Week One Win in the Books

Friday, September 2

Bloomington, Ind.

8 P.M.

Indiana University

1-0 , 1-0

Illinois

1-1 , 0-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Illinois

Indiana

9/2/2022 11:59:00 PM | Football

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By: Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It was there for the taking, all of it -- a season-opening Big Ten victory over Illinois, a dramatic last-second comeback, vindication for all the work and perseverance and turnaround vows.

Indiana took it, 23-20, and the fireworks exploded.

On Friday night, with the clock approaching midnight at Memorial Stadium, Connor Bazelak passed and ran the Hoosiers to the brink; Shaun Shivers pounded them to the lead, and the Cam Jones-led defense preserved it.

"It's unbelievable," receiver D.J. Matthews Jr. said. "It's super overwhelming.

"Coach (Tom) Allen has been emphasizing team work. It's great to rally as one and finish the game."

Allen said he puts this victory among the best he's ever had because of the stakes coming off last season's 0-9 Big Ten mark.

"I knew what we've been through and what this meant. It's huge. I know what we went through last year.

"They fought. They battled and battled and battled. This is a big deal. They found a way."

In the final two minutes, down 20-16 with no timeouts and 75 yards from victory, Bazelak passed the Hoosiers down the field -- to the Indiana 43-yard line, to the Illinois 37, to the 23, the 14, the 5.

After 10 straight passes and seven completions (four to Matthews, three to Cam Camper), Bazelak ran to the 1, then quickly lined up and handed it to Shivers.

Shivers left him no choice.

"I got lined up, and I'm not going to lie," Shivers said, "I told Connor, give it to me. I got it. I see it. I'm gonna score. Give it to me. Give it to me.

"He gave it to me. It was a big moment."

An offensive line that had struggled to punch holes against an Illinois defense that altered all expected tendencies punched open its biggest hole in two years.

Big enough, anyway.

"It was tight," Shivers said, "but I told myself, grit. Put my foot down and get it."

For 28 second-half minutes, IU's offense had struggled, but when it mattered most, it came through, in part because Bazelak, who won the starting competition over Jack Tuttle and Dexter Williams II, threw with composure.

"That was one of the variables since he's been here," Allen said. "He's extremely poised. It showed in that moment. He had to be accurate. He slid in the pocket a little bit. He used his legs a little bit."

Added Bazelak: "I tried to keep everyone calm. That's our offense. I knew we had zero timeouts. Get in a rhythm and things really start to roll.

"You go to your playmakers. When the game is on the line, go to your best players."

This was why Allen had hired Walt Bell as the new offensive coordinator, and he didn't do it to dictate offense, especially on that last possession.

"I tell them one thing, go score," he said. "I didn't tell them how to do it. I am not a micromanager."

That left it to the defense, which was led by Allen. It attacked. A sack by defensive lineman Beau Robbins left Illinois quarterback Tommy DeVito pounding the turf one, two, three times in frustration.

Two more passes followed, the last one leading to a fumble cornerback Jaylin Williams recovered to end the game.

But this was mostly about Jones, who shook off an injury that left him writhing on the field in pain to total a team-leading 12 tackles and a fumble recovery.

"Cam got injured, and he gritted right through it," Allen said. "He wasn't going to come off the field."

Overall, the defense had four takeaways and a huge fourth-quarter goal-line stand to give the Hoosiers a chance.

"I'm proud of the grit of our defense," Allen said. "I know the way this game is played now, teams will get yards, but you've got to limit them and get takeaways. To hold a team to 20 points is pretty good."

Forget the mistakes, adversity and frustration. This was a chance to rise above it.

IU did.

"Once we scored," Bazelak said, "it was awesome. It was relief. We've been working so hard. Everyone has been grinding.

"I wasn't here, but these guys have a bad taste in their mouth after last year. They decided we had to win."

Bazelak, a Missouri transfer, finished 28-for-52 for 330 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Camper, a junior college transfer playing in his first IU game, had 11 catches for 156 yards. Matthews had seven catches for 109.

Illinois ran for 216 yards (tailback Chase Brown had 199 of them), passed for 232.

It could have broken the Hoosiers.

Instead, they broke the Illini.

"We found a way to win," Allen said. "It was a gritty performance.

"We've got a lot to work on, but there are so many positives it creates. The belief. To get that first Big Ten win. It's massive."

The season began with multiple questions, starting with the biggest of all – would the Hoosiers return to their winning ways of 2019 and '20?

Beyond that:

Could the offensive line block effectively?

Would the new offensive attack under Bell restore the productivity missing from last season?

Would Allen's return to defensive play calling rejuvenate the takeaway frenzy so crucial to Hoosier success?

In so many ways, the answers were, yes.

Illinois instantly tested that defense. It won the toss and elected to receive. After a couple of adjustment snaps, the defense turned up the heat, pressured an incompletion, got a sack and forced a 12-yard Illini punt.

The Hoosiers would start at their own 40-yard line.

After a shaky first couple of plays, Bazelak hit Camper with a 40-yard completion to set up Charles Campbell's 39-yard field goal and a 3-0 IU lead.

Illinois countered with a touchdown and a 7-3 lead midway through the first quarter.

Defensive lineman Alfred Bryant's monster hit on tight end Luke Ford forced a fumble to end the first quarter. Jones recovered for the Hoosiers.

Early in the second quarter, Bazelak hit Matthews with a 52-yard touchdown pass for a 10-7 IU lead. After the Illini tied it at 10-10, Bazelak hit Camper with a 39-yard pass to set up Campbell's 43-yard field goal for a 13-10 Hoosier lead. Campbell added another 43-yarder just before halftime for a 16-10 score.

Illinois capitalized on Bazelak's interception to open the third quarter with a touchdown and a 17-16 lead.

The Hoosier defense got its second takeaway when husky Noah Pierre forced and recovered a fumble on a backwards Illinois pass. But IU couldn't capitalize and had to punt to end the third quarter.

Illinois tried to power its way for a possible fourth-quarter clinching touchdown. IU's defense powered back to stuff the Illini.

The offense couldn't capitalize.

The defense responded again with a Josh Sanguinetti interception at the Hoosiers 8-yard line. They had 5:47 to capitalize.

Instead, a fumble gave Illinois another chance to put it away. The defense limited the damage to a field goal.

With 2:16 left, and down 20-16, IU had a final chance, and made the most of it.

"I had a gut feel that this is who we are -- from the workouts, from the meeting after the Purdue game, from the ones saying things are going to change," Allen said. "You know what, they are the ones making plays.

"To be great, you have to have perseverance and passion. That's what this team displayed."