Illinois Football: Breakdown of the Indiana offense against the Illini

Illinois football is heading into a big game on Friday night against the Indiana Hoosiers.

The Illini looked good in the first game of the season, beating Wyoming 38-6. But that was a non-power-five program. This week features an opponent in Indiana that was the darlings of the college football world just two years ago.

This is a different Indiana bunch, though. The Hoosiers had a tough 2021, and their 2022 campaign might be trending the same way.

Here is the breakdown of the Indiana offense against the Illinois football team.

Strength

Honestly, it is tough to point to any strength Indiana has on the offensive side of the football right now.

Last season, the Hoosiers were one of the worst teams in the country when it came to offense. They averaged 17.2 points per game, which ranked No. 123 in the nation. Indiana would only rush for 109.9 yards and pass for 177 yards per game in 2021, which ranked No. 114 and No. 110, respectively.

Most of the actual talent the Hoosiers had on the team last season has now departed. Michael Penix Jr. is quarterbacking for Washington. Leading rusher Stephen Carr graduated. Indiana’s top tight end, Peyton Hendershot, is in the NFL. And the top two wide receivers from last year’s team are both gone as well.

If I had to peg any strength for Indiana, it would probably be their offensive line. Tackle Matthew Bedford is back, and he has 27 starts under his belt. Guard Mike Katic started in nine games as well. There is experience on the offensive line, and they are going to need to perform well if they want transfer quarterback Connor Bazelak to get off to a good start.

Weakness

I would say the biggest weakness Indiana football has right now is depth. Let’s start with the quarterback position.

Bazelak came over from Missouri and should be starting on Friday night. Jack Tuttle is probably going to be his backup. Tuttle threw for 423 yards, two touchdowns, and five interceptions in 2021. So, if Bazelak struggles out of the gate, that is their backup option.

At running back, as previously mentioned, Carr has departed the program. Indiana’s running back room has been pretty much completely gutted from the 2021 season. The top four leading rushers from last season are gone, leaving Charlie Spegal as the rusher with the most yards. He had 19 carries for 62 yards in 2021.

Indiana’s top tight end, Hendershot, and top two wide receivers, Ty Fryfogle and Miles Marshall, are both gone as well. This Hoosiers offense is absolutely depleted, and that bodes well for the Illini.

Coach

Tom Allen was a hot name just a couple of years ago, but his offenses haven’t been great since taking over Indiana.

The best the Hoosiers have done in the scoring department is in 2019 when they averaged 31.8 points per game, which ranked No. 43 in the country. Since then, Indiana averaged 28.9 points in 2020 and then 17.2 points in 2022.

I have a theory that during the first few years as the Indiana head coach, Allen had the previous staff’s players. 2021 was the first season where he had all of his players in place, and the team didn’t do well on offense. With so many departures, I don’t think we will see a tremendous improvement this season.

Key Players

I believe everything Indiana does is going to rest on the shoulders of Bazelak. He is the wildcard in this situation. If he plays well, then the Hoosiers will have a much-improved offense.

Bazelak is an okay player. He has the ability to play well, but it is going to be hard to make too big of an impact with so many weapons gone. Bazelak is easily the most important player for Indiana heading into Friday night.

The offensive line is another factor for Friday night. I would say every starter on the offensive line is a key player. Without a good offensive line, Bazelak will struggle even more. A good blocking front will, at least, give him a chance to throw the football.