Jack's Take: Indiana Coaches, Players Better Improve Fast Or They Will Not Win Again

Indiana could have easily lost Saturday night against Akron due to offensive failures and attitude concerns, but it somehow eked out a 29-27 win in quadruple overtime. A win is just about the only positive takeaway, as the Hoosiers have plenty to fix heading into Big Ten play.

Jack Ankony | Sep 24, 2023

Jack's Take: Indiana Coaches, Players Better Improve Fast Or They Will Not Win Again /

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Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – If it wasn't obvious from their effort on Saturday, Indiana coach Tom Allen admitted postgame that his team overlooked Akron.

That's an indictment of both the coaching staff and the players. Indiana doesn't have the talent or coaching acumen to take anyone for granted. It won't win another game this year playing -- and coaching -- the way it did Saturday.

A win is a win, but that's about the only positive takeaway after Indiana escaped with a 29-27 win over Akron in quadruple-overtime. The win came with even more concerns than last week's loss to Louisville. That speaks volumes to how poorly Indiana played in nearly every facet against a MAC program that's won just six games since the start of the 2019 season.

After a step forward last week, Indiana's offense took two, maybe three, steps back on Saturday. There's proven talent with players like Jaylin Lucas and Cam Camper, but offensive coordinator Walt Bell's unit lacks identity. The play-calling is questionable, the offensive line can't block, which only hurts the running backs, and the freshman quarterback is a work in progress.

After hauling in 10 receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown in a slot receiver role against Louisville, Jaylin Lucas didn't have a single catch against Akron. In the run game, he gained 43 yards on 13 carries. Lucas was left wide-open in the end zone in overtime, but Jackson simply didn't see him because he wasn't coached to do so.

"He's not my read," Jackson said. "It's one, two, three and then get out of there, so I've never looked at Jaylin ever doing that play, running that play in practice. So I know he's butt naked, but it's not my read."

Indiana has mostly gone away from the triple-option concepts it employed earlier, and it ranks 13th in the Big Ten in rushing yards through four games. Running back Josh Henderson's injury only makes matters worse, and Indiana clearly missed his pass-blocking ability, too.

After allowing just two sacks through the first three weeks, Jackson was sacked three times against Akron. The offensive line appeared stronger in those earlier games, but Allen accurately described Saturday night as their worst performance of the season. The group's goal-line push, or lack thereof, is perhaps the most concerning, as Indiana was stuffed from the two-yard line or closer on four separate plays Saturday.

Jackson faced constant pressure in the pocket, which contributed to his 11-for-26 passing night. He missed a few open receivers, too, and there were three blatant drops that could have led to scoring drives. Jackson showed traits of an above-average Big Ten quarterback against Louisville, but his play against Akron reaffirmed there will be growing pains in his redshirt freshman season.

"For me, it's seeing signals and being better at reading the defense," Jackson said. "I got rushed a little bit, and I was trying to force things, and that's never good. But as a team, we just need to have better focus ... We play a Big Ten team next week, and what we did out there today is not going to cut it."

What does Indiana's offense want to emphasize? What can it be good at? Bell must figure that out fast, as Indiana faces Big Ten opponents the rest of the way who will have more defensive talent than Akron.

Defensively, three interceptions kept Indiana ahead for most of the night, including a pick-six from safety Louis Moore. But the game was sent to overtime because it allowed a 71-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter and failed to contain quarterback DJ Irons on the ground. Irons ran the ball 18 times for 141 yards and two touchdowns, including a touchdown run in the first overtime where he scrambled all the way back to the 26-yard line before slicing through the Indiana defense. This wasn't poor tackling; it was poor preparation.

"I really didn't know they were going to use their quarterback as much," Indiana linebacker Aaron Casey said. "I knew they were going to use him, but the way he was able to – they used him today, they really took advantage of him and his ability."

😤😤😤

DJ Irons for the lead in OT 🦘@ZipsFB | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/g8A2M2os1W
— #MACtion (@MACSports) September 24, 2023

Past struggles defending mobile quarterbacks revealed themselves again, and it only gets more difficult in the next two games against Maryland's Taulia Tagovailoa and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy. There were far more positives from Indiana's defense than its offense on Saturday, but no credible Big Ten team should give up 474 yards to Akron.

While the on-field execution led to one of Indiana's worst performances in recent seasons, perhaps more damning was Allen and players' comments on what happened leading up to the game.

"Did have to remind them in an emotional way on Thursday about who this team is," Allen said. "Did not like at all how we practiced. We actually restarted some things on Thursday ... I just sensed a lack of really understanding who we were playing and their ability to beat you, which is mind blowing because we don't have any right to think that at this point, but did sense it for sure."

"I wouldn't say we took Akron for granted, but I feel like we should have blown them out, honestly," Indiana safety Louis Moore said. "I wouldn't say it's a lack of focus, it's more like respect your opponent. I respect all my opponents, so I'm not going to say I don't respect them, but yeah."

This falls on all aspects of leadership, both coaches and players. During successful 2019 and 2020 seasons, Allen built a strong reputation as motivator who could get his players to buy in and play hard. It seems his messaging this week fell on deaf ears. It's also on players themselves to come ready to play each week, and that didn't happen Saturday or in last week's 21-0 deficit in the first half against Louisville.

Moving forward, Indiana can't play like it did against Akron and expect to beat anyone. The schedule looks a bit easier than it did in the preseason, as Illinois, Michigan State and Purdue have underachieved so far. Those are winnable games, and so is Rutgers, but Saturday's game showed regression in nearly every phase at the wrong time.

Allen called the win "below what's acceptable, for sure." Unless he and the Hoosiers make some adjustments fast, it's hard to expect much success in the last eight games.

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