Stock Up, Stock Down From Indiana's 41-7 Win Over Indiana State
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana cruised to an easy win on Friday against Indiana State, rolling over the Sycamores 41-7 with the game never in doubt.
While there were pretty much only positives to take away on the Hoosiers' side from the 34-point drubbing Bloomington, that almost certainly won't be the case for the rest of the season.
In a new series for HoosiersNow.com, here's whose stock is up, and whose stock is down after Indiana's Week 2 win.
Stock Up
Tayven Jackson
It's kind of hard not to be in the stock up column after you complete more than 85 percent of your passes.
The transfer quarterback from Tennessee and younger brother of IU basketball star Trayce Jackson-Davis was the story of the Friday night win. In his first ever collegiate start, the Indiana offense scored three touchdowns on its first three drives.
Though Jackson did not throw for any touchdowns on the night, he scrambled in a 10-yard score to put Indiana up 21-0, and he finished the game 18-for-21 for 236 yards through the air.
That'll play.
Though coach Tom Allen declined to publicly name a starting quarterback after the game, he insisted that one will be chosen before Saturday's game against Louisville. If it's Brendan Sorsby and not Jackson, there very well could be an uprising from football fans in Bloomington.
It's not that Sorsby looked bad or would be a disaster, but it feels impossible to pick him over Jackson at this point. Not when Jackson just lit it up in front of Memorial Stadium after not getting the chance to start in Week 1. Expect to see Jackson take most of the remaining snaps at quarterback in 2023 barring injury, or the potential return of Dexter Williams II.
Transfer-Heavy Defense
It doesn't matter that it was Indiana State. Only allowing 93 yards of offense is impressive, regardless of the opponent.
A strong defense was the identity of the Hoosiers under Allen, particularly in 2019 and 2020, when a takeaway-happy unit helped carry IU to a 14-7 record over the course of two seasons.
That fell off in 2021 and 2022, and Allen hit the transfer portal hard in the offseason to correct it. With the additions of guys such as Andre Carter, Lanell Carr Jr., Jacob Mangum-Farrar, Nic Toomer, Anthony Jones, Philip Blidi, Jamier Johnson – you're getting the picture by now – and so on, the Indiana defense appears to be back.
Holding Ohio State's offense to just 23 points and producing several red zone stops in Week 1 was a great start. Absolutely destroying an overmatched an opponent in Week 2 was exactly what needed to happen. If the rebuilt Hoosier defense can put the clamps on another team — this time the Jeff Brohm offense at Louisville — then there will be no denying it. This might be one of the best defenses in the Big Ten.
Omar Cooper Jr.
Injuries to Cam Camper and E.J. Williams Jr. are undoubtedly concerning, but it was great to see such a stellar performance from Omar Cooper Jr.
It would have been exciting enough to see the redshirt freshman receiver catch his first ever pass at IU, but how about seven receptions for 101 yards. Where did that come from?
Allen, as well as several other Indiana coaches, mentioned throughout fall camp that Cooper was emerging as a special player and was ready to contribute to this team.
Best case scenario, both Camper and Williams are only dealing with minor nicks and bruises, and can return to the field on Saturday against Louisville. But even if they can't, the redshirt freshman Cooper proved himself as a reliable replacement in their absence.
Stock Down
Special Teams
Run into the punter once? Shame on you.
Run into the punter twice? Well, actually that's still just shame on you. I'm not taking any shame for that.
Those mistakes, along with a muffed punt from Lucas, highlighted the Hoosiers' mid-game sloppiness. It was clear IU loosened its focus after going up 21-0, letting Indiana State hang around at 24-7 for far too long.
Accidentally crashing into a punter won't hurt you when you're playing a bad FCS team. But if Indiana does that again next week against 2-0 Louisville, it'll be in for a world of hurt.
Passing Touchdowns in Memorial Stadium
Eight quarters of Indiana football have been played during the 2023 season, and not a single one has included a passing touchdown.
The eight total touchdowns inside Memorial Stadium thus far are as follows:
- Miyan Williams 7-yard touchdown run
- Miyan Williams 3-yard touchdown run
- Jaylin Lucas 25-yard touchdown run
- Jaylin Lucas 25-yard touchdown run (not a typo, both of Lucas's scores were funnily enough 25-yard runs)
- Tayven Jackson 10-yard touchdown run
- Maddix Blackwell 75-yard fumble return touchdown
- Christian Turner 1-yard touchdown run
- Josh Henderson 3-yard touchdown run
Yes, I will be keeping track of Indiana passing touchdown watch for the remainder of the season until someone finally throws for six.
Friday Night College Football
At this point, I'd be shocked if any fan hadn't of watched the video my co-worker Jack Ankony posted last week of Allen ranting against Indiana's Friday night game.
Ultimately, Indiana did not suffer from hosting the game on a Friday rather than a Saturday. Indiana State was clearly an easy opponent to face, and the Memorial Stadium crowd was pretty solid as things go.
The bigger problem is how the scheduling hurt the Bloomington South vs. Bloomington North game.
An epic high school football rivalry between schools that share the same town should not have to compete with a Big Ten team for attendance. North's thrilling 25-24 overtime win over South was an infinitely more entertaining game than Indiana's curb stomping of the Sycamores.
Listen to Tom Allen next time and keep your Big Ten football games on Saturdays where they belong.
Related Stories on Indiana Football:
- WEEK 2 BIG TEN POWER RANKINGS: Michigan's grip on the top spot in the conference has only tightened, while Wisconsin went flying out of the top five following a loss to Washington State. CLICK HERE
- GAME STORY: Coach Tom Allen and the Indiana Hoosiers defeated Indiana State 41-7 on Friday at Memorial Stadium. It was a dominant win for IU, led by quarterback Tayven Jackson and an unforgiving defense, though it was clear all night that the visiting team was overmatched. CLICK HERE
- JACK'S TAKE: With an incredible diving catch, Indiana wide receiver Cam Camper claimed the No. 2 spot on SporstCenter's Top 10 Plays. Camper caught three passes for 37 yards before leaving the game with an injury. CLICK HERE
- PODCAST RECAP: Indiana quarterback Tayven Jackson's performance was the story of Friday night's game against Indiana State, so naturally, his potential status as the full-time starting quarterback was the topic of discussion on today's Hoosier Roundtable Podcast. CLICK HERE
