Todd’s Take: Resourceful Indiana Made Plan B Work Like A Charm

The No. 13 Hoosiers on Saturday were different than the high-flying team of the first half of the season. Indiana leaned on Justice Ellison and its offensive line and found a different way to stay unbeaten.

Todd Golden | Oct 26, 2024

Indiana's Justice Ellison (6) runs during the Indiana versus Washington football game at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 26, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Through all of Indiana’s success this season – a run that continued with a 31-17 victory over Washington Saturday at Memorial Stadium – Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti has been calm and confident. Part of his blueprint is to not be rattled. Or at least don’t show it.

It was strange then to see Cignetti give off nervous energy in his postgame press conference after Indiana remained undefeated. As he rattled off comments to the media – not quite with Tom Allen-style machine gun speed, but more rapid and with more stray thoughts than normal – it suggested that the No. 13 Hoosiers got pushed a bit by the Huskies, regardless of the final score.

Washington had a defensive game plan the Hoosiers weren’t expecting. To simplify it, they played zone and not the man defense the Hoosiers anticipated. That was the cause of some of Cignetti’s angst. Some mistakes by the Hoosiers were the other cause.

However, a good team finds a way to succeed. One big way is to not fear Plan B. Cignetti went against some of Indiana’s tendencies to get the job done against the Huskies.

The primary way he did that was to abandon Indiana’s running-back-by-committee approach. Through the first seven games of the season, Justice Ellison, Ty Son Lawton and Kaelon Black were essentially interchangeable. In no game did the dominant back carry the ball seven more times than the second-leading back.

That was not the case in the second half on Saturday. Ellison was given the mail, and he delivered it. Ellison had 20 of Indiana’s 31 second-half carries, and he had 17 more carries than any other Indiana back.

Ellison finished with 29 carries for 123 yards, including 102 yards in the second half. His yards were sorely needed as Indiana was able to bleed the clock against the pesky Huskies.

“If they were going to keep giving it to me, I was going to keep working with it. I’m thankful I was able to see what I saw and just play fast. There was not a lot of dancing. It was north and south, and get the ball vertical,” Ellison said.

Cignetti also altered the game plan for quarterback Tayven Jackson. It was always going to look different with Jackson playing in place of injured Kurtis Rourke, but Washington’s wrinkles morphed the plan even further.

“We were thinking the defense was going to give us a one-high, man-to-man look and they didn’t. They did a lot of zone. We focused on RPOs and running the ball. We kept attacking,” Jackson said.

The Rock Of Gibraltar as Indiana’s changed its offensive colors was the offensive line. If there’s a MVP in this contest, the offensive line should collectively share the honor.

It’s not just because Indiana averaged 4.3 yards per carry in the second half. It’s not just because Jackson wasn’t sacked all day.

Putting the ball in Ellison’s hands meant, in effect, that Cignetti was putting the game in the offensive line’s hands. Tackles Carter Smith, Trey Wedig, guards Drew Evans and Bray Lynch and center Mike Katic have been a collective strong point all season.

“I tell the guys on the sideline before every drive that it’s on us, and we’re going to have to take control of this game. I think in the second half we did. I think that’s what the story has been these last few weeks – breaking their will in the fourth quarter and just dominating,” Katic said.

When needed, they’ve been there for the Hoosiers. Most teams can’t consider the kind of Plan B fall-back the Hoosiers went to on Saturday. Most teams don’t have a line dependable enough to pull off something like that. Indiana does, and the line is just one of the reasons the Hoosiers are the surprise of college football in 2024.

“Hats off to the o-line. There weren't a lot of big runs, poster runs, but they showed the resilience of this football team,” Ellison said.

Oct 26, 2024; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers running back Justice Ellison (6) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Washington Huskies at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images / Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

As Ellison pointed out, it was a steady grind. Eleven of his 20 second-half carries gained between 4-9 yards. Ellison was a steady rolling man.

Now Indiana rolls into the November riding high with an 8-0 record and 5-0 mark in the Big Ten. Most of the games have been smooth affairs without much drama. This win didn’t come as easily, but Cignetti appreciated the fact that Indiana was tested and passed it with its unblemished record intact.

“I told the team after the game, I said, ‘Really good teams, championship teams, they find ways to win games,’ and that's what we did today. We found ways to win a game,” Cignetti added.

It wasn’t Indiana’s best day in terms of dazzling statistics and highlight plays, but the character of the team showed when it was forced to find a different way to skin a cat.

In doing so, yet another Indiana wrinkle revealed itself. The Hoosiers can finesse you, the Hoosiers can grind you, the Hoosiers will find a way to beat you.

Cignetti channeled some of his nervous energy to sum it up best.

“I think this is a close team with a lot of competitive character, guys that really want to be good, have the right stuff,’’ he said, ‘’and they found a way to win.”

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