BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WDRB) — Since the end of spring practice one question hung over the Indiana University football program like a fluttering punt:
Who will be the Hoosiers' starting quarterback?
IU coach Tom Allen refused to share his decision. Tune in Friday night. Build the storyline.
It was a reasonable question, considering Indiana suffered through some of the least effective quarterback play in America last season and then recruited Connor Bazelak of Missouri from the transfer portal after former program icon Michael Penix Jr. left for Washington.
But this was a better question:
Would coach Allen's decision at quarterback -- Bazelak or returnee Jack Tuttle -- make a difference?
Check the flashing scoreboard from Friday night at Memorial Stadium Stadium:
Indiana 23, Illinois 20.
"There's a lot of power in winning a game like that," Allen said. "This team has character. This team has toughness. This team has grit."
The quarterback play was better. Bazelak was the quarterback. He was productive -- and he was clutch. He led the Hoosiers on a game-winning 75-yard drive in the final 2:16. Shaun Shivers scored the winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with 23 seconds to play.
Shavers, a transfer from Auburn, has seen bigger holes.
"It was kind of tight," he said. "I told myself, 'Grit. Put your foot down and get it.' "
But Bazelak completed 7 passes for 70 yards on the game-winning drive and also ran the ball to the 1 to set up Shivers' score. He did it without any available timeouts. He finished 28 for 52 for 330 yards and a touchdown. The 23 points were more points than Indiana scored in all but one of its nine Big Ten games last season.
"I just tried to keep everybody calm," Bazelak said. "We were just out there playing football. We always try to play fast."
"I don't even remember what he said, but he was pumped up and that got me going," said IU receiver Cam Camper. "It was just something we had to do at that time. Like it was mandatory for us to score to win that game."
What was the message from Allen before the final drive?
"I just told them to go score," Allen said. "I didn't tell them how to do it."
After answering questions for 10 minutes after the game, Allen tossed his water bottle in the air as he walked out the door and screamed, "HOOSIERS!"
This is a game Indiana (1-0) needed to win.
Let me do a better job of expressing that: This is a game Indiana absolutely, positively needed to win beyond reasonable doubt.
They were playing at home against a rebuilding Illinois team led by Bret Bielama, a second-year coach. The Illini are expected to be one of the bottom teams in the Big Ten West. Reasonable question: If you can’t beat Illinois in Memorial Stadium, which Big Ten team do you expect to beat?
Last season the Hoosiers tossed away every ounce of goodwill they earned while cracking the Top 25 and winning 6 of 8 games.
They did that by losing 10 of 12 with an offense that huffed and puff to less than 12 points per game in Big Ten play. They threw 4 TD passes in 9 Big Ten games In other words, they weren’t simply bad. They were hapless and they were not entertaining.
"The guys had a bad taste in their mouths," Bazelak said.
The Hoosiers scored 16 points in the first half That number would not excite Ohio State or Alabama fans but it was also more points than Indiana scored in 8 of 9 Big Ten games last season.
Bazelak showed the ability to throw a crisp deep ball, especially without the comfort of elite offensive line play. He had a 40-yard completion to Camper on the Hoosiers’ first drive and topped that with a 52-yard strike to D.J. Matthews for a touchdown in the second quarter.
That pass was the Hoosiers only first-half touchdown. Without a running game, IU was forced to settle for three Charles Campbell field goals in the first 30 minutes. At halftime they led 16-10, an encouraging development considering IU was positioned to get the ball to start the second half.
The encouragement did not last long. Bazelak threw an interception on the second snap of the third quarter. That led to an Illinois touchdown and a 17-16 lead for the visitors. Illinois held the advantage into the fourth quarter even though the IU defense forced its second turnover.
The problem?
The Hoosiers had no running game. They ran for 10 yards in the third quarter, which bumped their total for the first three quarters to 22. The running game was not any more effective in the fourth quarter, but Bazelak took care of the details.
Camper, a receiver who arrived from a junior college in Texas, caught 11 balls for 156 yards. Matthews, back from a knee injury, caught 7 for 109. They helped the Hoosiers overcome a running game that finished with 32 yards on 26 carries. So did a defense that forced 4 turnovers. Linebacker Cam Jones was relentless, playing through an injury while making 12 tackles and recovering a fumble.
"I really thought we would win from the start," Bazelak said. "We knew we had the game. We just had to go take it."
"I get it, it's not a Top 25 team (that IU beat)," Allen said. "But I knew we needed this win after what this team has been through."
The Hoosiers return to Memorial Stadium next Saturday for an 8 p.m. game against Idaho and then welcome Western Kentucky at noon Sept. 17.
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