October 2, 2022 | DaddyHoosier | iufb.net
Last night in Lincoln it didn’t go according to plan but it did follow a now familiar script. What’s the sports-ism, it’s deja Vu all over again?
Indiana got off to a slow start, found themselves behind, then rallied. But like last week in Cincinnati the rally wasn’t enough and the Hoosiers ultimately lost by multiple scores.
Slow Start
Indiana fell behind 7-0 and the game had barely started. The Hoosiers went three-and-out to start things out. (Calling timeout before ever even taking a snap from center.) Nebraska took the Indiana punt and went 72 yards in just three plays for their first score. The Hoosiers we’re trailing before most watching at home had even settled into their spots.
IU has now been outscored 31-9 in the first quarter this season and they have yet to score a touchdown in the opening period. Indiana is losing the first half by a tally of 96-57.
Rally
The Hoosiers tied it up at 7 with a forced fumble in the end zone that was recovered by Myles Jackson. The pressure and fumble was forced by Senior Linebacker Cam Jones and Junior Defensive Back Louis Moore. On the season Jackson now has an interception and two fumble recoveries which includes last night’s TD.
Nebraska scored two unanswered TDs, the first returning a blocked punt to the end zone and the second an 8-play 55-yard drive capped by a 1-yard Jaquez Yant TD run.
The Hoosiers responded with back to back scores of their own in the closing minutes of the first half – a 7-play 75-yard drive and a 6-play 70-yard drive.
The third quarter was a scoreless stalemate but the Huskers broke things open with a 71-yard TD pass from Casey Thompson to Trey Palmer. Thompson was 18 for 27 for 270 yards and 2 TDs while Palmer caught 8 balls for 157 yards and a TD.
Offensive Line
Here is how the Hoosiers started out at OL last night:
LT 70 Luke Haggard
LG 50 Zach Carpenter
C 56 Mike Katic
RG 73 Tim Weaver
RT 51 Parker Hannah
Junior Zach Carpenter returned to action after missing time with an injury, but he slid over to the left guard spot since his hand was still wrapped up. Junior Mike Katic had been playing in that guard spot but the two flipped with Katic being better able to snap the ball.
The unit struggled mightily early on, unable to create space for the running back to run in and unable to give Junior Quarterback Connor Bazelak adequate time to throw the ball.
The group was able to get things shored up at least partially but Bazelak never looked completely comfortable all night. I am going to join the chorus here, something needs to change because what Indiana is doing now isn’t working. This is an ongoing thing and the offensive line is the heart of a football team. The bar for the team as a whole is never going to be much higher than whatever the bar is for the o-line.
Quarterback Play
This feels like a broken record bringing up the same issues over and over again but Baze is hot and cold. He misses throws high. I realize his protection is lacking but some of these misses are Baze just missing. It happens too often and my assessment is it all can’t be blamed on the line.
I am beginning to formulate the premise that part of the reason Baze is streaky is because Walt Bell, his Offensive Coordinator, is also streaky. Yes this is partly a function of the tempo the offense runs at but it may be more than that. There was a moment in the game where I Tweeted that Walt was calling his best game so far as a Hoosier. But Indiana failed to score from that point on.
One critique to offer, I am all for using Donaven McCulley in the Wildcat. In fact I called for it before IU even showed that look. But I’m not sure 1st and 10 from your own 1-yard line is the time to pull that one out of the hat. I think at the beginning of a drive is a good time, but taking the snap literally in your own end zone? I’m not sure about that. I’ll come back to this subject later in the week.
The defense only had one major busy last night but it was at a very big spot in the game. It was on the aforementioned 71-yard TD from Thompson to Palmer. Freshman Defensive Back Phillip Dunnam got beat on the deep post and the Huskers took the lead for good. It was on a 3rd and 9 where a stop would have meant the Hoosiers taking possession of the ball, probably in good field position, with an opportunity to take the lead.
It’s easy to second guess the coaching staff after the fact with the benefit of hindsight but it just seems to me that you want your best and most experienced guy out there in that situation.
Wide Receiver Room
Look, most offenses will fail to maintain the status quo when their top two wide receivers are both out of the game. That’s not an easy ask. Senior Emery Simmons and Junior Andison Coby combined for 11 catches for 111 yards and a TD (Simmons). Those are serviceable numbers. If one of these guys can emerge as a consistent third option it will create more opportunities for the offense to succeed. P.S. AJ Barner needs love too.
Nebraska
Mickey Joseph and Nebraska do deserve some credit here. They played with passion and enthusiasm for four quarters and showed that the game mattered to them. Defensively they looked significantly better than expected. When Indiana punched back I thought they might fold but they did not. I don’t expect this team to get to six wins and Bowl Eligibility but if they keep playing hard they can keep their 2022 season from becoming a lost cause.
The bottom line
The hope that Indiana could find the fixes needed to play more consistently during conference play is beginning to fade. Nothing is impossible but the negative trends seem pretty deeply entrenched at this point. And the margin for error is getting pretty small. The Hoosiers have been living in the margins so far in 2022 but from this point forward they might not find that habitation quite so hospitable.
