player with the most passing yards after Week 4 are both associated with the Indiana football program? (Michael Penix Jr. – Washington).

Bazelak showed his grit and toughness to gut out the whole game under center with a less-than-ideal offensive line protecting him, especially since Matthew Bedford was ruled out for the season after Week 1. The Hoosiers QB loved his star wide receiver, Cam Camper, in this game, and was fighting for Indiana to potentially make a comeback, but that fell short in the end with too tall of a hill to climb back from. I give Bazelak a lot of credit for his performance in last weekend’s game, especially with the hits and throws he was being forced to make.

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