The Hoosiers’ performance in Bloomington was a stark contrast from the team’s showing in Iowa City. Indiana crushed the Idaho Vandals 56–14 Saturday and certainly showcased a remarkably different level of skill and talent than was shown during coach Tom Allen and his squad’s embarrassing loss against the Hawkeyes.
Taking a closer look at IU’s victory, as the fifty-six point score suggests, the Indiana offense did not have any difficulty scoring. The defense and special teams’ admirable performance really helped to put the Hoosiers in an optimal position to score. Demonstrating this, in the first quarter, Micah McFadden and Ryder Anderson hit the Vandals quarterback and forced a fumble that gave the Hoosiers the ball on Idaho’s thirteen yard line. On Idaho’s next drive, with a score of 14–0 in favor of the Hoosiers, Noah Pierre blocked the Idaho punt that was picked up by Javon Swinton and returned for an Indiana touchdown. Remarkedly, that wasn’t the only blocked punt of the game as A.J. Barner blocked a punt in the fourth quarter.
However, many Hoosier fans had concerns about Michael Penix’s performance after the Iowa game and some remain unanswered. Penix played well within his comfort zone against the Vandals and did not attempt many deep throws. He completed eleven passes, but totaled only sixty-eight yards. It would have been nice to see him air out the ball a bit more as the schedule will only get more challenging as the season progresses. The highlight of Penix’s day came when he threw a perfect touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone to Swinton. Only time will tell if Indiana was just preserving the playbook for upcoming opponents or if this game really showcased the extent of their abilities.
Indiana will play Saturday in Bloomington against the eighth ranked Cincinnati. The game is likely to be a challenge for the Hoosiers and an important opportunity to prove themselves as a Big 10 force after the blowout loss to Iowa.
Michael Penix Jr (QB) – 11/16, 68 yds, 3 Total TD’s, 2 passing TD’s
Jack Tuttle (QB) – 2/4, 91 yds, 1 TD
Stephen Carr (RB) – 22 carries, 118 yds, 5.4 yds per carry, 1TD
A.J. Barner (TE) – 1 reception, 76 yds, 1 TD
Ty Fryfogle (WR) – 5 receptions, 29 yds, 1 TD
Tiawan Mullen (DB) – 9 TOT, 7 solo
Cam Jones (LB) – 5 TOT, 3 solo, 1 sack, 1 TFL
D.J. Matthews (WR/PR) – 3 returns, 83 yds, 1 TD
