Daddy Hoosier | November 15, 2020
The Indiana Football Hoosiers blanked the Michigan State Spartans 24-0 in East Lansing Saturday claiming the Old Brass Spittoon and in the process sole possession of first place in the Big Ten East.
The victory was Indiana’s second win in ten tries against MSU and just the third in East Lansing since 1970. The defensive shutout was the fifth of the Tom Allen era and the third that has occurred in conference play. Three of the five goose eggs overall and two of three in league play have occurred under second year Defensive Coordinator Kane Wommack.
| Date | Opponent | Score |
| 10/7/17 | Charleston Southern | 27-0 |
| 11/18/17 | Rutgers | 41-0 |
| 9/7/19 | Eastern Illinois | 52-0 |
| 10/12/19 | Rutgers | 35-0 |
| 11/14/20 | Michigan State | 24-0 |
Sophomore Quarterback Michael Penix completed 25 of 38 throws for 320 yards and 3 touchdowns, marking the first time in his career that he has thrown for back-to-back 300 yard games. He has also thrown for 3 TDs in three straight games (also a career first).
But it was Senior Wideout Ty Fryfogle who stole the show for the Hoosiers logging 11 grabs for 200 yards and 2 TDs – all career bests. ‘Fry’ had set career high with 7 grabs and 142 yards just last week versus Michigan but the talent from Lucedale, Mississippi decided not to wait long before topping himself. He now has a TD in each of his last three games played.
Stevie Scott, Sampson James and Tim Baldwin Jr. combined for 124 yards and a TD on 36 carries. It was a mediocre day overall on the ground as IU averaged less than 3.5 yards per carry, but they did find success at times despite have two of their starting offensive lineman sidelined due to injury. Senior Dylan Powell and Junior Luke Haggard filled in for Mike Katic and Caleb Jones respectively on the left side. The O-Line allowed a single sack and four hurries as a unit.
Indiana came into the game as one of the most efficient red zone offenses in the country – scoring on 16 of 16 attempts – but today came away empty on 4 of 7 tries. Penix threw an end zone interception in the first half and Indiana twice went for it unsuccessfully on 4th down at the goal line in the second half (rather than opting to kick the field goal). The final ‘miss’ occurred when Indiana kneeled on it to run out the clock at the end of the game.
The Indiana Defense allowed just 60 rushing yards and 131 yards through the air, holding the Spartans to less than 200 yards of Total Offense. It also produced four more turnovers by grabbing three interceptions and a fumble recovery. The Hoosier ‘D’ is now averaging 3 turnovers per game and the team has a turnover margin of +8 on the year – which is likely to be in the Top 5 in the country.
Sophomore Tiawan Mullen had two impressive interceptions and both involved have great eyes and anticipation. In the first he peeled off coverage to make a play where the ball was thrown, which is difficult for a quarterback to anticipate. Junior Reese Taylor nearly had a pick-six as he returned his first interception of the year for 53 yards before being forced out of bounds inside the Michigan State 10 yard line.
Junior Linebacker Micah McFadden had 9 total tackles including 5 solo, 3 tackles for a loss and two sacks. Senior Defensive Tackle Jerome Johnson added 4 total tackles and 2 more sacks.
Next Saturday Indiana will travel to Columbus to face Ohio State in what will be a battle for the top spot in the Big Ten East. This game will easily be one of the biggest ever in program history as a victory will put the Hoosiers squarely in the College Football Playoff conversation.
The Buckeyes will have the upper hand in terms of talent but on any given day anything can happen and this Hoosier Team plays together and with a belief that they can beat anybody.
Coach Tom Allen will undoubtedly have his guys jacked and ready to go. This should be a lot of fun!
#LEO
Last edited:
