Indiana Tops Western Kentucky, 33-31

Saturday, September 25

Bowling Green, Ky.

8:00 PM

Indiana University

2-2

Western Kentucky

1-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Indiana

Western Kentucky

9/26/2021 12:15:00 AM | Football

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Game Notes

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Indiana had to have it, this third-down play, this road victory, this vindication.

This remembrance of a fallen Hoosier.

When Saturday night's cliffhanger of a game was over in front of a L.T. Smith Stadium record crowd of 25,000-plus, this much was certain:

Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had bounced back.

Receiver Ty Fryfogle had delivered.

Running back Stephen Carr was a beast.

Kicker Charles Campbell was clutch -- again.

Dr. Andy Hipskind was remembered.

And, finally, Indiana (2-2) had survived, 33-31, over Western Kentucky (1-2) and its push-the-pace offense.

"Our kids fought so hard," head coach Tom Allen told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer during his postgame radio show. "We knew it would be tough. It's a hard environment to play in. I knew their offense was very talented.

"It was gritty. So proud of our guys."

Penix made the smart play over the hero play. He took what was there rather than force what wasn't. He completed 35-of-53 passes for 373 yards without a touchdown or an interception. He also ran for a touchdown.

"He was awesome," Allen told Fischer. "Timely throws, key third-down conversions, none bigger than the final drive to secure the win after Fryfogle crossed the middle.

"He just made a ton of great throws. He used his legs when he had to.

"He keeps getting better. I saw it. I know people have been hard on him. I understand why. That's part of playing that position. That kid is tough as nails. I'm so proud of him."

Fryfogle caught 10 passes for 98 yards, but it was his late-fourth-quarter, third-down reception from a perfectly delivered Penix pass that clinched it.

"He played the way we expect him to," Allen told Fischer. "He had big catch after big catch. You take what they were giving us.

"He's an awesome dude. He's practiced like this. He has a great attitude. He bounced back from last week."

Fryfogle was one of 10 Hoosiers to catch a pass. Tight end Peyton Hendershot came up big with six catches for 94 yards.

Carr rushed 25 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns. IU rushed for 134 yards.

"The run game needed to be (good) to take some pressure off when it was necessary," Allen said.

"Our offensive line did a great job of opening holes. Stephen ran really hard. He protected the football. He got in the end zone twice. He won our LEO Award we give out before the game because of his unselfish attitude. He's all about the team. He works hard every day. It's great to see him rewarded."

Campbell was 4-for-4 on field goals, making them from 46, 37, 25, and 48 yards. That makes him 19-for-20 for his IU career.

"He's unreal," Allen said. "He's so accurate.

"I'd have liked to see us kick less field goals (and score touchdowns), but he's a huge weapon. He was the difference in the game. It's awesome to have such a great kicker. He's so dependable."

The Hoosiers had stickers on their helmets to honor Hipskind, their longtime team doctor who passed away a week earlier.

"The W was for Mr. Andy, who will always be with us," cornerback Tiawan Mullen tweeted after the game.

Bruising play had a Cream & Crimson cost. Injuries sidelined cornerback Jaylin Williams and receiver D.J. Matthews Jr. Neither returned.

Matthews caught two passes for 15 yards before his injury. Miles Marshall and Jacolby Hewitt stepped up in his absence and combined for nine catches and 105 yards.

IU faced the nation's top passing attack. Western Kentucky quarterback Bailey Zappe was 31-for-44 for 365 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.

"That offense is very difficult to stop," Allen said. "I was worried about it. The tempo is so tough.

"There are two types of offenses you don't want to play -- the triple option and a team like this that goes super fast and throws the ball all over the park.

"It makes it challenging. Guys have to step up. It's hard to get to the quarterback because he gets it out so fast.

"We got some timely stops. We didn't get the takeaways we thought we had to get, but we bowed up and stopped them when we needed to."

A best-possible start had IU delivering an 11-play touchdown drive, then forcing Western Kentucky into a three-and-out, then driving for another TD.

Just like that it was 14-0.

Penix was 5-for-6 on the first drive. Carr broke big runs, capped by a 1-yard TD run. Penix was 4-for-5 on the second drive, and ran for a touchdown.

Then Western Kentucky's offense, after a first-drive three-and-out, went fast and furious for a touchdown. IU countered with a Campbell 46-yard field (he missed from 51 yards, but a Hilltoppers penalty gave him a second chance) and a 17-7 second-quarter lead.

Campbell added another field goal to make it 20-7 late in the first half.

The Hilltoppers came back for a TD pass. The Hoosiers countered with a 25-yard Campbell field goal for a 23-14 halftime score.

Western Kentucky needed just two third-quarter minutes to score a touchdown and close within two points. Campbell came back with his fourth field goal to make it 26-21. The Hilltoppers added a field goal to close within two points entering the fourth quarter.

Still down by two midway through the fourth quarter, Western Kentucky, rather than go for it on fourth-and-two at midfield, punted.

IU's offense went to work.

Strong offensive line play, powerful Carr running, and clutch Penix-to-Fryfogle completions set up a Carr TD run and a 33-24 lead with four minutes left.

Western Kentucky responded with a touchdown pass, setting up one last clutch Penix-to-Fryfogle third-down reception to clinch the Hoosier victory.

Next up – a trip to Top-10 Penn State (4-0).

"There's only one stat that matters," Allen said, "we had more points than the other team. It was a great team win – offense, defense, and special teams.

"Now we get ready for Penn State."