So we all know I am a Homer. I will root for and write about the Indiana Hoosiers with a vigor that is reserved for them and very few others, be it The Moody Blues or Kevin Samons’ great B3Q Barbecue in Corydon, or the Ole Miss Rebels. I chuckled to myself while I was sitting in Indiana’s Memorial Stadium press box listening to a public service announcement about the space being a neutral environment. Thou shalt not root outwardly for either team on the field. Be like Switzerland or you will suffer the consequences. I get it. At least I learned to wear a neutral color. The first time I did that when I was writing for a newspaper in 2006, I was wearing IU apparel. On that day, Hoosier quarterback Kellen Lewis ran and passed all over the Michigan State Spartans making Coach John L. Smith’s seat hotter than most places. Before the next Saturday, it was announced that Coach John L. was not being retained. He took a whopping 1.5 million buyout! Chuckles all around compared to 2022. Still, he rode out the season like a man of his word. Unlike some after that game, whose major media market is Louisville where John L. coached before he moved on to Michigan State and they seemed glad to see him suffer, I attended the postgame press conference of Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner. Coach Hep was a charismatic individual. One still wonders and misses him. Hep’s Rock is alive and well.
I digress.
What did this Homer see Saturday in Bloomington? Fortunately, on the last play of the game, I saw this:
Charles Campbell boots a 51 yard field goal in overtime to defeat Western Kentucky 33-30.
All I have is WOW. That was a heck of a finish.
The game started similarly to the day’s first photo taken in Bloomington. I was hoping this was not a portent of doom.
I am delighted this photo did not foreshadow the game’s end.
Coach Tom Allen, you have a good team. The Hoosiers 3-0 record is due to an effort by a team that refuses to give up. Were there lapses? Sure there were. If a Western Kentucky team can run for 216 yards on the Hoosiers and average 6 yards a carry doing it, there is an issue. But what if I told you that if you take away two long runs (over 100 yards) the Toppers only gained 2.8 yards a carry on the rest of them. Big plays. Big plays. Big plays. Those things can be remedied in the team room.
Not putting kickoffs out of bounds only to give your opponent good field position is something that can be remedied. Hint hint.
Look, this Indiana team is not unlike many other teams in college football finding their way. The transfer portal is a chemistry factory. Things aren’t always going to go like we want. Witness Marshall beating Notre Dame or App. State beating Texas A & M. 2022 is a whole new ballgame. NIL deals and free agency will do strange things to a college football team. That is another reason why I like Indiana’s chances at success. I think Indiana is a pretty stable place. Coach Tom Allen has developed a culture that is easy to embrace for players. These guys are having a good time.
And guess what? These players are winners on the field too.
Eliminate these pesky slow starts and you have something. The resilience and poise the team has shown to win three games in dramatic fashion is not Hoosier characteristic. This is a nice indicator.
I will say it again. Tom Allen, you have a good team. They pulled it off when they needed to. And good teams lose games too. The 2022 Hoosiers are very capable of losing most of the games left on their schedule. So there, this old homer is realistic too.
Look for the Indiana defense to show much more scheme-wise when they need it in further conference play. I have no doubt there are a few aces up Coach Allen’s sleeve that he has not shown yet.
The O-line needs to give Connor Bazelak room to work and he will find one of a plethora of fine receivers when need be. The running game is only getting better with Henderson and Shivers toting the mail.
While we are on the subject, I will tell you one thing I relish in when it comes to college football and that is participation. Indiana’s Connor Bazelak completed passes to 12 different receivers. Western’s Austin Reed completed passes to 10 different Hilltoppers. That’s a bunch of mommas and daddies proud to see their boy haul one in. Each QB completed 33 passes. Amazing.
I have said it over and over again and I’d have to sit down and ask myself all the college football venues I have been fortunate enough to visit. Memorial Stadium is the best place I know to watch a football game. Put the place’s concave design and stadium incline together and you have some good looking to do. As Andy Taylor would say, “It’s extra good.”
Last Saturday’s attendance was reported to be 48,952. This reminded me of the great Georgia philosopher Lewis Grizzard’s line where he would say, “If there were 48,000 people there my butt’s a typewriter. That’s all I’m saying.” Attendance. The root word being “attend”.
Still, this is the best looking horseshoe I’ve ever seen!
Speaking the rights.
Danny Johnson