Indiana Offensive Line Paves Way for Season-High Rushing Numbers At Michigan State
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Indiana offensive linemen Josh Sales, Kahlil Benson and Zach Carpenter plowed the Michigan State defensive line toward the middle of the field as Mike Katic and Luke Haggard pulled from the left to the right side of the offensive line.
Quarterback Dexter Williams II patiently held the ball out for Shaun Shivers, reading the defense and allowed blocks to develop. Haggard and Katic delivered devastating blocks to pave a wide open lane on the right side, and the Spartan run defense was neutralized by the threat of Williams keeping the ball and running to the left.
Williams handed it to Shivers, who burst through the hole on the right side. There was no catching Shivers in the open field as he blazed past the Michigan State defense for a 79-yard touchdown run, Indiana’s longest offensive play of the season.
On Saturday in East Lansing, Indiana’s offense faced a number of challenges including frigid, windy and snowy conditions, the absence of leading receiver Cam Camper and Williams’ inexperience and inaccuracy as a passer. As a result, Indiana offensive coordinator Walt Bell knew Indiana had to run the ball successfully to win the game – something the Hoosiers have seldom accomplished in 2022.
Indiana entered the game averaging the fewest rushing yards per game in the Big Ten, but there was a drastic improvement against Michigan State. The Hoosiers ran the ball 44 times for 257 yards and four touchdowns, which were season-high rushing numbers for Indiana in each category.
“Really [the Michigan State game] was the first time we vertically dented the line of scrimmage,” Bell said. “And I think that’s the thing that I’m most proud of because that’s taken a lot of work, not only from Coach [Rod] Carey, but from those kids and how hard they’ve practiced. They’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do, and now everything takes time, but you’re starting to see a little bit of the payoff.”
Indiana pounded the rock all game long, attempting just seven passes all game, and the Spartans defense thought they knew what to expect. But at just the right time, Bell expanded the playbook and went for the win.
Following blocked field goal attempts by both teams in the first overtime period, Indiana started double overtime with the ball. For Bell, there was no more messing around.
Shivers lined up near the sideline and motioned in front of Williams as the shotgun snap was released. Faking the handoff to Shivers, Williams had a clean pocket with strong protection from the Indiana offensive line. He delivered a 24-yard dart to tight end AJ Barner, who was brought down just inches from the goal line.
“We’d been kind of setting that up all day, big, heavy 12 personnel look where we had been almost 100 percent run,” Bell said. “And we wanted to go get that one in right now. Go try to win the game right now.”
Shivers punched in his second touchdown run of the day, and a play-action fake to Josh Henderson freed Barner in the end zone for a sliding two-point conversion. Indiana's strength in the run game set up Williams' lone completions of the game, and the Hoosiers’ took an eight-point lead in double overtime. With defensive stop, Indiana snapped a seven-game losing streak in a 39-31 victory at Michigan State to claim the Old Brass Spittoon.
Indiana's Josh Henderson runs for a gain against Michigan State during overtime on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
The offensive line has received plenty of criticism for Indiana’s struggles in 2021 and 2022, but Saturday was its best game of the season.
Bell said he and Carey, who took over for Darren Hiller following Indiana’s loss to Michigan on Oct. 8, have tried to simplify things as much as humanly possible for the Indiana offensive line in recent weeks. The group has dealt with a variety of injuries this season, including veteran right tackle Matthew Bedford, who tore his ACL in Week 1 against Illinois. But slowly and surely, Bell is beginning to see improvement, and the win over Michigan State was a prime example.
“Those guys have been through a lot,” Bell said. “They’ve heard a lot. They put a lot of pressure on themselves. They have a lot of pride, they have a lot of pride in performance … For those guys to really kind of own the game, put the game on their shoulders and know that we’ve got to run the ball successfully to win the game, and they did a great job.”
Sales and Benson started at right tackle and right guard, respectively, on Saturday, and Allen and Bell have commented on their potential throughout the season. Carter Smith made his college debut at Ohio State on Nov. 12, and Bell highlighted fellow true freshman Bray Lynch’s improvements at Monday’s press conference.
Bell knows there is plenty of room to grow, but Saturday was a step in the right direction for the Indiana offensive line and run game.
“The good news is there’s still more to be had,” Bell said. “There’s still some things where it could have been a 320, 330, 340 [yards] on the ground type of day, but just really proud of those guys. Without those guys, we don’t win the football game.”
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