D.J. Matthews Jr. Named to Paul Hornung Award Watch List

Indiana wide receiver and return man D.J. Matthews Jr. was named to the preseason watch list for the Paul Hornung Award, which is given to college football’s most versatile player. Matthews played four games for Indiana in 2021 before tearing his ACL.

The Paul Hornung Award watch list includes Indiana wide receiver and return specialist D.J. Matthews, who is entering his second year as a Hoosier after transferring from Florida State.

This award is given to college football’s most versatile player, and Matthews can certainly impact the game in a variety of ways. Whether he was returning punts for touchdowns or burning the Cincinnati defense, D.J. Matthews provided a skillset Indiana hasn’t had in recent years.

His electrifying speed and agility gave Indiana a big-play threat at wide receiver, as well as the return game. Indiana’s offense stumbled mightily out of the gate in the season opener at Iowa, but began to find its footing against Idaho and later Cincinnati, who’d go on to reach the College Football Playoff.

Matthews hauled in four receptions against Idaho, but this game will be remembered for his 81-yard punt return touchdown just before halftime. Matthews caught the ball while running in the direction of the opposite end zone, circled his way toward the sideline and stiff-armed multiple defenders on his way to the end zone to give Indiana a 35-0 lead.

The following week, Matthews helped Indiana keep things close against then-No. 8 Cincinnati. He led Hoosier receivers with 120 yards against a Bearcat secondary featuring Sauce Gardner, the No. 4 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Indiana trailed Cincinnati by three points with four minutes left in the third quarter when quarterback Michael Penix Jr. faked a hand-off up the middle. Matthews came sprinting behind Penix, who flipped the ball backward. Matthews caught the ball near the 20-yard line and darted for the end zone untouched, giving Indiana a 21-17 lead late in the third quarter.

The Hoosiers would ultimately lose this game 38-24, as well as much of the momentum built from bowl-eligible campaigns in 2019 and 2020. And after Matthews tore his ACL in week four against Western Kentucky, the Indiana offense fell stagnant and finished the season with a 2-10 record.

Matthews’ return in 2022 serves as a crucial piece to Indiana bouncing back from what was a major letdown in 2021. And with the loss of leading wideouts Ty Fryfogle and Miles Marshall, Matthews boasts the most Power Five experience of any Indiana receiver.

Recovering from a serious knee injury and building chemistry with a new starting quarterback – Connor Bazelak or Jack Tuttle – is a difficult challenge, but Matthews remains Indiana’s big-play threat entering the 2022 season. 

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