Against the No. 4 team in the country, Indiana football was tied 10-10 at halftime in Bloomington on homecoming weekend, and then things went downhill from there. After halftime, the Hoosiers would be out-gained by the Wolverines offense 267 to 44 total offensive yards, with Connor Bazelak and the offense totaling -12 yards in the fourth quarter.
Seeing all of those statistics, wouldn’t it be crazy if I told you that it was a one score game heading into the fourth quarter? Believe it. The Hoosiers defense was stifling against one of the best offenses in the nation, allowing just 10 points in the first half to a team that has not been tied or losing at halftime all season long. It’s safe to say, the problem is not with Tom Allen and his defensive unit, a unit that was missing their best player and leader, Cam Jones, along with one of their best defensive backs, Jaylin Williams.
“It is time for a new voice to lead the offensive line room.”
The problem with this Indiana football program starts up front with the performance of the offensive line and the protection of our quarterback for the next two seasons. After the embarrassing game against the Wolverines where we saw Bazelak get sacked seven (!!) times, Tom Allen fired offensive line coach and run-game coordinator, Darren Hiller.
One of the confusing parts about this game is the success that the Hoosiers’ offense had in the first half did not translate at all to the second half. The reason why? Walt Bell decided to not target his running backs in the passing game or throw any screen passes. The running back team of Jaylin Lucas, Shaun Shivers, and Josh Henderson combined for 71 receiving yards on 11 catches. The only touchdown drive of the game saw three running back receptions for 27 yards, including the 11-yard touchdown reception by Henderson.
This one didn’t make sense to me at all, but I was pretty spot on with my betting tips for Week 6 and now we move on to face Taulia Tagovailoa and the Terrapins in Week 7. Will the Hoosiers win another game this season?