Late Defensive Stands, Clutch Kicking Keeps Indiana Undefeated With Win Over Western Kentucky

Indiana football trailed Western Kentucky for the majority of Saturday afternoon, but a pair of late takeaways by the Hoosier defense and composure from quarterback Connor Bazelak forced overtime, where kicker Charles Campbell came through in the clutch.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana safety Devon “Monster” Matthews leaped in the air, stretching every inch of his arm to the sky. Cornerback Jaylin Williams rushed off the edge as fast as he could.

Both players got a hand to the ball, blocking Western Kentucky’s Brayden Narveson’s 44-yard field goal attempt in overtime. 

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After trailing nearly the entire game, all Indiana needed now was a field goal to win the game. But the Hoosiers didn’t make it easy on themselves. Indiana lost eight yards in three plays, setting up a 51-yard attempt for kicker Charles Campbell.

Indiana’s fifth-year kicker Campbell kicked it clean off the turf, and the Hoosiers rushed toward the student section to celebrate a 33-30 win over Western Kentucky on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. From Indiana coach Tom Allen’s perspective, it would have been good from 60 yards.

“I thank the Good Lord above that I struck it well,” Campbell said. “Couldn't do it without Him.”

Indiana Hoosiers place kicker Charles Campbell (93) shares a moment with Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Connor Bazelak (9) after kicking the game winning field goal in extra time after the game against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Memorial Stadium. Hoosiers won 33 to 30 in overtime / Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana only led Saturday’s contest when it was 3-0 early in the first quarter and when it was 33-30 with the word ‘final’ on the scoreboard. Allen and the Hoosiers recognize their struggles through three games, but they also know that three wins and zero losses is all that matters right now.

For Allen, powering past Saturday’s deficit, which stretched as large as 11 points and required a two-point conversion with 47 seconds left, came down to belief.

“Positivity, optimism and belief give you a competitive advantage in this world and in the game of football, “Allen said. “Because most people are pessimistic and negative. That's just the reality. So to me, it's how you want to look at it.”

Throughout most of the game, Indiana was chasing a dangerous Western Kentucky offensive attack. Quarterback Austin Reed completed 33-of-43 pass attempts for 329 yards, two passing touchdowns, a rushing touchdown and an interception.

But with a prime opportunity to end Indiana’s hopes of winning, Reed committed a costly turnover in the red zone. On 1st and goal with less than three minutes left in the third quarter and an 11-point lead, Reed’s pass was tipped by Indiana linebacker Bradley Jenning Jr. and intercepted by linebacker Myles Jackson.

“Coach [Paul] Randolph says ‘The ball finds energy,’” Jackson said. “So if you play with relentless effort, the ball is going to find you.”

Indiana Hoosiers linebacker Myles Jackson (10) is tackled by Western Kentucky Hilltoppers wide receiver Jaylen Hall (0) after intercepting the ball during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Hoosiers won 33 to 30 in overtime / Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana quarterback Connor Bazelak took advantage of this mistake, leading the Hoosiers 90 yards down the field and cutting the deficit with a 19-yard touchdown run by Indiana running back Josh Henderson.

Reed and the Hilltoppers had another chance to put Indiana away, this time with a 1st-and-goal situation at the Indiana 3-yard line at the start of the fourth quarter. Reed was stuffed on a quarterback keeper, threw an incomplete pass and running back Davion Ervin-Poindexter was stopped short of the goal line. Western Kentucky instead had to kick a field goal, keeping it a one-possession game.

Western Kentucky’s Joshua Simon fumbled on the next possession, allowing the Hoosiers and Hilltoppers to trade field goals and maintain the eight-point separation. And in a drive that felt eerily similar to Indiana’s two-minute drill to win the game against Illinois, a poised Bazelak marched the Hoosiers 75 yards down the field.

Bazelak found Cam Camper wide open in the back of the end zone for a touchdown, and he hit Donaven McCulley for the game-tying two-point conversion to force overtime. Campbell drilled the pressure-packed kick to win the game, giving Indiana more wins than it had all of last season.

“[Bazelak] is another guy that’s just like a straight line,” McCulley said. “You’ll never see Connor down or too high, he’s just a straight line. I got complete confidence in him.”

Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Cam Camper (6) catches a ball for a touchdown in front of Western Kentucky Hilltoppers defensive back Kahlef Hailassie (12) during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Hoosiers won 33 to 30 in overtime / Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

It wasn’t a perfect performance by Bazelak, but he completed 33-of-55 pass attempts for 364 yards, two touchdowns. Coaches and teammates rave about Bazelak’s composure in clutch scenarios, and that showed again on Saturday. Like Allen, Bazelak is thankful to be 3-0, but he still sees room for improvement from the Indiana offense.

“I think our best football has yet to be played on offense for sure," Bazelak said. "Trust me, you will see better football from us down the road.”

After the game, Allen pointed out a few necessary areas of improvement. On the defensive side of the ball, he’s been frustrated with Indiana’s tackling and struggles with stopping the run after each of its first three games. He noted a few miscues by Indiana linebackers where a small run-fit mistake turned short gains into chunk plays.

Offensively, Allen recognized too many drops from wide receivers that will have to be cleaned up. He said Indiana has a deep and talented receiving corps, but these mistakes could have swung the game. Indiana rushed 35 times for 120 yards and a touchdown – 3.4 yards per carry – but Allen wants to see more consistency in that area, as well.

Indiana’s schedule will continue to get more and more difficult as the season rolls along, and that starts with a road trip to Cincinnati next week. Coach Luke Fickell led the Bearcats to the College Football Playoff last season, which included a 38-24 win at Indiana.

Cincinnati is 2-1 with a seven-point loss at No. 10 Arkansas and wins over Kennesaw State and Miami (OH). Allen couldn’t contain his happiness after a 3-0 start, but he knows Indiana will have to make significant improvements to stay undefeated.

“We're going to be very critical of how we play. We're going to do a great job of holding our guys accountable for getting the little things right,” Allen said. “But to be able to do that with an understanding that we found a way to win three football games at this level, which is not easy to do.”

Related stories on Indiana football: 

• WHAT TOM ALLEN SAID: Indiana football came back to defeat Western Kentucky 33-30 in overtime, moving the Hoosiers' record to 3-0 on the year. Here's what coach Tom Allen said after the game. CLICK HERE
• LIVE BLOG: Indiana hosts Western Kentucky on Saturday at Noon ET in a Week 3 matchup in Bloomington, Ind. Here's our live blog, where you can catch all the action in real time live from the press box at Memorial Stadium. CLICK HERE