Last night in Lincoln it didn’t go according to plan but it did follow a now familiar script. What’s the sports-ism, it’s deja Vu all over again?
Indiana got off to a slow start, found themselves behind, then rallied. But like last week in Cincinnati the rally wasn’t enough and the Hoosiers ultimately lost by multiple scores.
Slow Start
Indiana fell behind 7-0 and the game had barely started. The Hoosiers went three-and-out to start things out. (Calling timeout before ever even taking a snap from center.) Nebraska took the Indiana punt and went 72 yards in just three plays for their first score. The Hoosiers we’re trailing before most watching at home had even settled into their spots.
IU has now been outscored 31-9 in the first quarter this season and they have yet to score a touchdown in the opening period. Indiana is losing the first half by a tally of 96-57.
Rally
The Hoosiers tied it up at 7 with a forced fumble in the end zone that was recovered by Myles Jackson. The pressure and fumble was forced by Senior Linebacker Cam Jones and Junior Defensive Back Louis Moore. On the season Jackson now has an interception and two fumble recoveries which includes last night’s TD.
Nebraska scored two unanswered TDs, the first returning a blocked punt to the end zone and the second an 8-play 55-yard drive capped by a 1-yard Jaquez Yant TD run.
The Hoosiers responded with back to back scores of their own in the closing minutes of the first half – a 7-play 75-yard drive and a 6-play 70-yard drive.
The third quarter was a scoreless stalemate but the Huskers broke things open with a 71-yard TD pass from Casey Thompson to Trey Palmer. Thompson was 18 for 27 for 270 yards and 2 TDs while Palmer caught 8 balls for 157 yards and a TD.
Offensive Line
Here is how the Hoosiers started out at OL last night:
LT 70 Luke Haggard
LG 50 Zach Carpenter
C 56 Mike Katic
RG 73 Tim Weaver
RT 51 Parker Hannah
Junior Zach Carpenter returned to action after missing time with an injury, but he slid over to the left guard spot since his hand was still wrapped up. Junior Mike Katic had been playing in that guard spot but the two flipped with Katic being better able to snap the ball.
The unit struggled mightily early on, unable to create space for the running back to run in and unable to give Junior Quarterback Connor Bazelak adequate time to throw the ball.
The group was able to get things shored up at least partially but Bazelak never looked completely comfortable all night. I am going to join the chorus here, something needs to change because what Indiana is doing now isn’t working. This is an ongoing thing and the offensive line is the heart of a football team. The bar for the team as a whole is never going to be much higher than whatever the bar is for the o-line.
Quarterback Play
This feels like a broken record bringing up the same issues over and over again but Baze is hot and cold. He misses throws high. I realize his protection is lacking but some of these misses are Baze just missing. It happens too often and my assessment is it all can’t be blamed on the line.
I am beginning to formulate the premise that part of the reason Baze is streaky is because Walt Bell, his Offensive Coordinator, is also streaky. Yes this is partly a function of the tempo the offense runs at but it may be more than that. There was a moment in the game where I Tweeted that Walt was calling his best game so far as a Hoosier. But Indiana failed to score from that point on.
One critique to offer, I am all for using Donaven McCulley in the Wildcat. In fact I called for it before IU even showed that look. But I’m not sure 1st and 10 from your own 1-yard line is the time to pull that one out of the hat. I think at the beginning of a drive is a good time, but taking the snap literally in your own end zone? I’m not sure about that. I’ll come back to this subject later in the week.
The defense only had one major busy last night but it was at a very big spot in the game. It was on the aforementioned 71-yard TD from Thompson to Palmer. Freshman Defensive Back Phillip Dunnam got beat on the deep post and the Huskers took the lead for good. It was on a 3rd and 9 where a stop would have meant the Hoosiers taking possession of the ball, probably in good field position, with an opportunity to take the lead.
It’s easy to second guess the coaching staff after the fact with the benefit of hindsight but it just seems to me that you want your best and most experienced guy out there in that situation.
Wide Receiver Room
Look, most offenses will fail to maintain the status quo when their top two wide receivers are both out of the game. That’s not an easy ask. Senior Emery Simmons and Junior Andison Coby combined for 11 catches for 111 yards and a TD (Simmons). Those are serviceable numbers. If one of these guys can emerge as a consistent third option it will create more opportunities for the offense to succeed. P.S. AJ Barner needs love too.
Nebraska
Mickey Joseph and Nebraska do deserve some credit here. They played with passion and enthusiasm for four quarters and showed that the game mattered to them. Defensively they looked significantly better than expected. When Indiana punched back I thought they might fold but they did not. I don’t expect this team to get to six wins and Bowl Eligibility but if they keep playing hard they can keep their 2022 season from becoming a lost cause.
The bottom line
The hope that Indiana could find the fixes needed to play more consistently during conference play is beginning to fade. Nothing is impossible but the negative trends seem pretty deeply entrenched at this point. And the margin for error is getting pretty small. The Hoosiers have been living in the margins so far in 2022 but from this point forward they might not find that habitation quite so hospitable.
